Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center

University of Missouri

Jaume Padilla, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor Nutrition & Exercise Physiology
Office Location: 306 Gwynn Hall
Office Phone: 573-882-7056
PadillaJa@missouri.edu

Research Interests

Vascular function, physical activity, and insulin resistance

Research Description

Dr. Padilla's overall research focuses on understanding the physiological and molecular links between physical inactivity, metabolic disease and vascular complications. A primary area of interest is studying the mechanisms by which insulin-stimulated skeletal muscle blood flow is impaired with sedentarism, obesity and type 2 diabetes. A detailed understanding of the precipitating factors and mechanisms underlying the defects in vascular insulin signaling is critical for the development of therapeutic strategies aimed at improving glycemic control and protecting against cardiovascular disease. Another particular area of interest is studying the mechanisms by which hemodynamic forces (e.g., shear stress) modulate endothelial cell function and the susceptibility for vascular disease. Furthermore, we are investigating the role of obesity-associated adipose tissue dysfunction in mediating metabolic and vascular derangements. Dr. Padilla’s research, funded by NIH, is integrative and incorporates in vitro cell and tissue culture models, in vivo studies in small and large animals, and experiments in humans.

Professional Background

Education

• BS in Exercise Science at the University of Lleida, Spain (1998-2002)
• MS in Adapted Physical Activity at the University of Leuven, Belgium (2002-2003)
• PhD in Clinical Exercise Physiology at Indiana University, Bloomington (2004-2008)
• Postdoctoral training at the University of Missouri, Columbia (2009-2013)

Awards

• Article Impact Award, American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology, 2017
• American Physiological Society Career Enhancement Award, 2017
• New Investigator Award, American Physiological Society Cardiovascular Section, 2016
• Experimental Physiology Annual Inaugural Review Award, 2015
• New Investigator Award, American Physiological Society Environmental and Exercise Physiology Section, 2015

Academic Positions

• 2003-2004 Research Assistant, Exercise Physiology Laboratory (General Clinical Research Center), Department of Physiological Nursing, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco
• 2004-2006 Assistant Coordinator,Indiana University Adult Fitness Program, Department of Kinesiology, Indiana University, Bloomington
• 2007-2008 Assistant Instructor, Exercise Physiology Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology, Indiana University, Bloomington
• 2009-2013 Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia
• 2013-Present Assistant Professor, Department of Nutrition & Exercise Physiology, University of Missouri, Columbia
• 2013-Present Joint Assistant Professor, Departments of Child Health and Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Missouri, Columbia

Selected Publications

1. Padilla J, Wallace JP, Park S. Accumulation of physical activity reduces blood pressure in pre- and hypertension. Med Sci Sports Exer 37(8):1264-75, 2005.
2. Padilla J, Harris RA, Fly DA, Rink LD, Wallace JP. A comparison between active- and reactive-hyperaemia-induced brachial artery vasodilation. Clin Sci 110:387-92, 2006.
3. Padilla J, Harris RA, Fly DA, Rink LD, Wallace JP. The effect of acute exercise on endothelial function following a high-fat meal. Eur J Appl Physiol 98:256-262, 2006.
4. Harris RA, Padilla J. Proper normalization of flow-mediated dilation for shear.  J Appl Physiol 103(3):1108, 2007.  PMID: 17724311.
5. Padilla J, Mickleborough TD. Does antioxidant supplementation prevent favorable adaptations to exercise training? Med Sci Sports Exer 39(10):1887, 2007. PMID: 17909422.
6. Padilla J, Harris RA, Wallace JP. Can the measurement of brachial artery flow-mediated dilation be applied to the acute exercise model? Cardiovas Ultrasound 5:45, 2007. PMCID: PMC2211283.
7. Padilla J, Harris RA, Rink LD, Wallace JP. Characterization of the brachial artery shear stress following walking exercise. Vasc Medicine 13: 105-111, 2008.  PMID: 18593799.
8. Padilla J, Krasnoff J, Da Silva M, Hsu CY, Frassetto L, Johansen KL, Painter P. Physical functioning in patients with chronic kidney disease. J Nephrol 21(4):550-559, 2008. PMID: 18651545.
9. Padilla J, Johnson BD, Newcomer SC, Wilhite DP, Mickleborough TD, Fly AD, Mather KJ, Wallace JP. Normalization of flow-mediated dilation to shear stress area under the curve eliminates the impact of variable hyperemic stimulus. Cardiovasc Ultrasound 6:44, 2008.  PMCID: PMC2542351.
10. Padilla J, Johnson BD, Newcomer SC, Wilhite DP, Mickleborough TD, Fly AD, Mather KJ, Wallace JP. Adjusting flow-mediated dilation for shear stress stimulus allows demonstration of endothelial dysfunction in a population with moderate cardiovascular risk. J Vasc Research 46(6): 592-600, 2009. PMID: 19571579.
11. Padilla J, Sheldon RD, Sitar DM, Newcomer SC. Impact of acute exposure to increased hydrostatic pressure and reduced shear rate on conduit artery endothelial function: A limb-specific response. Am J Physiology Heart Circ Physiol 297(3): H1103-H1108, 2009. PMID: 19633210.
12. Padilla J, Young CN, Simmons GH, Deo SH, Newcomer SC, Sullivan JP, Laughlin MH, Fadel PJ. Increased muscle sympathetic nerve activity acutely alters conduit artery shear rate patterns.  Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 298 (4):H1128-H1135, 2010. PMCID: PMC2853421.
13. Padilla J, Newcomer SC, Simmons GH, Kreutzer KV, Laughlin MH. Long-term exercise training does not alter brachial and femoral artery vasomotor function and endothelial phenotype in healthy pigs. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 299(2):H379-H385, 2010. PMCID: PMC2930386.
14. Simmons GH, Padilla J. Shear-induced vascular adaptations: therapeutic insights and heterogeneity throughout the arterial tree. J Physiol 588(14):2527-2528, 2010.  PMCID: PMC2916984.
15. Padilla J, Simmons GH, Newcomer SC, Laughlin MH. Relationship between brachial and femoral artery endothelial vasomotor function/phenotype in pigs.  Exp Biol Med 235(11):1287-1291, 2010.  PMCID: PMC3064556.
16. Padilla J, Simmons GH, Fadel PJ, Laughlin MH, Joyner MJ, Casey DP. Impact of aging on conduit artery retrograde and oscillatory shear at rest and during exercise: Role of nitric oxide. Hypertension 57(3):484-489, 2011. PMCID: PMC3049300.
17. Newcomer SC, Padilla J. Racket sports as a model of studying vascular adaptations: A comeback after a quarter of a century. J Appl Physiol 110(5):1156-7, 2011. PMID: 21372100.
18. Padilla J, Simmons GH, Bender SB, Arce-Esquivel AA, Whyte JJ, Laughlin MH. Vascular effects of exercise: Endothelial adaptations beyond active muscle beds. Physiology 26(3):132-45, 2011.  PMCID: PMC3286126.
19. Padilla J, Simmons GH, Davis JW, Whyte JJ, Zderic TW, Hamilton MT, Bowles DK, Laughlin MH. Impact of exercise training on endothelial transcriptional profiles in healthy swine: A genome-wide microarray analysis. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 301(2):H555-64, 2011. PMCID: PMC3154664.
20. Padilla J, Simmons GH, Vianna LC, Davis MJ, Laughlin MH, Fadel PJ. Brachial artery vasodilation during prolonged lower-limb exercise: Role of shear rate. Exp Physiol 96(10):1019-27, 2011. PMCID: PMC3289056.
21. Jenkins NT, Martin JS, Laughlin MH, Padilla J. Exercise-induced signals for vascular endothelial adaptations: implications for cardiovascular disease. Curr Cardiovasc Risk Reports 6(4):331-346, 2012.  PMCID: PMC3404842.
22. Padilla J, Jenkins NT, Roberts MD, Arce-Esquivel AA, Martin JS, Laughlin MH, Booth FW. Differential changes in vascular mRNA levels between rat iliac and renal arteries produced by cessation of voluntary running. Exp Physiol 98(1):337-47, 2013. PMCID: PMC3474882.
23. Padilla J, Jenkins NT, Vieira-Potter VJ, Laughlin MH. Divergent phenotype of rat thoracic and abdominal perivascular adipose tissues. Am J Physiol Reg Integr Comp Physiol 304(7):R543-52, 2013. PMCID: PMC3627942.
24. Padilla J, Jenkins NT, Lee S, Zhang H, Cui J, Zuidema MY, Zhang C, Hill MA, Perfield JW, Ibdah JA, Booth FW, Davis JW, Laughlin MH, Rector RS. Vascular transcriptional alterations produced by juvenile obesity in Ossabaw swine. Physiol Genomics 45(11):434-46, 2013. PMCID: PMC3680784.
25. Padilla J, Jenkins NT. Induction of endoplasmic reticulum stress impairs insulin-stimulated vasomotor relaxation in rat aortic rings: role of endothelin-1. J Physiol Pharmacol 64(5):557-64, 2013. PMID: 24304569.
26. Padilla J, Jenkins NT, Laughlin MH, Fadel PJ. Blood pressure VIII: Resistance vessel tone and implications for a pro-atherogenic conduit artery endothelial cell phenotype. Eur J Appl Physiol 114(3):531-44, 2014. PMCID: PMC2914199.
27. Padilla J, Jenkins NT, Thorne PK, Duncan K, Fleming NJ, Bayless DS, Sheldon RD, Rector RS, Laughlin MH. Differential regulation of adipose tissue and vascular inflammatory gene expression by chronic systemic inhibition of NOS in lean and obese rats. Physiol Rep 2(2):e00225, 2014.
28. Padilla J, Jenkins NT, Thorne PK, Martin JS, Rector RS, Davis JW, Laughlin MH. Transcriptome-wide RNA sequencing analysis of rat skeletal muscle feed arteries. II: Impact of exercise training in obesity. J Appl Physiol 116(8):1033-47, 2014.
29. Crissey JM, Jenkins NT, Duncan KA, Thorne PK, Bayless DS, Vieira-Potter VJ, Rector RS, Thyfault JP, Laughlin MH, Padilla J.  Adipose tissue and vascular phenotypic modulation by voluntary physical activity and dietary restriction in obese insulin resistant OLETF rats. Am J Physiol Reg Integ Comp Physiol 306(8):R596-606, 2014.
30. Padilla J, Jenkins NT, Thorne PK, Martin JS, Rector RS, Davis JW, Laughlin MH. Identification of genes whose expression is altered by obesity throughout the arterial tree. Physiol Genomics 46(22):821-32, 2014.
31. Montero D, Walther G, Diaz-Cañestro C, Pyke KE, Padilla J. Microvascular dilator function in athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Med Sci Sports Exer; in press, 2015
32. Padilla J, Vieira-Potter VJ, Jia G, Sowers JR. Role of perivascular adipose tissue on vascular reactive oxygen species in type 2 diabetes: A “give and take” relationship. Diabetes; in press, 2015.
33. Vieira-Potter VJ, Zidon T, Padilla J. Exercise (and estrogen) make fat cells ‘fit’. Exerc Sci Sports Rev; in press, 2015.
34. Padilla J, Olver TD, Thyfault PT, Fadel PJ. Role of habitual physical activity in modulating vascular insulin actions. Exp Physiol; in press, 2015.
35. Restaino RM, Holwerda SW, Credeur DP, Fadel PJ, Padilla J. Impact of prolonged sitting on lower and upper limb micro- and macrovascular dilator function. Exp Physiol; in press, 2015.