# Vascular Regulatory Mechanisms of Palmitic Acid Methyl Ester

> **NIH NIH R01** · LOUISIANA STATE UNIV HSC SHREVEPORT · 2021 · $325,525

## Abstract

Project Summary
Cardiopulmonary arrest (CA) is a major cause of death and disability in the US. CA affects up to 325,000
people each year with only a 10% survival rate. The whole-body ischemia following CA results in subsequent
brain damage resulting in neurological deficits. Our long-term goal is to decrease brain damage by reviving
cerebral blood flow and subsequent neurological deficits associated with CA. Therefore, it is important to
understand the mechanism(s) underlying CA-induced brain injury. The importance of identifying regulatory
factors that influence cerebral blood flow autoregulation and innovative neuroprotective agents in the context of
CA is paramount to change the outcomes following CA and it is the main goal of this proposal. We propose to
study a new vasotone regulatory mechanism, the release of palmitic acid methyl ester (a vasodilator and
neuroprotectant) derived from the superior cervical ganglion innervating major cerebral arteries. Our central
hypothesis is that protein arginine methyltransferases are the regulatory “switch” for the methylation of
palmitic acid to form palmitic acid methyl ester responsible for vasodilation/neuroprotection during ischemia.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10143313
- **Project number:** 5R01NS096225-05
- **Recipient organization:** LOUISIANA STATE UNIV HSC SHREVEPORT
- **Principal Investigator:** Hung Wen (Kevin) Lin
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $325,525
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-07-15 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10143313

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10143313, Vascular Regulatory Mechanisms of Palmitic Acid Methyl Ester (5R01NS096225-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10143313. Licensed CC0.

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