Srinivasan Digestive Diseases Lab

The Srinivasan Digestive Diseases lab utilizes a multidisciplinary approach to discover factors that contribute to complications within the digestive system specific to the gastrointestinal tract and the liver through methods such as in vitro and in vivo mice experiments, methods of neuronal analysis, and cell culture.

The laboratory consists of the following two research projects: Enteric Neuropathology & Gastroenterology-Motility, and Liver Disease.

The enteric neuropathology & gastroenterology-motility project focuses on the mechanism behind enteric neuronal damage in the gastrointestinal tract of mice due to a high fat diet intake along with the further analysis of factors that alter the survival of these neurons.

We focus on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease involving high fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity and hepatic steatosis (fatty liver) and the mechanisms of GDNF protecting against diet-induced obesity and hepatic steatosis.

GDNF transgenic mice are protected against high fat diet-induced hepatic steatosis. Oil Red O-stained liver sections from 12 weeks regular diet (RD) and high fat diet (HFD) -fed control (CNTRL) and GDNF transgenic (GDNF Tg) mice.

Professor and Director, Division of Digestive Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University

Office Address:
Whitehead Biomedical Research Building
615 Michael Street, Suite 201A
Atlanta GA 30322

Telephone: 404-727-5638
Fax: 404-727-5767

Senior Research Specialist

Yunshan joined the Division of Digestive Diseases at Emory University as a senior research specialist in 2016. In 2021, Yunshan joined the Srinivasan laboratory, which mainly works on the Mechanism of Enteric Neuropathy project using biochemistry and molecular biology methods.

Senior Research Associate

Simon joined Emory University in 2003 as a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Srinivasan’s lab. His current research interests include understanding mechanisms underlying sexual dimorphism in susceptibility to metabolic dysfunction associated with steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and mechanisms of the neurotrophic factor glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) regulation of MASLD.

Research Associate

Francesca joined Emory University as a postdoctoral fellow in 2016 to investigate the molecular mechanisms of alcoholic and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. She joined Dr. Srinivasan's lab in 2023, focusing her research on the role of diet and environmental chemicals in liver disease and enteric neuropathy

Postdoctural Fellow

Arun received his PhD from the Department of Biomedical Engineering at National Central University. His PhD dissertation focused on natural prebiotics and the therapeutic effects of probiotic microbiomes on oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation in the skin. Arun's research at Emory University will focus primarily on the Enteric Neurosciences and their operations in gastrointestinal health.

View Publications

1. Reichardt F, Chassaing B, Nezami BG, Li G, Tabatabavakili S, Mwangi S, et al. Western diet induces colonic nitrergic myenteric neuropathy and dysmotility in mice via saturated fatty acid- and lipopolysaccharide-induced TLR4 signalling. J Physiol. 2017;595(5):1831-46.

2. Mwangi SM, Li G, Ye L, Liu Y, Reichardt F, Yeligar SM, Hart CM, Czaja MJ, Srinivasan S.

Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Enhances Autophagic Flux in Mouse and Rat Hepatocytes and Protects Against Palmitate Lipotoxicity. Hepatology. 2019 Feb 4. doi: 10.1002/hep.30541. [Epub ahead of print].

3. Mwangi SM, Peng S, Nezami BG, Thorn N, Farris AB 3rd, Jain S, Laroui H, Merlin D, Anania F, Srinivasan S. Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor protects against high-fat diet-induced hepatic steatosis by suppressing hepatic PPAR-γ expression. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2016 Jan 15; 310 (2):G103-16.

4. Mwangi SM, Nezami BG, Obukwelu B, Anitha M, Marri S, Fu P, Epperson MF, Le NA, Shanmugam M, Sitaraman SV, Tseng YH, Anania FA, Srinivasan S. Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor protects against high-fat diet-induced obesity. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2014 Mar; 306(6):G515-25.

5. Mwangi S, Anitha M, Mallikarjun C, Ding X, Hara M, Parsadanian A, Larsen CP, Thule P, Sitaraman SV, Anania F, Srinivasan S. Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor increases beta-cell mass and improves glucose tolerance. Gastroenterology. 2008 Mar; 134(3):727-37.