Tan Lab

About 

Work focuses on elucidating the mechanisms by which metabolic disorders and oxidative stress contribute to complications of metabolic syndrome and chemotherapy-associated cardiovascular toxicity. He is also developing novel therapeutic strategies targeting growth factors and their receptors—including SDF-1, CXCR4, CXCR7, FGF1, FGF5, FGF9, FGF16, and FGF21—with an emphasis on designing receptor agonists and antagonists that activate multiple beneficial effectors (such as MT, Nrf2, and AMPK) to promote redox homeostasis, metabolic reprogramming, cell survival and function, and tissue repair.

Key Research Areas

• The roles of the SDF-1/CXCR4/CXCR7 axis in metabolic syndrome–related complications and chemotherapy-induced cardiovascular toxicity.
• The roles of fibroblast growth factors (FGFs; e.g., FGF1, FGF5, FGF9, FGF16, FGF21) in metabolic syndrome–related complications and chemotherapy-induced cardiovascular toxicity.
• The antioxidative and metabolic mechanisms mediated by metallothionein, Nrf2, and AMPK in metabolic syndrome–related complications and chemotherapy-induced cardiovascular toxicity.

Team 

• Jason Xu, PhD, Senior Scientist, Email: jianxiang.xu@louisville.edu
• Xiaodan (Sandy) Hui, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow/Researcher, Email: xiaodan.hui@louisville.edu
• Ahmed Abdelbaset Ahmed Attia Ismail, PhD, Senior Researcher, Email: ahmedabdelbasetahmedattia.ismail@louisville.edu  
• Yingjian Li, MS, Research Assistant, Email: yingjian.li@louisville.edu
• Hongbiao Huang, MD, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow/Researcher, Email: hongbiao.huang@louisville.edu
• Siri chandana Minikuri, MS, Email: sirichandana.minikuri@louisville.edu
• Suchen Yadav Kumar, PhD, Email: suchenkumar.yadav@louisville.edu
• Zixuan Xu, BS, Intern Researcher, Email: z0xu0012@louisville.edu 

Recent Publications

• Yi Tan†, Yan Li†, Jian Xiao, Hongwei Shao, Chuanlin Ding, Gavin E. Arteel, Keith A. Webster, Jun Yan, Hong Yu, Lu Cai and Xiaokun Li. A novel CXCR4 antagonist derived from human SDF-1beta enhances angiogenesis in ischaemic mice. Cardiovascular Research. 2009; 82(3):513-21. PMID: 19196827.
• Tan Y†, Ichikawa T†, Li J, Si Q, Yang H, Chen X, Goldblatt CS, Meyer CJ, Li X, Cai L, Cui T. Diabetic down regulation of Nrf2 activity via ERK contributes to oxidative stress-induced insulin resistance in cardiac cells in vitro and in vivo. Diabetes. 2011; 60(2):625-633. PMID: 21270272.
• Tan Y, Li X, Prabhu SD, Brittian KR, Chen Q, Yin X, McClain CJ, Zhou Z, Cai L. Angiotensin II plays a critical role in alcohol-induced cardiac nitrative damage, cell death, remodeling, and cardiomyopathy in a protein kinase C/nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase-dependent manner. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2012; 59(16):1477-86. PMID: 22497828.
• Zhao Y†, Tan Y†, Xi S, Li Y, Li C, Cui J, Yan X, Li X, Wang G, Li W, Cai L. A novel mechanism by which SDF-1β protects cardiac cells from palmitate-induced endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis via CXCR7 and AMPK/p38 MAPK-mediated interleukin-6 generation. Diabetes. 2013; 62(7):2545-58. PMID: 23423573.
• Zhang C, Huang Z, Gu J, Yan X, Lu X, Zhou S, Wang S, Shao M, Zhang F, Cheng P, Feng W, Tan Y*, Li X*. Fibroblast growth factor 21 protects the heart from apoptosis in a diabetic mouse model via extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2-dependent signalling pathway. Diabetologia. 2015; 58(8):1937-48. PMID: 26040473.
• Yan X, Chen J, Zhang C, Zeng J, Zhou S, Zhang Z, Chen J, Feng W, Li X, Tan Y*. Fibroblast growth factor 21 deletion aggravates diabetes-induced pathogenic changes in the aorta in type 1 diabetic mice. Cardiovasc Diabetol. 2015, 14:77. PMID: 27391008.
• Huang Z.†, Tan Y†, Gu J†, Liu Y, Song L, Niu J, Zhao L, Srinivasan L, Lin Q, Deng J, Li Y, Conklin DJ, Neubert TA, Cai L, Li X, and Mohammadi M. Uncoupling the Mitogenic and Metabolic Functions of FGF1 by Tuning FGF1-FGF Receptor Dimer Stability. Cell Rep. 2017, 20, 1717-1728. PMID: 28813681.
• Dai X, Yan X, Zeng J, Chen J, Wang Y, Chen J, Li Y, Barati MT, Wintergerst KA, Pan K, Nystoriak MA, Conklin DJ, Rokosh G, Epstein PN, Li X, Tan Y*. Elevating CXCR7 improves angiogenic function of EPCs via Akt/GSK-3β/Fyn-mediated Nrf2 activation in diabetic limb ischemia.Circulation Research. 2017; 120: e7-e23. PMID: 28137917.
• Gu J†, Yan X†, XDai X, Wang Y, Lin Q, Xiao J, Zhou S, Zhang J, Wang K, Zeng J, Xin Y, Barati MT, Zhang C, Bai Y, Li Y, Epstein PN, Wintergerst KA, Li X, Tan Y*, Cai L. Metallothionein preserves Akt2 activity and cardiac function via inhibiting TRB3 in diabetic hearts. Diabetes. 2018; 67(3): 507-517. PMID: 29079702.
• Xin Y, Bai Y, Jiang X, Zhou S, Wang Y, Wintergerst KA, Cui T, Ji H*, Tan Y*, Cai L. Prevention of Angiotensin II-induced Cardiomyopathy by Activation of Nrf2 with Sulforaphane via Stimulating the Akt/GSK-3β/Fyn Pathway. Redox Biology. 2018; 15 (2018) 405-417. PMID: 29353218.
• Feifei Zhang, Zhimin Hu, Gaopeng Li, Shaofeng Huo, Fengguang Ma, Aoyuan Cui, Yaqian Xue, Yamei Han, Qi Gong, Jing Gao, Hua Bian, Zhuoxian Meng, Haifu Wu, Gang Long, Yi Tan, Yan Zhang, Xu Lin, Xin Gao, Aimin Xu, Yu Li. Hepatic CREBZF Couples Insulin to Lipogenesis by Inhibiting Insig activity and Contributes to Hepatic Steatosis in Diet-Induced Insulin-Resistant Mice. Hepatology. 2018; 68:1361-1375.
• Wang K, Dai X, He J, Yan X, Yang C, Fan X, Sun X, Chen J, Xu J, Deng Z, Fan J, Yuan X, Liu H, Carlson EC, Shen F, Wintergerst KA, Conklin DJ, Epstein PN, Lu C, Tan Y*. Endothelial Overexpression of Metallothionein Prevents Diabetes Mellitus-Induced Impairment in Ischemia Angiogenesis via Preservation of HIF-1α/SDF-1/VEGF Signaling in Endothelial Progenitor Cells. Diabetes. 2020; 69(8): 1779-1792. PMID: 32404351.
• Dai X, Yan X, Cai L, Wintergerst KA, Keller BB*, Tan Y*. Nrf2: Redox and Metabolic Regulator of Stem Cell State and Function. Trends in Molecular Medicine. 2020; 26(2): 185-200. PMID: 31679988.
• Tan Y*, Zhang Z, Zheng C, Wintergerst KA, Keller BB, Cai L*. Mechanisms of diabetic cardiomyopathy and potential therapeutic strategies: preclinical and clinical evidence. Nature Reviews Cardiology. 2020; 17(9):585-607. PMID: 32080423.
• Lin Q, Huang Z, Cai G, Fan X, Yan X, Liu Z, Zhao Z, Li J, Li J, Shi H, Kong M, Ming-Hua Zheng MH, Conklin DJ, Epstein PN, Wintergerst KA, Mohammadi M, Cai L, Li X, Li Y, Tan Y*. Activating AMPK Mediates Fibroblast Growth Factor 1 Protection from Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Mice. Hepatology. 2021; 73(6):2206-2222. PMID: 32965675.
• Rui Sun, Xuemei Gu, Chao Lei, Liang Chen, Shenghui Chu, Guangzhong Xu, Mark A Doll, Yi Tan, Wenke Feng, Leah Siskind, Craig J McClain, Zhongbin Deng. Neutral ceramidase-dependent regulation of macrophage metabolism directs intestinal immune homeostasis and controls enteric infection. Cell Rep. 2022;38(13):110560. PMID: 35354041.
• Xiaozhen Dai†, Kai Wang†, Jiawei Fan†, Hanjie Liu†, Xia Fan, Qian Lin, Yuhang Chen, Hu Chen, Yao Li, Hairong Liu, Oscar Chen, Jing Chen, Xiaohong Li, Di Ren, Ji Li, Daniel J. Conklin, Kupper A. Wintergerst, Yu Li, Lu Cai, Zhongbin Deng, Xiaoqing Yan*, Yi Tan*. Nrf2 transcriptional upregulation of IDH2 to tune mitochondrial dynamics and rescue angiogenic function of diabetic EPCs. Redox Biology. 2022; 56 (2022) 102449. PMID: 36063728.
• Chao Lei, Rui Sun, Guangzhong Xu, Yi Tan, Wenke Feng, Craig J. McClain, Zhongbin Deng. Enteric VIP-producing neurons maintain gut microbiota homeostasis through regulating epithelium fucosylation. Cell Host & Microbe. 2022; 30 (10): 1417–1434. PMID: 36150396. Highlighted by: Eleni Kotsiliti. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2022 Oct 12.PMID: 36224272.
• Yi Tan, Karim El-Kersh, Sarah E Watson, Kupper A Wintergerst, Jiapeng Huang, Lu Cai. Cardiovascular effects of environmental metal antimony: Redox dyshomeostasis as the key pathogenic driver.Antioxid Redox Signal. 2023 Feb 8. doi: 10.1089/ars.2022.0185. PMID: 36424825.
• Kai Wang, Shiyue Sun, Guigui Zhang, Zixian Lu, Hui Chen, Xia Fan, Chunjie Gu, Xiaohong Pan, Qian Lin, Oscar Chen, Lu Cai, Xiaozhen Dai, Xiao Wang, Chaosheng Lu, Xiaoqing Yan*, Yi Tan*. CXCR7 agonist TC14012 improves angiogenic function of endothelial progenitor cells via activating Akt/eNOS pathway and promotes ischemic angiogenesis in diabetic limb ischemia. Cardiovasc Drugs Ther. 2023; 37(5): 849-863. PMID: 35471717.
• Rui Sun, Chao Lei, Zhishan Xu, Liu Huang, Liang Chen, Yi Tan, Min Peng, Kavitha Yaddanapudi, Leah Siskind, Robert Mitchell, Jun Yan, Zhongbin Deng.  Neutral ceramidase regulates breast cancer progression by metabolic programming of TREM2-associated macrophages. Nature Communications. 2024; (2024)1 5:966. PMID: 38302493.
• Chao Lei, Chao Luo, Zhishan Xu, Shu Ding, Mukesh Sriwastva, Gerald Dryden, Manman Xu, Yi Tan, Qilong Wang, Xiaozhong Yang, Craig McClain, Zhongbin Deng. Bacterial and host fucosylation maintain IgA homeostasis to limit intestinal inflammation in mice. Nature Microbiology. 2025; 10(1): 126-143. PMID: 39690194.
• Saman Saedi†, Yi Tan†, Sara E. Watson, Joshua D. Sparks, Kupper A. Wintergerst, Lu Cai. Oxidative stress and pediatric diabetic cardiovascular complications: emerging research and clinical applications. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2025; 328(4):H945-H962. PMID: 40019178.
• Qian Lin, Xiaodan Hui, Chunjie Gu, Kyounghee Min, Lijuan Xiong, Wenqian Zhou, Jason Xu, Sara E. Watson, Kupper A. Wintergerst, Lu Cai, Zhongbin Deng*, Yi Tan*. High-Fat Diet Differentially Regulates Fibroblast Growth Factor Expression in Metabolic Tissues of Young and Aged Male Mice. Journal of the Endocrine Society. 2025; 9(8): bvaf096. PMID: 40585885.
• Xiaodan Hui, Qian Lin, Kaiqing Liu, Chunjie Gu, Ahmed Abdelbaset-Ismail, Kupper A. Wintergerst, Zhongbin Deng, Lu Cai, Yi Tan*. Fibroblast Growth Factor 16: Molecular Mechanisms, Signalling Crosstalk, and Emerging Roles in Cardiac Biology and Metabolic Regulation. Pharmacological Research. 2025; 218 (2025): 107858. PMID: 40664344.
• Chao Lei, Ting Wang, Jingzhi Wang, Yi Tan, Zhongbin Deng. Commensal bacterial glycosylation at the interface of host-bacteria interactions. Gut Microbes. 2025;17(1):2545421. PMID: 40810484.