Sathish Natarajan
Assoc Professor Nutrition & Health Sciences University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Contact
- Address
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FYH 229
Lincoln NE 68583-0806 - Phone
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4028057520
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snatarajan2@unl.edu
- Website
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Lab website
- Website
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PubMed
- Website
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Google Scholar
The long-term goal of Dr. Natarajan's research program is to develop a nutraceutical approach to mitigate liver and placental lipotoxicity that occurs during the acute fatty liver of pregnancy and maternal obesity, respectively. Trophoblasts are specialized cells in the placenta that facilitate nutrient transport to the developing fetus. They have identified that dietary palmitoleate, an omega-7 monounsaturated fatty acid is protective against placental lipoapoptosis caused due to exposure to lipotoxic fatty acids that are elevated in the acute fatty liver during pregnancy and maternal obesity. Further, they are also interested in elucidating the role of placental trophoblast infection with Zika virus and the protective role of dietary-palmitoleate supplementation in preventing Zika virus-induced placental trophoblast apoptosis. Identifying palmitoleate as a cytoprotective nutrient will result in potential nutrient therapy for the prevention of devastating consequences of fetal organ infection with the Zika virus.
Education
2008
Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, Dr. Mgr Medical University, Tamilnadu, India
2001
M.S., Biochemistry, University of Madras, Tamilnadu, India
1999
B.S., Biochemistry, University of Madras, Tamilnadu, India