Paul Smith

Contact

• workRoom E153 The University of Nottingham Medical School
  Queen's Medical Centre
  Nottingham
  NG7 2UH
  UK
• work0115 82 30135
• fax0115 82 30081
• paul.a.smith@nottingham.ac.uk

Expertise Summary

I am fascinated by the physiology and pharmacology of ion channels in white fat adipocytes. In particular I am interested in the connections between ion channel activity in the plasmamembrane and the mobilization of fat soluble compounds such as vitamins, pharmaceuticals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from their fat droplet.

Research summary

• The electrophysiology of adipocytes and the role of ion channels in their function.
• Regulation of the trafficking and expression of L-type Ca2+ channels in endocrine cells.
• Mobilization of vitamin D, pharmaceuticals and POPs from white fat
• Calcium homeostasis

Research Techniques/Expertise

• Electrophysiology: sharp-electrode, patch-clamp
• Ion channel physiology and pharmacology
• Adipocyte physiology
• Electrochemical measurement of secretion
• Single-cell microfluorimetry
• Measurement of oxidative respiration in single cells, suspensions and tissues:
• Mathematical modelling and simulation (cell-signals, secretion, electrophysiology).

Teaching

B11NES Core Skills in Neuroscience

C12HSN Higher Skills in Neuroscience

Selected Publications

• JOANA REAL, CAROLINE MIRANDA and CHARLOTTA OLOFSSON, 2018. Lipophilicity predicts the ability of nonsulphonylurea drugs to block pancreatic beta‐cell KATP channels and stimulate insulin secretion; statins as a test case Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism. 1(2),
• ELMORSY E, AL-GHAFARI A, HELALY ANM, HISAB AS, OEHRLE B and SMITH PA, 2017. Therapeutic concentrations of antidepressants inhibit pancreatic beta-cell function via mitochondrial complex inhibition. Toxicological sciences : an official journal of the Society of Toxicology. 158(2), 286-301
• BENTLEY DC, PULBUTR P, CHAN S and SMITH PA, 2014. Etiology of the membrane potential of rat white fat adipocytes. American journal of physiology. Endocrinology and metabolism. 307(2), E161-75
• ALMUKHTAR H, GARLE MJ, SMITH PA and ROBERTS RE, 2016. Effect of simvastatin on vascular tone in porcine coronary artery: Potential role of the mitochondria. Toxicology and applied pharmacology. 305, 176-185

• View all publications

• FEDORENKO, OLENA A., PULBUTR, PAWITRA, BANKE, ELIN, AKANIRO-EJIM, NNEOMA E., BENTLEY, DONNA C., OLOFSSON, CHARLOTTA S., CHAN, SUE and SMITH, PAUL A., 2020. CaV1.2 and CaV1.3 voltage-gated L-type Ca2+ channels in rat white fat adipocytes JOURNAL OF ENDOCRINOLOGY. 244(2), 369-381
• HOCKLEY, ADAM, BERGER, JOEL I., SMITH, PAUL A., PALMER, ALAN R. and WALLACE, MARK N., 2020. Nitric oxide regulates the firing rate of neuronal subtypes in the guinea pig ventral cochlear nucleus EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE. 51(4), 963-983
• CURRY, LIAM, ALMUKHTAR, HANI, ALAHMED, JALA, ROBERTS, RICHARD and SMITH, PAUL A., 2019. Simvastatin Inhibits L-Type Ca2+-Channel Activity Through Impairment of Mitochondrial Function TOXICOLOGICAL SCIENCES. 169(2), 543-552
• JOANA REAL, CAROLINE MIRANDA and CHARLOTTA OLOFSSON, 2018. Lipophilicity predicts the ability of nonsulphonylurea drugs to block pancreatic beta‐cell KATP channels and stimulate insulin secretion; statins as a test case Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism. 1(2),
• ELMORSY E, AL-GHAFARI A, HELALY ANM, HISAB AS, OEHRLE B and SMITH PA, 2017. Therapeutic concentrations of antidepressants inhibit pancreatic beta-cell function via mitochondrial complex inhibition. Toxicological sciences : an official journal of the Society of Toxicology. 158(2), 286-301
• ALMUKHTAR H, GARLE MJ, SMITH PA and ROBERTS RE, 2016. Effect of simvastatin on vascular tone in porcine coronary artery: Potential role of the mitochondria. Toxicology and applied pharmacology. 305, 176-185
• ELMORSY, EKRAMY and SMITH, PAUL A., 2015. Bioenergetic disruption of human micro-vascular endothelial cells by antipsychotics BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS. 460(3), 857-862
• ELMORSY E, ELZALABANY LM, ELSHEIKHA HM and SMITH PA, 2014. Adverse effects of antipsychotics on micro-vascular endothelial cells of the human blood-brain barrier. Brain research. 1583, 255-68
• BENTLEY DC, PULBUTR P, CHAN S and SMITH PA, 2014. Etiology of the membrane potential of rat white fat adipocytes. American journal of physiology. Endocrinology and metabolism. 307(2), E161-75
• WHITE, B.J.O., SMITH, P.A. and DUNN, W.R., 2013. Hydrogen sulphide-mediated vasodilatation involves the release of neurotransmitters from sensory nerves in pressurized mesenteric small arteries isolated from rats British Journal of Pharmacology. 168(4), 785-793
• ELSHEIKHA, H.M., MCKINLEY C, ELSAIED, N.A. and SMITH, P.A., 2013. Effects of Neospora caninum infection on brain microvascular endothelial cells bioenergetics Parasites & Vectors. 6(January), 24
• VICKERY, H.S.F. and SMITH, P.A., 2012. Surface electromyography reveals males have a slower patellar reflex than females Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology. 22(6), 990-996
• WARD, D.R., DEAR, F.M., WARD, I.A., ANDERSON, S.I., SPERGEL, D.J., SMITH, P.A. and EBLING, F.J.P., 2009. Innervation of gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons by peptidergic neurons conveying circadian or energy balance information in the mouse PLoS ONE. 4(4), e5322
• SMITH, P.A., 2009. N-type Ca²⁺-channels in murine pancreatic β-cells are inhibited by an exclusive coupling with somatostatin receptor subtype 1 Endocrinology. 150(2), 741-748
• ATHANASIOU, ANDRIANI, SMITH, PAUL A, VAKILPOUR, SARA, KUMARAN, NETHIA M, TURNER, AMY E, BAGIOKOU, DIMITRA, LAYFIELD, ROBERT, RAY, DAVID E, WESTWELL, ANDREW D, ALEXANDER, STEPHEN P H and KENDALL, DAVID A, 2007. Vanilloid receptor agonists and antagonists are mitochondrial inhibitors: how vanilloids cause non-vanilloid receptor mediated cell death. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 354(1), 50-5
• ATHANASIOU, ANDRIANI, CLARKE, ANNA B, TURNER, AMY E, KUMARAN, NETHIA M, VAKILPOUR, SARA, SMITH, PAUL A, BAGIOKOU, DIMITRA, BRADSHAW, TRACEY D, WESTWELL, ANDREW D, FANG, LIN, LOBO, DILEEP N and CONSTANTIN, 2007. Cannabinoid receptor agonists are mitochondrial inhibitors: a unified hypothesis of how cannabinoids modulate mitochondrial function and induce cell death. Biochemical and biophysical research communications. 364(1), 131-7
• DAUNT, M., DALE, O. and SMITH, P.A, 2006. Somatostatin inhibits oxidative respiration in pancreatic beta-cells. Endocrinology. 147(3), 1527-1535
• SAGAR, D. R., SMITH, P. A., MILLNS, P. J., SMART, D., KENDALL, D. A. and CHAPMAN, V., 2004. TRPV1 and CB1 receptor-mediated effects of the endovanilloid/endocannabinoid N-arachidonoyl-dopamine on primary afferent fibre and spinal cord neuronal responses in the rat European Journal of Neuroscience. 20(1), 175-184
• VIRSOLVY, A., SMITH, P., BERTRAND, G., GROS, L., HÉRON, L., SALAZAR, G., PUECH, R. and BATAILLE, D, 2002. Block of Ca(2+)-channels by alpha-endosulphine inhibits insulin release. British Journal of Pharmacology. 135(7), 1810-8
• SMITH, P A, SELLERS, L A and HUMPHREY, P P, 2001. Somatostatin activates two types of inwardly rectifying K+ channels in MIN-6 cells. Journal of Physiology. 532(1), 127-142
• THOMAS, P and SMITH, P A, 2001. Tetrabutylammonium: a selective blocker of the somatostatin-activated hyperpolarizing current in mouse AtT-20 corticotrophs. Pflugers Archiv - European Journal of Physiology. 441(6), 816-23