Nissar Darmani, PhD
Associate Dean for Biomedical Sciences and Research; Chair of BS;Professor of Pharmacology
College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific
Join year: 2005
Ph.D., Neuropharmacology, University of Wales, UWIST, U.K., 1988
M.S., Applied Pharmacology, University of Wales, UWIST, U.K., 1984
Medical Scientific Officer, Immunohematology Center, Cambridge, UK, 1979-1983
B.S., Honors: Pharmacology & Biochemistry, Leeds University, England, U.K., 1979
Postdoctoral Fellow, Neuropsychopharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, Medical College of Virginia, 1988-1991
Associate Dean of Biomedical Sciences and Research, Western University of Health Sciences, COMP, 2011-present
Assistant Dean of Biomedical Sciences and Research, Western University of Health Sciences, COMP, 2008-2011
Chair, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Western University of Health Sciences, COMP 2005-present
Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, Kirksville, MO, 2000-2005
Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, Kirksville, MO, 1995-2000
Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, Kirksville, MO, 1991-1995
Research Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Medical College of Virginia, 1991
Dr. Darmani's main training has been in the field of pharmacology and will be teaching the core pharmacology course involving introduction to pharmacology, pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics.
Dr. Darmani has several avenues of research interest that include:
- Developmental effects of drugs of abuse on the newborn.
- Serotonergic mechanisms of cocaine's actions.
- Mode of action of antidepressant drugs.
- Adaptive mechanisms of serotonergic 5-HT2 receptor functions.
- The role of delta-9 -THC and synthetic cannabinoids on chemotherapy- and radiotherapy-induced vomiting. His laboratory had the first opportunity to demonstrate the mechanisms of antiemetic actions of marijuana.
- Role of 5-HT3-, Dopamine D2/3-, Lekotriene CysLT1- and NK1- receptors in emesis and application of their antagonists as antiemetics.
- Another of his research interests involves the role of osteopathic manipulative medicine on the blood levels of endogenous cannabinoid-like compounds and other pain markers in patients with back pain. He had been successful in obtaining several million dollars of research grants from numerous funding agencies including the Pharmaceutical industry, the National Institute of Drug Abuse, the National Institute of Cancer, the Department of Defense and the Environmental Protection Agency.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12868-022-00766-0
Recent Publications:
- Lutfy, K.; Pechnick R. N.; Darmani N. A. (2023)Editorial: Pharmacology of new psychoactive substances.Front Pharmacol. 2023 May 9;14:1208957. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1208957. eCollection 2023.PMID:37229258
- Irizarry, K.J.L.; Zhong W.; Kronmiller B.A.;Darmani N.A. (2023) RNA Sequencing Least Shrew (Cryptotis parva) brainstem and Gut transcripts following administration of a selective substance P neurokinin NK1 receptor agonist and antagonist expands genomics resources for emesis research. Front Genet. 2023 Feb 14;14:975087.doi: 10.3389/fgene.2023.975087. eCollection 2023.PMID:36865388.
- Sun, Y.; Chebolu, S.; Skegrud, S; Kamali, S.;Darmani, N.A. (2023) Effects of low-doses of methamphetamine on d-fenfluramine-induced head-twitch response (HTR) in mice during aging and c-fos expression in the prefrontal cortex. BMC Neuroscience 2023 24:2.
- Chung, D.J.; Madison, G.P.; Aponte, A.M.; Singh, K.; Li, Y.; Pirooznia M.; Bleck, C.K.E.;Darmani, N.A.; Balaban R.S. (2022) Metabolic design in a mammalian model of extreme metabolism, the North American Lease shrew (Cryptotis parva). J. Physiol. 600(3): 547-567. PMID:34837710; DOI:10.1113/JP282153
- Belkacemi, L.; Sun, Y.;Darmani, N.A.(2022) Evidence for a bell-shaped dose-response effects of temsirolimus and analogs: The broad-spectrum antiemetic efficacy of a large dose of temsirolimus against diverse emetogens in the least shrew (Cryptotis parva). Front Pharmacol 13:848673.doi: 10.3389/fphar.2022.848673.eCollection 2022. PMID:35444553; PMCID:PMC9014009; DOI:10.3389/fphar.2022.848673
- Sun, Y.; Chebolu, S.; Henry, D.; Lankireddy, S.; Darmani, N.A. (2021) An ontogenic study of receptor mechanisms by which acute administration of low-doses of methamphetamine suppresses DOI-induced 5-HT2A-receptor mediated head-twitch response in mice. Sun et al. BMC Neuroscience (2022) 23:2 PMID: 34983399; PMCID:PMC8725525; DOI:10.1186/s12868-021-00686-5
- Zhong, L.; Darmani, N.A. (2021) The contribution of phospholipase C in vomiting in the Least Shrew (Cryptotis Parva) model of emesis. Front Pharmacol. 12:736842. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.736842. eCollection 2021. PMID:34566660: PMCID:PMC8461300
- Zhong, W.; Shahbaz, O.; Garrett Teskey G.; Beever A.; Kachour N.; Venketaraman V.; Darmani, N.A. (2021) Mechanisms of Nausea and Vomiting: Current Knowledge and Recent Advances in Intracellular Emetic Signaling Systems. Int. J Mol Science 22(11): 5797. DOI: 10.3390/ijms22115797. PMID: 34071460 PMCID:PMC8198651
- Zhong, L.; Darmani, N.A. (2021) The HCN channel blocker ZD7228 induces emesis in the least shrew (Cryptotis parva). Front Pharmacol 12: 647021. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.647021. PMID: 33995059 PMCID:PMC8117105
- Belkacemi, L.; Zhong, W.; Darmani, N.A. (2021) Signal transduction pathways involved in dopamine D2 receptor-evoked emesis in the least shrew (Cryptotis parva). Autonomic Neuroscience: Basic and Clinical 233:102807. doi: 10.1016/j.autneu.2021.102807. PMID: 33865060 PMCID:PMC8154667
- Zhong, W.; Chebolu, S.; Darmani N.A. (2021) Central and peripheral mechanisms contribute to vomiting evoked by Akt inhibitors in the least shrew model of emesis. Eur. J. Pharmacol. 5;900:174065. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2021.174065. PMID: 33775646 PMCID:PMC808516
- Zhong, W.; Darmani, N.A. (2020) Role of PI3K/Akt/GSK-3 pathway in emesis and potential new antiemetics. J Cell Signal 1: 155-159. doi: 10.33696/Signaling.1.024. PMID: 33426544 PMCID:PMC7793561
- Bekacemi L.; Darmani, N. A. (2020) Dopamine receptors in emesis: molecular mechanisms and potential therapeutic function. Pharmacological Research. 161:105124. doi: 10.1016/ j.phrs.2020.105124; PMID: 32814171 PMCID:PMC7755683
- Darmani, N.A.; Belkacemi, L.; Zhong, W. (2020) D9-THC and related cannabinoids suppress substance P-induced neurokinin NK1-receptor-mediated vomiting via activation of canna-binoid CB1 receptor. Eur. J. Pharmacol. 865, 172806; PMID: 31738934 PMCID:PMC691021
- Zhong, W.; Darmani, N.A. (2020) The pivotal role of glycogen synthase 3 (GSK-3) in vomiting evoked by specific emetogens in the least shrew (Cryptotis parva). Neurochem. International. 132: 104603.PMID 31738972; PMCID: PMC6911829; DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2019.104603
- Darmani, N.A.; Henry, D.A.; Zhong, W.; Chebolu S. (2020) Ultra-low doses of the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 agonist, resiniferatoxin, prevents vomiting evoked by diverse emetogens in the least shrew (Cryptotis parva). Behav. Pharmacol 31: 3-14.PMID 31503071 PMCID: PMC6954338; DOI: 10.1097/FBP.0000000000000499
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