Keshari Thakali
Assistant Professor
faculty
Peds Pediatrics, College of Medicine
Research Areas
Biography and Research Information
OverviewAI-generated summary
Keshari Thakali's research focuses on understanding how maternal nutrition and physical activity during pregnancy influence the development of offspring vascular function and reactivity. This work is particularly interested in perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT), a depot surrounding blood vessels that plays a role in regulating vascular health. Obesity in mothers is known to be linked to increased offspring risk for obesity and cardiovascular disease, and Thakali's studies aim to explore the specific mechanisms by which maternal diet and exercise affect offspring PVAT function and overall vascular health.
Recent publications by Thakali and collaborators investigate the impact of maternal obesity on PVAT and associated immune cells, the effects of a Western diet on platelet activation in mice, and the role of platelets in diet-induced PVAT leukocyte infiltration. Other work explores associations between prenatal and postnatal factors and child adiposity, as well as growth performance and meat quality traits in pigs. Thakali's scholarship metrics include an h-index of 26, 82 total publications, and 2,455 total citations. Thakali leads a research group at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
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: 26
- Publications: 83
- Citations: 2,489
Selected Publications
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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)
Grants & Funding
- No FP attached UAMS ACHRI Flow Through Principal Investigator
- No FP attached UAMS ACHRI Flow Through Principal Investigator
- No FP attached UAMS ACHRI Flow Through Principal Investigator
- L-type calcium channels are silent during depolarization of venous smooth muscle NIH Principal Investigator
- No FP attached UAMS ACHRI Flow Through Principal Investigator
Collaboration Network
Top Collaborators
- 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
- Does Dietary Methionine Alter Perivascular Adipose Tissue Function?
- A Western Diet Modifies the Activation Profile of Circulating Platelets
Showing 5 of 6 shared publications
- Western Diet Modifies Platelet Activation Profiles in Male Mice
- Platelets Modulate Leukocyte Population Composition Within Perivascular Adipose Tissue
- Does Dietary Methionine Alter Perivascular Adipose Tissue Function?
- A Western Diet Modifies the Activation Profile of Circulating Platelets
- Investigating the platelet contribution to diet induced PVAT leukocyte infiltration
- Western Diet Modifies Platelet Activation Profiles in Male Mice
- Platelets Modulate Leukocyte Population Composition Within Perivascular Adipose Tissue
- A Western Diet Modifies the Activation Profile of Circulating Platelets
- Investigating the platelet contribution to diet induced PVAT leukocyte infiltration
- 271-OR: ADA Presidents’ Select Abstract: MyD88 Signaling in Trophoblasts Is Necessary for Maternal High-Fat Diet-Associated Developmental Programming of Obesity
- OR21-03-23 Associations Between Prenatal and Postnatal Factors and Child Adiposity at 5 Years of Age in a Longitudinal, Observational Cohort
- Childhood cardiometabolic risk factors associated with the perinatal environment of the maternal–paternal–child triad
- OR21-03-23 Associations Between Prenatal and Postnatal Factors and Child Adiposity at 5 Years of Age in a Longitudinal, Observational Cohort
- Childhood cardiometabolic risk factors associated with the perinatal environment of the maternal–paternal–child triad
- OR21-03-23 Associations Between Prenatal and Postnatal Factors and Child Adiposity at 5 Years of Age in a Longitudinal, Observational Cohort
- Childhood cardiometabolic risk factors associated with the perinatal environment of the maternal–paternal–child triad
- OR21-03-23 Associations Between Prenatal and Postnatal Factors and Child Adiposity at 5 Years of Age in a Longitudinal, Observational Cohort
- Childhood cardiometabolic risk factors associated with the perinatal environment of the maternal–paternal–child triad
- OR21-03-23 Associations Between Prenatal and Postnatal Factors and Child Adiposity at 5 Years of Age in a Longitudinal, Observational Cohort
- Childhood cardiometabolic risk factors associated with the perinatal environment of the maternal–paternal–child triad
- OR21-03-23 Associations Between Prenatal and Postnatal Factors and Child Adiposity at 5 Years of Age in a Longitudinal, Observational Cohort
- Childhood cardiometabolic risk factors associated with the perinatal environment of the maternal–paternal–child triad
- OR21-03-23 Associations Between Prenatal and Postnatal Factors and Child Adiposity at 5 Years of Age in a Longitudinal, Observational Cohort
- Childhood cardiometabolic risk factors associated with the perinatal environment of the maternal–paternal–child triad
- OR21-03-23 Associations Between Prenatal and Postnatal Factors and Child Adiposity at 5 Years of Age in a Longitudinal, Observational Cohort
- Childhood cardiometabolic risk factors associated with the perinatal environment of the maternal–paternal–child triad
- OR21-03-23 Associations Between Prenatal and Postnatal Factors and Child Adiposity at 5 Years of Age in a Longitudinal, Observational Cohort
- Platelets Modulate Leukocyte Population Composition Within Perivascular Adipose Tissue
- Investigating the platelet contribution to diet induced PVAT leukocyte infiltration
- Comparison of Growth Performance and Meat Quality Traits of Commercial Cross-Bred Pigs versus the Large Black Pig Breed
- Comparison of Growth Performance and Meat Quality Traits of Commercial Cross-Bred Pigs versus the Large Black Pig Breed
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