Dr. Zhongyan Zhou is currently a Research Assistant Professor at the Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, The University of Hong Kong. He received his PhD of Biomedical Sciences from State Key Laboratory of Quality Research of Chinese Medicine at Institute of Chinese Medical Science (ICMS), University of Macau. He obtained his Post-doctoral training under the supervision of Prof. Yu Wang in The University of Hong Kong. Dr. Zhou has been worked in Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine for more than 10 years before he joins HKU. His research focuses on the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), neurodegenerative disease, cancer, cardiovascular disease and metabolic disease as well as their drug development using multiple models including cell, mice, rat and zebrafish.

Honours and Awards

• Shanghai Pujiang Talent Award, Shanghai Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, 2023
• The 2nd Prize of Science and Technology Award, Shanghai Society of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicines, 2023
• Excellent volunteer Award, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2023
• Excellent youth Award, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2022-2023
• The 2nd Prize of Scientific and Technological Advancement Award, National Chinese Medicine Research Promotion Association, 2022
• The 3rd Prize of Science and Technology Award, Shanghai Society of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, 2021
• The 3rd Prize of Science and Technology Award, Shanghai Society of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, 2020
• Xinglin Youth Scholar, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2017

• The effectiveness and underlying mechanism studies of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) using multiple disease models in cell, zebrafish, mice and rat
• Cardiovascular and metabolic diseases including Atherosclerosis, Hypertension, Hyperlipidemia, Hyperhomocysteinemia, Heart Failure and Obesity
• Cardio-oncology; Parkinson’s disease; Stroke; Cancer
• Pharmacology; Vascular physiology: Endothelial dysfunction; Pro- and anti- angiogenesis; Inflammation; Vascular integrity and stability; Vascular ageing; coronary microvascular dysfunction

Publication Highlights

Dr. Zhou has published more than 50 articles in peer-review journals including Pharmacological Research, Molecular metabolism, Acta Pharmacologica Sinica, Free Radical Biology & Medicine, Phytomedicine, Frontiers in Pharmacology, Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, Journal of Ethnopharmacology and European Journal of Pharmacology etc.

Selected Publications

• Zhou ZY^#, Ma J*^#, Zhao WR^#, Shi WT, Zhang J, Hu YY, Yue MY, Zhou WL, Yan H, Tang JY*, Wang Y*. Qiangxinyin formula protects against isoproterenol-induced cardiac hypertrophy. Phytomedicine. 2024 Jul 15; 130:15571.
• Sciarretta F, Ceci V, Tiberi M, Zaccaria F, Li H, Zhou ZY, Sun Q, Konja D, Matteocci A, Bhusal A, Verri M, Fresegna D, Balletta S, Ninni A, Di Biagio C, Rosina M, Suk K, Centonze D, Wang Y, Chiurchiù V, Aquilano K, Lettieri-Barbato D. Lipocalin-2 promotes adipose-macrophage interactions to shape peripheral and central inflammatory responses in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Molecular Metabolism. 2023 Oct;76:101783.
• Zhou ZY^#, Shi WT^#, Zhang J^#, Zhao WR, Xiao Y, Zhang KY, Ma J, Tang JY*, Wang Y*, Sodium tanshinone IIA sulfonate protects against hyperhomocysteine-induced vascular endothelial injury via activation of NNMT/SIRT1-mediated NRF2/HO-1 and AKT/MAPKs signaling in human umbilical vascular endothelial cells, Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, 2023 Feb, 158:114137.
• Zhang J^#, Zhao WR^#, Shi WT^#, Tan JJ, Zhang KY, Tang JY, Chen XL*, Zhou ZY*. Tribulus terrestris L. extract ameliorates atherosclerosis by inhibition of vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation in ApoE-/- mice and A7r5 cells via suppression of Akt/MEK/ERK signaling. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 2022 Oct 28;297:115547.
• Zhou ZY^#, Zhao WR^#, Xiao Y^#, Zhou XM, Huang C, Shi WT, Zhang J, Ye Q, Chen XL*,Tang JY*. Antiangiogenesis effect of timosaponin AIII on HUVECs in vitro and zebrafish embryos in vivo. Acta Pharmacologica Sinica. 2020;41(2):260‐269.
• Huang B^#, Zhou ZY^#, Li S, Huang XH, Tang JY, Hoi MPM*, Lee SMY*, Tanshinone I prevents atorvastatin-induced cerebral hemorrhage in zebrafish and stabilizes endothelial cell-cell adhesion by inhibiting VE-cadherin internalization and actin-myosin contractility, Pharmacological Research, 2018, 128: 389–398
• Zhou ZY^#, Zhao WR^#, Shi WT^#, Xiao Y, Ma ZL, Xue JG, Zhang LQ, Ye Q, Chen XL*, TangJY*. Endothelial-Dependent and Independent Vascular Relaxation Effect of Tetrahydropalmatine on Rat Aorta. Frontiers in Pharmacology. 2019 Apr 16;10:336.
• Zhou ZY^#, Xu JQ^#, Zhao WR^#, Chen XL, Jin Y, Tang N*, Tang JY*, Ferulic acid relaxed rat aortic, small mesenteric and coronary arteries by blocking voltage-gated calcium channel and calcium desensitization via dephosphorylation of ERK1/2 and MYPT1. European Journal of Pharmacology, 2017, 815: 26-32
• Chong CM, Shen M, Zhou ZY, Pan P, Hoi PM, Li S, Liang W, Ai N, Zhang LQ, Li CW, Yu H, Hou T, Lee SM*. Discovery of a benzofuran derivative (MBPTA) as a novel ROCK inhibitor that protects against MPP⁺-induced oxidative stress and cell death in SH-SY5Y cells. Free Radical Biology and Medicine. 2014 Sep;74:283-93.
• Lei C^#, Zhongyan Z^#, Wenting S, Jing Z, Liyun Q, Hongyi H, Juntao Y, Qing Y. Identification of necroptosis-related genes in Parkinson's disease by integrated bioinformatics analysis and experimental validation. Frontiers in neuroscience. 2023 May 22;17:1097293.

As PI or Group leader, completed one NSFC, three Funding from Shanghai Municipal Health Commission and five Funding from Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

As co-I, completed two NSFC, two Funding from Shanghai Municipal Commission of Science and Technology, one Funding from Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and one Funding from Shanghai Municipal Health Commission.

Ongoing projects include one NSFC, one Funding from Shanghai Municipal Commission of Science and Technology, one funding from Shanghai Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau and one Funding from Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine as PI