Current Projects Undertaken in A/Professor Liu's Lab

PROJECT 1: Non-antibiotic Management of Urinary Tract Infections

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) cause significant morbidity, affecting 150 million people worldwide annually. The rise of antibiotic-resistant UTIs necessitates non-antibiotic alternatives. Cranberry, D-mannose, and intravesical glycosaminoglycans may reduce UTI symptoms and recurrence, though their mechanisms are unclear. Using MDCK cells and porcine bladder models, we will study the effects of these non-antibiotic agents on E. coli UTI89-induced damage to urothelial integrity and permeability, cytokine production, cell viability, oxidative stress, and the expression of programmed cell death ligands (PD-L1 and PD-L2).

PROJECT 2: Mas-related G Protein-coupled Receptors in the Human Colon: In Health and Disease

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) mediate numerous body functions and are targets for about 30% of therapeutic drugs. Recently, a new GPCR family, Mas-related GPCRs (MRGPRs), was discovered, consisting of over 50 members known to mediate pain and inflammation. We recently found that MRGPR subfamilies D, F, and X2 are expressed in the human colon with distinct profiles in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, diverticular disease, and slow transit constipation, suggesting roles in intestinal inflammation and motility. Further research is needed to explore MRGPR expression in neuronal and immune cells, their role in colonic motor functions, and their clinical significance.

PROJECT 3: Profiling Mas-related G Protein-coupled Receptors in the Bladder

There is almost no information on MRGPRs in the urinary tract, and profiling this family in the bladder will address this knowledge gap.