Luca Vanella
University of Catania, Italy
- Orcid: 0000-0002-6314-6029
- Publications: 142
- Citations: 4617
- Keywords: heme oxygenase; oxidative stress; biochemistry
Short Bio
- Prof. Luca Vanella is an expert scientist on the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the processes of oxidative stress and the activation of endogenous antioxidant systems which have a great impact on several pathologies including diabetes and cancer. His research mainly concerns the study of HEME OXYGENASE (HO-1) which represents the body’s most important first line of defense against oxidative stress. Heme oxygenase, present in many tissues, is the only enzyme capable of degrading heme into carbon monoxide, iron and biliverdin. The anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic and anti-hypertensive properties of heme oxygenase are mainly due to its enzymatic activity and in particular to the antioxidant effects of biliverdin and the vasodilating effects of carbon monoxide. In this regard the most relevant scientific findings of Luca Vanella are: 1) heme oxygenase gene targeting of adipocytes greatly attenuates adiposity and vascular damage in mice fed a high fat diet, and 2) cytochrome P450-mediated metabolism of arachidonic acid to epoxides have powerful effect on adipogenesis primarily via stimulation of heme oxygenase. Recently, he focused on the role of heme oxygenase in cancer cells showing that increased heme oxygenase expression is often associated to cancer aggressiveness and chemoresistance. Currently, prof. Vanella is studying the relationship between the cellular localization/expression of heme oxygenase and cancer proliferation.
