Harini S. Aiyer

Post Doctoral Fellow
 
    Harini S. Aiyer, PhD., got her undergraduate degree in Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Madras and a Diploma in Clinical Nutrition from Sri Ramachandra Medical University, Chennai, India. Following this, she received her doctoral degree in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
 
    Before beginning her doctoral studies, she was a practicing clinical nutritionist/dietitian. Her duties included counseling cancer patients and survivors on the importance of a lifestyle based on a healthy diet. To this day this experience influences her research. Her studies are highly focused on the translational aspects of nutrition research.
 
    For her doctoral thesis, she studied the effectiveness of dehydrated dietary berries in preventing hormone-induced mammary tumors in rats. Dr. Aiyer and colleagues showed that dietary berries can effectively reduce the number, size and incidence of tumors induced by the female hormone 17β-estradiol (E2) in rats. Berries and the berry polyphenol ellagic acid, also reduced E2-induced DNA damage and significantly modulated enzymes responsible for the conversion of E2 to harmful metabolites in the mammary glands. This work on the prevention of mammary tumors by dietary berries and ellagic acid has been published in many peer-reviewed journals. She continued with postdoctoral studies at the University of Louisville focusing on the effect of dietary berries and cigarette smoke on reflux-induced esophageal tumorigenesis in a preclinical model.
 
    Dr. Aiyer is currently working as a postdoctoral fellow in Robert Clarke's lab and is funded by the American Institute for Cancer Research, Washington D.C. She is studying the effects of various dietary polyphenols, including green tea and berry polyphenols on the development of drug and anti-estrogen resistance in breast cancer. In initial studies ellagic acid, a berry polyphenol, showed a reduction in the development of Tamoxifen-resistance. Berry extracts and other polyphenols also sensitize endocrine-resistant cells to antoestrogens. She also is studying the mechanisms by which dietary polyphenols resensitize resistant cells to antiestrogens.

Selected Peer-reviewed Publications

 
  1. Aiyer HS, Srinivasan C and Gupta RC. (2008) Dietary berries and ellagic acid diminish es-trogen–induced mammary tumorigenesis in ACI rats. Nutrition and Cancer: An International Journal, 60 (2). PMID: 18444155
  2. Aiyer HS, Kichambare S and Gupta RC. (2008) Prevention of oxidative DNA damage by bioac-tive berry components. Nutrition and Cancer: An International Journal, 60 Suppl 1:36-42. PMID: 19003579
  3. Aiyer HS, Vadhanam MV, Caprio GD, Stoyanova R, Clapper ML and Gupta RC. (2008) Dietary berries and ellagic acid prevent oxidative DNA damage and modulate expression of DNA repair genes. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 9 (3). PMID: 19325752
  4. Aiyer HS, Ravoori S, Schultz DJ and Gupta RC. (2008) Effect of dietary berries and ellagic acid on cell proliferation, estrogen-metabolizing enzymes and tumor indices in an estrogen-induced rat mammary tumor model. Proceedings of the International Conference on New Developments in Drug Discovery from Natural Products and Traditional Medicines.
  5. Aiyer HS, Li Y and Martin RCG. (2009) Diet composition affects surgery-associated weight loss in rats with a compromised alimentary tract. Journal of Surgical Research, 168 (1), 42-8. PMID: 19932903
  6. Aiyer HS and Gupta RC. (2010) Berries and Ellagic Acid Prevent Estrogen-Induced Mammary Tumorigenesis by Modulating Enzymes of Estrogen Metabolism. Cancer Prev Res., 3(6):727-37. PMID: 20501861
  7. Schiffman SC, Li Y, Xiao D, Li X, Aiyer HS and Martin RCG. (2010) The Resistance of Esopha-geal Adenocarcinoma to Bile Salt Insult is Associated with Manganese Superoxide Dismutase Expression. J of Surg Res. Epub. PMID: 20638682
  8. Bower MR, Aiyer HS, Li Y and Martin RC. (2010) Chemoprotective Effects of Curcumin in Esophageal Epithelial Cells Exposed to Bile Acids. World J Gastroenterol., 6(33), 4152–4158. PMID: 20806431
  9. Aiyer HS, Li Y, Liu Q, Reuters N and Martin RC. (2011) Dietary freeze dried black raspberry's effect on cellular antioxidant status during reflux-induced esophagitis in rats, Nutrition, 27(2). PMID: 20538426
  10. Aiyer HS, Li Y, Myers, S and Martin RC. (2011) Molecular changes in the esophageal epitheli-um after a subchronic exposure to cigarette smoke in the presence of bile-acid reflux. Inhalation Toxicology. 23(5):304-11. PMID: 2506880
  11. Aiyer HS, Li Y, Lasso, JN, Schiffman SC, Slone SC, and Martin RC. (2011) Effect of freeze-dried berries on the development of reflux-induced esophageal adenocarcinoma. Nutrition and Cancer: An International Journal. 63(8):1256-62. PMID: 22043833
  12. Aiyer HS, Ravoori S and Gupta RC. (2011) Prevention of Estrogen-Mediated Mammary Tu-mors in ACI rats. Berries and Cancer Prevention, Eds Gary Stoner and Naveendra Seeram. Springer, NY.
  13. Martin RC, Aiyer HS, Malik D, Li Y. (2012) Effect on pro-inflammatory and antioxidant genes and bioavailable distribution of whole turmeric vs curcumin: Similar root but different effects. Food Chem Toxicol. PMID: 22079310
  14. Aiyer HS, Warri AM, Woode DR, Hilakivi-Clarke L, Clarke R. (2012) Influence of Berry-Polyphenols on Receptor Signaling and Cell-Death Pathways: Implications for Breast Cancer Prevention. J Agric Food Chem. PMID: 2200613
  15. Aiyer HS, Bouker KB, Cook KL, Facey COB, Hu R, Schwartz JL, Shajahan AN, Hilakivi-Clarke L and Clarke R. (2012) Interaction of dietary polyphenols with molecular signaling pathways of antiestrogen resistance: possible role in breast cancer recurrence. Horm Mol Biol Clin Investig. 9 (2).