CICR - Consortium for Integrative Cardiovascular Research 
Helmut B. Gottlieb, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Helmut Gottlieb is a Postdoctoral Fellow in Dr. Robert Johnson's laboratory in the Trauma and Emergency Surgery Division of the Department of Surgery at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
Dr. Gottlieb completed his undergraduate studies at Texas A&M-Kingsville and soon after moved to New Orleans were he pursued his doctoral dissertation research under the supervision of Dr. Daniel R Kapusta at LSUHSC. In Dr. Gottlieb's studies, he used conscious rats to examine whether central kappa opioid systems contribute to the renal responses when rats were challenged with an acute hypotonic saline volume expansion, a condition in which we predicted that central kappa opioid systems may be activated to produce diuresis and/or antinatriuresis. In these studies, he showed that blockade of central kappa opioid receptors prevented maximal sodium, but not water, retention during the hypotonic saline volume expansion. These findings indicate that endogenous central kappa opioid systems are activated during this type of physiological stress and play an important role in the ability to adapt to a fluid and electrolyte alteration. Although kappa opioids have been demonstrated to produce CNS mediated changes in renal function, the CNS sites and mechanisms involved, and how it functions in experimental models of hyponatremia are not fully understood.
Dr. Gottlieb's postdoctoral research in Dr. Cunningham's lab has focused on extending these studies and understanding the role of opioid systems play in the regulation of cardiovascular function, and fluid and electrolyte. Dr. Gottlieb has been using cFos and ICER (inducible cAMP early repressor gene) immunohistochemistry as markers for neuronal activation and inhibition respectively. This study will provide basic knowledge on how different CNS systems interact and modulate water and sodium, which is crucial for the prevention and treatment of diseases.
Dr. Gottlieb is currently collaborating with Dr. Johnson identifying the effects of carbon monoxide systems on electrolyte balance and renal sympathetic nerve activity.E-mail: hgottlieb@cvlabs.org
Publications