Mary Vore, Ph.D.

Professor and Director
Graduate Center for Toxicology

Mailing Address:
Graduate Center for Toxicology
1095 V.A. Drive
306 Health Sciences Research Building
Lexington, KY  40536-0305
Phone: (859) 257-3760
Fax: (859) 323-1059
E-mail: maryv@uky.edu
Web Site: http://www.mc.uky.edu/toxicology/

Dr. Vore's laboratory is focused on understanding the transport of organic anions, such as bile salts and the glucuronide and glutathione conjugates of xenobiotics across the hepatocyte. We are characterizing the expression of the bile salt transporters ntcp and spgp/bsep, and the non-bile acid organic anion transporters oatp1/2 and mrp2 in pregnancy and the postpartum period. Expression of mrp2 is decreased markedly in pregnancy, consistent with decreased biliary excretion of glutathione and glucuronide conjugates in pregnancy. In contrast, expression of ntcp mRNA and protein is stable in pregnancy, but increases postpartum in response to prolactin secretion. Recent studies have shown that prolactin acts via the Jak2-Stat5 signaling pathway to increase expression of ntcp. We are also investigating the mechanisms by which estradiol-17-glucuronide, a naturally occurring estrogen metabolite, inhibits bile flow. This metabolite is a substrate of two ABC-transporters, mrp2 and MDR1 P-glycoprotein, in canalicular membranes and that while MDR1 substrates protect against the cholestasis, mrp2 is essential for the cholestatic response.

For a list of Dr. Vore's publications, please visit the PubMed web site.

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