Research Interest and PhD project

  • I am a research associate in the School of Biomedical Sciences.
  • I am interested in emesis research using Suncus murinus and ferret as animal models.
  • My PhD project was designed to investigate the anti-emetic potential of the GLP-1 antagonist, exendin (9-39).
  • I work on:
  1. in vitro studies including organ bath and 'grease-gap' techniques were used to characterize the pharmacology of GLP-1 receptor in ferret gut tissues and vagus nerve.
  2. Western blot was used to investigate the distribution of  GLP-1 receptors in the ferret tissues.
  3. in vivo studies included intracerebroventricular administration of  GLP-1 receptor agonist , exendin-4 or  exendin (9-39).
  4. Area postrema ablation surgeries were performed to investigate the role of area postrema in emesis control mechanisms.
  5. A telemetric recording system was used to record gastric myoelectric activity, heart rate, heart rate variability, blood pressure and body core temperature in freely moving Animals
  6. A Programmable micro-infusion pump was implanted to enable long-term scheduled drug administration into the brain.
  7. Immunohistochemistry was used to identify c-fos expression in the ferret brain tissues.

Conferences

  • The Eleventh National Academic Conference of the Chinese Pharmacological Society. Jinan, Shandong Province, China. 22-25 September 2011.
  • The Joint International Neurogastroenterology and Motility Meeting. Bologna, Italy. 6-8 September 2012.

Major Publications

  1. Lu ZB, Zhou Y, Tu LL, Chan SW, Ngan MP, Cui DX, Liu YH, Huang BS, Kung SC, Hui CM & Rudd JA (2020) Sulprostone-induced Gastric Dysrhythmia in the Ferret: Conventional and Advanced Analytical Approaches. Front. Physiol., doi: 10.3389/fphys.2020.583082
  2. Lu ZB, Chan SW, Tu LL, Ngan MP & Rudd JA (2020). GLP-1 receptors are involved in the GLP-1 (7-36) amide-induced modulation of glucose homoeostasis, emesis and feeding in Suncus murinus (house musk shrew). European Journal of Pharmacology, 888, 173528.
  3. Lu Z, Ngan MP, Lin G, Yew DTW, Fan X, Andrews PLR, & Rudd JA (2017). Gastric myoelectric activity during cisplatin-induced acute and delayed emesis reveals a temporal impairment of slow waves in ferrets: effects not reversed by the GLP-1 receptor antagonist, exendin (9-39). Oncotarget, In Press.
  4. Lu Z, Yeung CK, Lin G, Yew DTW, Andrews PLR, & Rudd JA (2017). Insight into the central pathways involved in the emetic and behavioural responses to exendin-4 in the ferret. Autonomic Neurosciences, 202, 122-135.​
  5. Lu Z, Percie du Sert N, Chan SW, Yeung CK, Lin G, Yew DTW, Andrews PLR, & Rudd JA (2015). Differential hypoglycaemic, anorectic, autonomic and emetic effects of the glucagon-like peptide receptor agonist, exendin-4, in the conscious telemetered ferret. Journal of Translational Medicine, 12, 1-13.
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Stereotaxic frame for ferret
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Transmitter for telemetric recording
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Micro-infusion pump
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Behaviour recording system