* Cardiovascular Imaging Laboratory *
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Physician Photo
Robert Gropler, M.D.
Professor of Radiology, Medicine, and Biomedical Engineering
Office: East Building 1307
Tel: 314.747.3878
Fax: 314.362.6156
groplerr@mir.wustl.edu
 
Dept of Radiology
Washington University
Campus Box 8225
510 S. Kinshighway Blvd
St. Louis, MO 63130

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The focus of our investigative efforts is on the role of myocardial metabolic remodeling in both normal and abnormal cardiac states. Quantification of myocardial perfusion and substrate metabolism is performed with positron emission tomography using novel PET radiopharmaceuticals and well-validated kinetic models. The measurements of myocardial perfusion and metabolism are then correlated to measurements of left ventricular systolic and diastolic function obtained with either echocardiography or MRI. These measurements are obtained in variety models of disease ranging from rodents to humans. Active areas of investigation include the role nitric oxide and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor a on the age related decline in myocardial fatty acid metabolism, the effect of fatty acid delivery on myocardial substrate metabolism in type 2 diabetes mellitus, and the relationship between myocardial and whole-body substrate metabolism in obesity.

  1. Herrero P, Weinheimer C, Dence C, Oellerich, WF, Gropler RJ. Quantification of myocardial glucose utilization by PET and 1-11C-glucose. J Nucl Cardiol 2002;9:5-14
  2. Gropler RJ. Impact of aging on myocardial oxidative metabolism. Heart and Metabolism 2001; 15: 14-18
  3. Herrero P, Sharp T, Dence C, Haraden BA, Gropler RJ. Comparison of 1-11C-glucose with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose for quantifying myocardial glucose utilization with positron emission tomography. J Nucl Med 2002;43:1530-1541.
  4. Kates AM, Herrero P, Dence C, Soto P, Srinivasan M, Delano DG, Ehsani A, Gropler RJ. Impact of aging on substrate metabolism by the human heart. J Am Coll Cardiol 2003;41:293-299.
  5. Davila-Roman VG, Vedala G, Herrero P, de las Fuentes L, Rogers JG, Kelly DP, Gropler RJ. Altered fatty acid and glucose metabolism in idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. J Am Coll Cardiol, 2002;40:271-277.
  6. Gropler RJ. Noninvasive measurements of myocardial efficiency. J Am Coll Cardiol, 2003;41:468-470.
  7. De las Fuentes, Herrero P, Peterson LR, Kelly, DP, Gropler RJ, Davila-Roman, VG. Myocardial fatty acid metabolism: independent predictor of left ventricular mass in hypertension and in left ventricular dysfunction. Hypertension, 2003;41:82-87
  8. Soto P, Herrero P, Kowalski R, Beereport J, Ehsani A, Davila-Roman V, Gropler RJ. Impact of aging on dobutamine-induced changes in myocardial substrate utilization. Am J Physiol, in press.
  9. Srinivasan, M, Herrero P, McGill JB, Cassady, D, Davila-Roman, VG, Gropler RJ. The effect of plasma insulin and glucose on myocardial blood flow in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. J Am Coll Cardiol, 2005 Jul 5;46:42-8.
  10. Herrero P, Soto PF, Dence CS, Kisrieva-Ware Z, Delano DA, Peterson LR, Gropler RJ. Impact of hormone replacement on myocardial fatty acid metabolism: potential role of estrogen.J Nucl Cardiol. 2005 Sep-Oct;12(5):574-81.
  11. Herrero P, Peterson LR, McGill JB, Mathew S, Lesniak D, Dence C, Gropler, RJ. Increased myocardial fatty acid metabolism in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. J Am Coll Cardiol.2006;47:598-604
  12. Herrero P, Kim J, Sharp TL, Engelbach JA, Lewsi JS, Gropler RJ, Welch MJ. Measurement of myocardial blood flow using 15O-water and 1-11C-acetate in rats using small animal PET. J Nucl Med 2006;47:477-85.
  13. Herrero P, Kim J, Sharp TL, Engelbach JA, Lewis JS, Gropler, RJ, Welch MJ. Assessment of Myocardial Blood Flow Using 15O-water and 1-[11C]-acetate in Rats with Small Animal PET. Journal of Nuclear Medicine, 2006; 47:477-485.
  14. Welch MJ, Lewis JS, Kim J, Sharp, TL, Dence C, Gropler RJ, Herrero P. Assessment of Myocardial Metabolism in Diabetic Rats Utilizing Small Animal PET Imaging: A Feasibility Study. Journal of Nuclear Medicine, 2006; 47: 689:697.

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Other Web pages of Doctor Robert Gropler:

Research at Washington University School of Medicine

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