Hong Zheng

Hong Zheng

Assistant Professor
M.D. 1985, Peking University Health Science Center
Specialty: Neural control of circulation and autonomic function
Major Interest: Central mechanisms regulating sympathetic outflow in normal and disease states

Curriculum Vitae

Research in the laboratory is concerned with the regulation of sympathetic outflow in normal and disease states. Type 2 diabetes is one of the diseases with the greatest risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Accumulated evidence indicates that type 2 diabetes is associated with enhanced sympathetic neural drive. Chronic sympathetic activation increases the risk of cardiovascular complications and subsequent mortality during type 2 diabetes. Our central hypothesis is that enhanced leptin-glutamate signaling in the hypothalamic nuclei contributes to the exaggerated sympatho-excitation in rats with type 2 diabetes The questions are addressed using high fat and low dose streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetic rats to define the precise mechanisms (leptin-glutamate signaling) and specialized cells (neuron-astrocyte interaction) within the hypothalamus that lead to sympatho-excitation in type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, we also study the effects of leptin through transient receptor potential canonical channels contributing to the exaggerated sympathetic activation in type 2 diabetes. The project is addressed by using whole animal study, electrophysiological study, genetic manipulation, immunohistochemistry, confocal image, neuronal cell culture and molecular biology techniques.

Research image 

Recent Publications:

  1. Zheng H, Sharma NM, Liu X, Patel KP. Exercise training normalizes enhanced sympathetic activation from the paraventricular nucleus in chronic heart failure: role of angiotensin II. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2012;303(4):R387-94  PMID: 22718804
  2. Xu B, Zheng H, Patel KP. Enhanced Activation of RVLM Projecting PVN Neurons in Rats with Chronic Heart Failure. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2012;302(8):H1700-11  PMID: 22307669
  3. Sharma NM, Zheng H, Li YF, Patel KP. Nitric oxide inhibits the expression of AT1 receptors in neurons. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2012; 302(8):C1162-73  PMID: 22218225 
  4. Llewellyn T, Zheng H, Liu X, Xu B, Patel KP. Median Preoptic Nucleus and Subfornical Organ Drive Renal Sympathetic Nerve Activity via a Glutamatergic Mechanism within the Paraventricular Nucleus. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2012; 302(4): R424-32  PMID: 22160544
  5. Patel KP, Zheng H. Central Neural Control of Sympathetic Nerve Activity in Heart Failure Following Exercise Training. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2012; 302(3): H527-37  PMID: 22101524