Keshari Thakali

High Impact

Assistant Professor

UAMS

Also affiliated: University of Vermont (2010); Arkansas Children's Hospital (2013–2026); University of Arizona (2002–2004); University of Arkansas Medical Center (2017–2019); Primary Source (2006); Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center (2012–2026); Arkansas Department of Agriculture (2017); Michigan State University (2004–2008)

Faculty Researcher

Peds Pediatrics, College of Medicine

27 h-index 85 pubs 2,536 cited

Research Areas

Biomedical Subjects

Links

ORCID Research Group UAMS TRI Profile

OverviewAI-generated summary

Keshari Thakali's research focuses on understanding how maternal nutrition and physical activity during pregnancy influence offspring vascular function and overall reactivity. This work is situated within a broader context of investigating the long-term health consequences of maternal obesity, which is known to increase offspring risk for cardiovascular disease. Thakali's group specifically examines perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT), a layer of fat surrounding blood vessels, and its role in regulating vascular health. Obesity is associated with altered PVAT function, contributing to hypertension and vascular dysfunction. Current research aims to elucidate how maternal dietary factors and exercise habits during gestation may program offspring PVAT function and vascular responses, addressing a gap in knowledge regarding these critical developmental periods.

Thakali's scholarly output includes publications on topics such as maternal obesity's impact on PVAT and immune cells, the influence of Western diets on platelet activation in mice, and the relationship between prenatal and postnatal factors and child adiposity. The researcher's work also touches upon pig breed comparisons and glutaraldehyde fixation methods for venous valve tissue. With an h-index of 27 and over 2,500 citations across 85 publications, Thakali leads a research group at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and collaborates with several colleagues within the institution, including Adam Corken, James D. Sikes, Elisabet Børsheim, and Sarah Sobik.

Research Overview

Currently, many women entering pregnancy are either overweight or obese and it is well-established that exposure to maternal obesity during gestation is associated with increased risk of offspring obesity. In addition, in both humans and animal models, in utero exposure to maternal obesity is associated with increased offspring risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) is an adipose depot surrounding blood vessels and is an important paracrine regulator of underlying smooth muscle and endothelial cell function. Obesity is associated with the loss of PVAT-mediated anti-contractile properties, thus contributing to obesity-associated vascular dysfunction and hypertension. While studies suggest that PVAT is a key link between obesity and cardiovascular disease, there is a lack of information regarding how maternal nutritional status, dietary factors, and physical activity affect offspring PVAT function and overall vascular reactivity. Our studies will examine how maternal nutrition and physical activity during pregnancy program offspring vascular function and are part of an ACNC systems-based approach to carefully characterize how maternal nutrition and physical activity impact offspring health and well-being.

Metrics

h-index: 27
Publications: 85
Citations: 2,536

Selected Publications

Platelet glycoprotein <scp>VI</scp> modulates leukocyte characteristics in sepsis‐induced systemic inflammatory response in male mice (2026)

Physiological Reports DOI OpenAlex
MyD88 signaling in trophoblasts contributes to maternal high fat diet-associated alterations in placental gene expression and lipid profiles (2026)

Placenta DOI OpenAlex
Postweaning diet affects offspring metabolic outcomes more than maternal diet in male and female mice (2026)

Physiological Reports DOI OpenAlex
Platelets Modulate Leukocyte Population Composition Within Perivascular Adipose Tissue (2025)

International Journal of Molecular Sciences 1 citation DOI OpenAlex
Childhood cardiometabolic risk factors associated with the perinatal environment of the maternal–paternal–child triad (2024)

Pediatric Obesity 3 citations DOI OpenAlex
Western Diet Modifies Platelet Activation Profiles in Male Mice (2024)

International Journal of Molecular Sciences 2 citations DOI OpenAlex
Glutaraldehyde fixation of venous valve tissue: A benchmark for alternative fixation methods (2022)

Phlebology The Journal of Venous Disease 1 citation DOI OpenAlex
Maternal Obesity Programming of Perivascular Adipose Tissue and Associated Immune Cells: An Understudied Area With Few Answers and Many Questions (2022)

Frontiers in Physiology 6 citations DOI OpenAlex
Comparison of Growth Performance and Meat Quality Traits of Commercial Cross-Bred Pigs versus the Large Black Pig Breed (2021)

Animals 40 citations DOI OpenAlex
Comparison of Growth Performance and Meat Quality Traits of Commercial Cross-bred Pig versus Large Black Pig Breeds (2020)

Research Square DOI OpenAlex
Associations between maternal body mass index and diet composition with placental DNA methylation at term (2020)

Placenta 23 citations DOI OpenAlex
Maternal Adiposity is Associated with Fat Mass Accretion in Female but not Male Offspring During the First 2 Years of Life (2020)

Obesity 22 citations DOI OpenAlex
Metabolic Consequences of Exposure to Maternal High Fat Diet in Offspring (2019)

The FASEB Journal 1 citation DOI OpenAlex
Parental adiposity differentially associates with newborn body composition (2019)

Pediatric Obesity 21 citations DOI OpenAlex
Associations between Early Pregnancy Maternal Body Mass Index (BMI) and Offspring Sex with Placental DNA Methylation at Term (2018)

The FASEB Journal DOI OpenAlex