Keshari M. Thakali
Assistant Professor
Also affiliated: University of Vermont (2005–2010); Arkansas Children's Hospital (2013–2015); University of Arizona (2002–2004); University of Arkansas Medical Center (2009–2017); Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center (2012–2026); Arkansas Children's Research Institute (2024–2026); Michigan State University (2004–2008)
Peds Pediatrics, College of Medicine
Research Areas
Biomedical Subjects
Biography and Research Information
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: 86
- Citations: 2,566
Positions
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Assistant Professor publications 2008–2026University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Peds Pediatrics, College of Medicine Institutional directory
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Assistant Professor 2015–2025University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Department of Pediatrics Pediatrics ORCID
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Postdoctoral Fellow 2011–2014University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Department of Pediatrics Pediatrics ORCID
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Postdoctoral Fellow 2006–2011University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Pharmacology and Toxicology ORCID
Selected Publications
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Platelet glycoprotein VI modulates leukocyte characteristics in sepsis‐induced systemic inflammatory response in male mice (2026)
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MyD88 signaling in trophoblasts contributes to maternal high fat diet-associated alterations in placental gene expression and lipid profiles (2026)
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Postweaning diet affects offspring metabolic outcomes more than maternal diet in male and female mice (2026)
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Platelets Modulate Leukocyte Population Composition Within Perivascular Adipose Tissue (2025)
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Childhood cardiometabolic risk factors associated with the perinatal environment of the maternal–paternal–child triad (2024)
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Western Diet Modifies Platelet Activation Profiles in Male Mice (2024)
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Glutaraldehyde fixation of venous valve tissue: A benchmark for alternative fixation methods (2022)
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Maternal Obesity Programming of Perivascular Adipose Tissue and Associated Immune Cells: An Understudied Area With Few Answers and Many Questions (2022)
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Comparison of Growth Performance and Meat Quality Traits of Commercial Cross-Bred Pigs versus the Large Black Pig Breed (2021)
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Comparison of Growth Performance and Meat Quality Traits of Commercial Cross-bred Pig versus Large Black Pig Breeds (2020)
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Associations between maternal body mass index and diet composition with placental DNA methylation at term (2020)
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Maternal Adiposity is Associated with Fat Mass Accretion in Female but not Male Offspring During the First 2 Years of Life (2020)
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Metabolic Consequences of Exposure to Maternal High Fat Diet in Offspring (2019)
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Parental adiposity differentially associates with newborn body composition (2019)
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Associations between Early Pregnancy Maternal Body Mass Index (BMI) and Offspring Sex with Placental DNA Methylation at Term (2018)
Grants & Funding
As listed on this researcher's institutional profile.
- L-type calcium channels are silent during depolarization of venous smooth muscle NIH Principal Investigator
Collaboration Network
Top Collaborators
- Maternal obesity is associated with a lipotoxic placental environment
- Enhanced offspring predisposition to steatohepatitis with maternal high-fat diet is associated with epigenetic and microbiome alterations
- Early growth response protein-1 mediates lipotoxicity-associated placental inflammation: role in maternal obesity
- Maternal High-Fat Diet Programs Offspring Liver Steatosis in a Sexually Dimorphic Manner in Association with Changes in Gut Microbial Ecology in Mice
- Maternal adiposity negatively influences infant brain white matter development
Showing 5 of 20 shared publications
- Maternal obesity is associated with a lipotoxic placental environment
- Early growth response protein-1 mediates lipotoxicity-associated placental inflammation: role in maternal obesity
- Maternal High-Fat Diet Programs Offspring Liver Steatosis in a Sexually Dimorphic Manner in Association with Changes in Gut Microbial Ecology in Mice
- Maternal adiposity negatively influences infant brain white matter development
- Distinct adipogenic differentiation phenotypes of human umbilical cord mesenchymal cells dependent on adipogenic conditions
Showing 5 of 13 shared publications
- The β3 Subunit Contributes to Vascular Calcium Channel Upregulation and Hypertension in Angiotensin II–Infused C57BL/6 Mice
- Intracellular Ca2+Silences L-Type Ca2+Channels in Mesenteric Veins
- Postsynaptic density‐95 scaffolding of Shaker‐type K+ channels in smooth muscle cells regulates the diameter of cerebral arteries
- 17β‐estradiol reduces Cav1.2 channel abundance and attenuates Ca2+‐dependent contractions in coronary arteries
- Potassium, Sodium, and Chloride Channels in Smooth Muscle Cells
Showing 5 of 10 shared publications
- Enhanced offspring predisposition to steatohepatitis with maternal high-fat diet is associated with epigenetic and microbiome alterations
- Early growth response protein-1 mediates lipotoxicity-associated placental inflammation: role in maternal obesity
- Maternal High-Fat Diet Programs Offspring Liver Steatosis in a Sexually Dimorphic Manner in Association with Changes in Gut Microbial Ecology in Mice
- Transcriptomic and epigenomic landscapes during cell fusion in BeWo trophoblast cells
- Distinct adipogenic differentiation phenotypes of human umbilical cord mesenchymal cells dependent on adipogenic conditions
Showing 5 of 9 shared publications
- Ion channel remodeling in vascular smooth muscle during hypertension: Implications for novel therapeutic approaches
- The β3 Subunit Contributes to Vascular Calcium Channel Upregulation and Hypertension in Angiotensin II–Infused C57BL/6 Mice
- Intracellular Ca2+Silences L-Type Ca2+Channels in Mesenteric Veins
- Postsynaptic density‐95 scaffolding of Shaker‐type K+ channels in smooth muscle cells regulates the diameter of cerebral arteries
- L‐type Ca 2+ (Ca L ) Channels are Silent During Depolarization of Venous Smooth Muscle
Showing 5 of 7 shared publications
- Maternal obesity is associated with a lipotoxic placental environment
- Early growth response protein-1 mediates lipotoxicity-associated placental inflammation: role in maternal obesity
- Transcriptomic and epigenomic landscapes during cell fusion in BeWo trophoblast cells
- Distinct adipogenic differentiation phenotypes of human umbilical cord mesenchymal cells dependent on adipogenic conditions
- RNA-seq analysis of the rat placentation site reveals maternal obesity-associated changes in placental and offspring thyroid hormone signaling
Showing 5 of 7 shared publications
- Maternal obesity is associated with a lipotoxic placental environment
- Maternal adiposity negatively influences infant brain white matter development
- Distinct adipogenic differentiation phenotypes of human umbilical cord mesenchymal cells dependent on adipogenic conditions
- RNA-seq analysis of the rat placentation site reveals maternal obesity-associated changes in placental and offspring thyroid hormone signaling
- Maternal obesity and gestational weight gain are modestly associated with umbilical cord DNA methylation
Showing 5 of 6 shared publications
- Western Diet Modifies Platelet Activation Profiles in Male Mice
- Metabolic Consequences of Exposure to Maternal High Fat Diet in Offspring
- Maternal obesity during pregnancy uniquely programs offspring aortic and perivascular adipose tissue transcriptomes
- Platelets Modulate Leukocyte Population Composition Within Perivascular Adipose Tissue
- A Sex‐Specific Role for Egr1 in Mediating Norepinephrine‐Induced Contraction in Mesenteric Arteries
Showing 5 of 6 shared publications
- Enhanced offspring predisposition to steatohepatitis with maternal high-fat diet is associated with epigenetic and microbiome alterations
- Transcriptomic and epigenomic landscapes during cell fusion in BeWo trophoblast cells
- RNA-seq analysis of the rat placentation site reveals maternal obesity-associated changes in placental and offspring thyroid hormone signaling
- Placental Transcriptomic Changes Due to Maternal Exercise are Dependent on Maternal Diet and Offspring Sex
- A Sex‐Specific Role for Egr1 in Mediating Norepinephrine‐Induced Contraction in Mesenteric Arteries
- Ion channel remodeling in vascular smooth muscle during hypertension: Implications for novel therapeutic approaches
- Postsynaptic density‐95 scaffolding of Shaker‐type K+ channels in smooth muscle cells regulates the diameter of cerebral arteries
- 17β‐estradiol reduces Cav1.2 channel abundance and attenuates Ca2+‐dependent contractions in coronary arteries
- Shaker K v 1 channel‐MAGUK complexes are down‐regulated in cerebral arteries of hypertensive rats
- Postsynaptic density 95 (PSD95) scaffolding of Shaker ‐type potassium channels in smooth muscle cells regulates the diameter of rat cerebral arteries
- Enhanced offspring predisposition to steatohepatitis with maternal high-fat diet is associated with epigenetic and microbiome alterations
- Maternal High-Fat Diet Programs Offspring Liver Steatosis in a Sexually Dimorphic Manner in Association with Changes in Gut Microbial Ecology in Mice
- Novel Browning Agents, Mechanisms, and Therapeutic Potentials of Brown Adipose Tissue
- Persistent influence of maternal obesity on offspring health: Mechanisms from animal models and clinical studies
- Maternal obesity during pregnancy uniquely programs offspring aortic and perivascular adipose tissue transcriptomes
- Maternal Obesity Programming of Perivascular Adipose Tissue and Associated Immune Cells: An Understudied Area With Few Answers and Many Questions
- Western Diet Modifies Platelet Activation Profiles in Male Mice
- Platelets Modulate Leukocyte Population Composition Within Perivascular Adipose Tissue
- Postweaning diet affects offspring metabolic outcomes more than maternal diet in male and female mice
- Platelet glycoprotein VI modulates leukocyte characteristics in sepsis‐induced systemic inflammatory response in male mice
- Early growth response protein-1 mediates lipotoxicity-associated placental inflammation: role in maternal obesity
- Transcriptomic and epigenomic landscapes during cell fusion in BeWo trophoblast cells
- RNA-seq analysis of the rat placentation site reveals maternal obesity-associated changes in placental and offspring thyroid hormone signaling
- Placental Transcriptomic Changes Due to Maternal Exercise are Dependent on Maternal Diet and Offspring Sex
- Bioactivities of açaí (Euterpe precatoria Mart.) fruit pulp, superior antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties to Euterpe oleracea Mart.
- Phenolic Acids of the Two Major Blueberry Species in the US Market and Their Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Activities
- Comparison of phenolic acid profiles and anti‐inflammatory effects of two major species of blueberries in the US
- Over‐expression of 12/15‐lipoxygenase increases oxLDL‐induced pro‐inflammatory mediator expression and foam cell formation in rodent macrophages
- Bioactivities of açaí (Euterpe precatoria Mart.) fruit pulp, superior antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties to Euterpe oleracea Mart.
- Phenolic Acids of the Two Major Blueberry Species in the US Market and Their Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Activities
- Comparison of phenolic acid profiles and anti‐inflammatory effects of two major species of blueberries in the US
- Over‐expression of 12/15‐lipoxygenase increases oxLDL‐induced pro‐inflammatory mediator expression and foam cell formation in rodent macrophages
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