Photo of Fred StevensPrincipal Investigator, Linus Pauling Institute 
Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy

Contact Information
435 Linus Pauling Science Center
541-737-9534 / 541-737-5077 (fax)
[email protected]

 

 

Research Interests

Research in the Stevens laboratory is aimed at determining the role and function of vitamins and dietary phytochemicals in human health and disease. Mass spectrometry-based metabolomics is a new direction in the laboratory for discovery of biological effects and mechanisms of actions.

We have discovered that the hop natural product, xanthohumol, exerts anti-obesity and anti-hyperglycemic effects in animal models of metabolic syndrome. Current research on xanthohumol, now marketed as a dietary supplement and food additive, is focused on its fate in the human body and its effects on gene regulation relevant to lipid and glucose metabolism. 

The Stevens lab also investigates the beneficial effects of vitamin C in the prevention of tolerance against nitrate therapy.

 

Recent Publications 

Complete list of publications: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6348-9347 

Yang L, Broderick D, Campbell Y, Gombart AF, Stevens JF, Jiang Y, Hsu VL, Bisson WH, Maier CS. (2016) Conformational modulation of the farnesoid X receptor by prenylflavonoids: Insights from hydrogen deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS), fluorescence titration and molecular docking studies. Biochim Biophys Acta 1864:1667-1677.

Stevens JF & Maier CS. (2016). The chemistry of gut microbial metabolism of polyphenols. Phytochem Rev 15: 425. 

Miranda CL, Elias VD, Hay JJ, Choi J, Reed RL, Stevens JF. (2016). Xanthohumol improves dysfunctional glucose and lipid metabolism in diet-induced obese C57BL/6J mice. Arch Biochem Biophys 599:22-30. 

Kirkwood JS, Miranda CL, Bobe G, Maier CS, Stevens JF. (2016). 18O-Tracer Metabolomics Reveals Protein Turnover and CDP-Choline Cycle Activity in Differentiating 3T3-L1 Pre-Adipocytes. PLoS One 11(6).

Wattanasiritham L, Theerakulkait C, Wickramasekara S, Maier CS, Stevens JF. (2016) Isolation and identification of antioxidant peptides from enzymatically hydrolyzed rice bran protein. Food Chem 192:156-162.

Elie MR, Choi J, Nkrumah-Elie YM, Gonnerman GD, Stevens JF, Tanguay RL. (2015) Metabolomic analysis to define and compare the effects of PAHs and oxygenated PAHs in developing zebrafish. Environ Res 140:502-510.

Choi J, Leonard SW, Kasper K, McDougall M, Stevens JF, Tanguay RL, Traber MG. (2015) Novel function of vitamin E in regulation of zebrafish (Danio rerio) brain lysophospholipids discovered using lipidomics. J Lipid Res 56:1182-1190.

Atwell LL, Hsu A, Wong CP, Stevens JF, Bella D, Yu TW, Pereira CB, Löhr CV, Christensen JM, Dashwood RH, Williams DE, Shannon J, Ho E. (2015) Absorption and chemopreventive targets of sulforaphane in humans following consumption of broccoli sprouts or a myrosinase-treated broccoli sprout extract. Mol Nutr Food Res 59:424-433.

Farley SM, Leonard SW, Stevens JF, Traber MG. (2014) Deuterium-labeled phylloquinone fed to α-tocopherol-injected rats demonstrates sensitivity of low phylloquinone-containing tissues to menaquinone-4 depletion. Mol Nutr Food Res 58:1610-1619.

Intanon S, Reed RL, Stevens JF, Hulting AG, Mallory-Smith CA. (2014) Identification and phytotoxicity of a new glucosinolate breakdown product from Meadowfoam (Limnanthes alba) seed meal. J Agric Food Chem 62:7423-7429.

Gray NE, Morré J, Kelley J, Maier CS, Stevens JF, Quinn JF, Soumyanath A. (2014) Caffeoylquinic acids in Centella asiatica protect against amyloid-ß toxicity. J Alzheimers Dis 40:359-373.

Lebold KM, Kirkwood JS, Taylor AW, Choi J, Barton CL, Miller GW, Du JL, Jump DB, Stevens JF, Tanguay RL, Traber MG. (2014) Novel liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method shows that vitamin E deficiency depletes arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acids in zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos. Redox Biol 172:105-113.

Humpf HU, Schneider C, Stevens JF. (2014) Functional food--where do we go? Mol Nutr Food Res 58:5-6.

Legette L, Karnpracha C, Reed RL, Choi J, Bobe G, Christensen JM, Rodriguez-Proteau R, Purnell JQ, Stevens JF. (2014) Human pharmacokinetics of xanthohumol, an antihyperglycemic flavonoid from hops. Mol Nutr Food Res 58:248-55.

Kirkwood JS, Legette LL, Miranda CL, Jiang Y, Stevens JF. (2013) A metabolomics-driven elucidation of the anti-obesity mechanisms of xanthohumol. J Biol Chem 288:19000-19013.

Kirkwood JS, Maier C, Stevens JF. (2013) Simultaneous, untargeted metabolic profiling of polar and nonpolar metabolites by LC-Q-TOF mass spectrometry. Curr Protoc Toxicol Chapter 4:Unit 4.39.

Wang Z, Kirkwood JS, Taylor AW, Stevens JF, Leid M, Ganguli-Indra G, Indra AK. (2013) Transcription factor Ctip2 controls epidermal lipid metabolism and regulates expression of genes involved in sphingolipid biosynthesis during skin development. J Invest Dermatol 133:668-676.

Legette LL, Luna AY, Reed RL, Miranda CL, Bobe G, Proteau RR, Stevens JF. (2013) Xanthohumol lowers body weight and fasting plasma glucose in obese male Zucker fa/fa rats. Phytochem 91:236-241.

Kirkwood JS, Lebold KM, Miranda CL, Wright CL, Miller GW, Tanguay RL, Barton CL, Traber MG, Stevens, JF. (2012) Vitamin C deficiency activates the purine nucleotide cycle in zebrafish. J Biol Chem 287:3833-3841

Zasada IA, Weiland JE, Reed RL, Stevens JF. (2012) Activity of meadowfoam (Limnanthes alba) seed meal glucolimnanthin degradation products against soilborne pathogens. J Agric Food Chem 60:339-345.

Legette L, Ma L, Reed RL, Miranda CL, Christensen JM, Proteau RR, Stevens JF. (2012) Pharmacokinetics of xanthohumol and metabolites in rats after oral and intravenous administration. Molec Nutr Food Res 56:466-474.