Rayna J. Gonzales

Dr. Rayna J. Gonzales is an Associate Professor in the Department of Basic Medical Sciences at the University of Arizona College of Medicine Phoenix. Her research is in the field of vascular physiology and sex steroid biology. The long-term goal of her research is to contribute efforts towards the treatment and prevention of cerebro- and cardiovascular disease by advancing our understanding of cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in regulating blood vessel function and health. Specifically, her lab addresses the physiology and pharmacology of gonadal sex steroids as well as biological sex difference on molecular/cellular mechanisms and functional changes in the blood vessel wall that occur under normal and pathophysiological conditions (i.e. following an inflammatory stimuli or ischemia).  Ongoing research areas of interest include i) the influence of gonadal sex steroids on regulation of inflammatory signaling pathways including pathways associated with hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha and TLR4/NFkappaB during hypoxia- or ischemia-induced inflammation in the cerebral vasculature, ii)  investigating the actions of novel endogenous gonadal sex steroid metabolites during ischemic injury and more recently during traumatic brain injury (TBI) on the cerebrovasculature, and iii) determining the impact of selective S1PR modulation endothelial function during brain ischemic injury.