Dr. Slavko Komarnytsky recognizes that millions of people rely on botanicals and other natural products to prevent disease, maintain wellness, or treat illness or pain. In his research program, he is working to develop a strong interdisciplinary program for systematic evaluation of the efficacy and safety of botanicals and natural products; and to fulfill the critical need for additional basic and translational research on the bioavailability and bioactivity of botanicals and their mechanisms of action in treatment or prevention of metabolic diseases.
An increased understanding of the underlying biological mechanisms of a disease is essential to develop better and more effective therapies. Toward this end, Dr. Komarnysky’s research focuses on several related areas:
- Discovery of novel drugs of botanical or microbial origin that enhance satiety, decrease insulin resistance and suppress inflammation using live cell assays.
- Understanding the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome by identifying pathways important in progression of obesity and diabetes and by studying cellular regulation of substrate metabolism in skeletal muscle and fat.
- Investigating precisely how individual genetic factors influence response to a particular botanical or natural product (pharmacogenomics) using protein chemistry, real time PCR, arrays and animal models.
Projects
Botanical modulators of food intake: He has discovered small molecules and proteins of botanical origin that modulate metabolic control of feeding behavior, overeating and obesity. He is dissecting the mechanisms of action of these molecules and using them to alleviate metabolic risk factors such as insulin resistance and dyslipidemia.
Manipulation of metabolic syndrome with botanical food ingredients: He is developing technologies that naturally concentrate the beneficial phytonutrients from fruits and vegetables into foods in amounts sufficient to promote health and wellness.
Molecular controls linking inflammation to diabetes: He is dissecting the signaling pathways and transcriptional mechanisms that mediate chronic inflammation and associated risk of diabetes. He is defining the mechanisms of action of small molecules through analyses of target genes, protein-protein interactions and preclinical studies in animal models.
Botanicals in muscle growth and disease: He has identified numerous small molecules that modulate signaling pathways and transcription factors involved in muscle growth and remodeling during disease. He is pursuing a variety of strategies to manipulate these pathways and to uncover additional regulators in muscle cells.
Epigenetic control of silent metabolic pathways in endophytes: He is exploring microbes of diverse habitats and unique environments for discovery of novel metabolites. A major interest is in activation of ‘silent’ DNA using proprietary methods to treat fungal cultures with epigenetic modulators that interfere with the formation of the heterochromatin.
The ultimate goal of Dr. Komarnytsky’s research is to educate and assist the public in taking greater control of their health through the food choices they make; and to increase awareness of the relationship between diet, natural products and health.
Publications
Esposito D, Komarnytsky S, Shapses S, Raskin I (2011) Anabolic effect of plant brassinosteroid. FASEB J [Epub ahead of print] link
Esposito D, Rathinasabapathy T, Poulev A, Komarnytsky S, Raskin I (2011) Akt-dependent anabolic activity of natural and synthetic brassinosteroids in rat skeletal muscle cells. J Med Chem 54(12): 4057-4066 link
Komarnytsky S, Cook A, Raskin I (2010) Potato protease inhibitors inhibit food intake and increase circulating cholecystokinin levels by a trypsin-dependent mechanism. Int J Obes 35(2): 236-243 link
Kellogg J, Joseph G, Andrae-Marobela K, Sosome A, Flint C, Kormarnytsky S, Fear G, Struwe L, Raskin I, and Lila MA (2010) Simple, predictive field bioassays enable transdisciplinary science education and lead students in the quest for biodiscovery. NACTA Journal 54: 41-48 pdf
Kizelsztein P, Komarnytsky S, Raskin I (2009) Oral administration of triptolide ameliorates clinical symptoms of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis by induction of Hsp70 and stabilization of NF-kB /IkBa. J Neuroimmunol 217(1-2): 28-37 pdf
Kizelsztein P, Govorko D, Komarnytsky S, Evans A, Wang Z, Cefalu WT, Raskin I (2009) 20-hydroxyecdysone decreases weight and hyperglycemia in a diet-induced obesity mice model. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 296(3): E433-439 pdf
Fear G, Komarnytsky S, Raskin I (2007) Protease inhibitors and their peptidomimetic derivatives as potential drugs. Pharmacology and Therapeutics 113(2): 354-368 pdf
Govorko D, Logendra S, Wang Y, Esposito D, Komarnytsky S, Ribnicky D, Poulev A, Wang Z, Cefalu WT, Raskin I (2007) Polyphenolic compounds from Artemisia dracunculus inhibit PEPCK gene expression and gluconeogenesis in an H4IIE hepatoma cell line. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 293(6): E1503-1510 pdf
Okunji C, Komarnytsky S, Fear G, Poulev A, Ribnicky DM, Awachie PI, Ito Y, Raskin I (2007) Preparative isolation and identification of tyrosinase inhibitors from seeds of Garcinia kola by HSCCC chromatography. J Chromatogr A 1151(1-2): 45-50 pdf
Komarnytsky S, Borisjuk N, Yakoby N, Garvey A, Raskin I (2006) Co-secretion of protease inhibitor stabilizes antibodies produced by plant roots. Plant Physiology 141: 1185-1193 pdf
Komarnytsky S, Gaume A, Garvey A, Borisjuk N, Raskin I (2004) Quick and efficient system for antibiotic-free expression of heterologous genes in tobacco roots. Plant Cell Reports 22: 765-773 pdf
Gaume A, Komarnytsky S, Borisjuk N, Raskin I (2003) Rhizosecretion of recombinant proteins from plant hairy roots. Plant Cell Reports 21: 1188-1193 pdf
Komarnytsky S, Borisjuk N (2003) Functional analysis of promoter elements in plants. Genetic Engineering 25: 113-141. Kluwer Academic Publishers, New York pdf
Raskin I, Ribnicky DM, Komarnytsky S, Ilic N, Poulev A, Borisjuk N, Brinker A, Moreno DA, Ripoll C, Yakoby N, O’Neal JM, Cornwell T, Pastor I, Fridlender B (2002) Plants and human health in the twenty-first century. Trends in Biotechnology 20: 522-531 pdf
Komarnytsky S (2001) Restriction mapping of ribosomal RNA genes of genus Nicotiana. Biopolymers and Cell (in Ukrainian) 17(5): 380-387
Komarnytsky S, Borisjuk N, Borisjuk L, Alam M, Raskin I (2000) Production of recombinant proteins in tobacco guttation fluid. Plant Physiology 124: 927-933 pdf
Borisjuk N, Borisjuk L, Komarnytsky S, Timeva S, Hemleben V, Gleba Yu, Raskin I (2000) Tobacco ribosomal DNA spacer element stimulates amplification and expression of heterologous genes. Nature Biotechnology 18: 1303-1306 pdf
Komarnytsky S (2000) Subrepeats of the intergenic spacer of Nicotiana ribosomal DNA. Biopolymers and Cell (in Ukrainian) 16(2): 108-114
Komarnytsky S (1999) Restriction mapping of ribosomal DNA repeats of 18 Solanaceae species. Biopolymers and Cell (in Ukrainian) 15(3): 213-218
Komarnytsky S (1998) Comparative analysis of 5.8S rDNA sequences from higher plants. Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (in Ukrainian) 1: 190-193
