Stefanos Zafeiropoulos

Dr. Stefanos Zafeiropoulos

orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

7Years (2020-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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30 August 2023 in JACC: Heart Failure
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
SZStefanos Zafeiropoulos
Stefanos Zafeiropoulos
IFIoannis Farmakis
Ioannis Farmakis
IMIoannis Milioglou
Ioannis Milioglou
IDIoannis Doundoulakis
Ioannis Doundoulakis
EGEiran Z. Gorodeski
Eiran Z. Gorodeski
George GiannakoulasGeorge Giannakoulas
George Giannakoulas

8 May 2024 in JACC: Clinical Electrophysiology
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
SZStefanos Zafeiropoulos
Stefanos Zafeiropoulos
IDIoannis Doundoulakis
Ioannis Doundoulakis
ABAlexandra Bekiaridou
Alexandra Bekiaridou
IFIoannis Farmakis
Ioannis Farmakis
GPGeorgios E. Papadopoulos
Georgios E. Papadopoulos
SSStavros Stavrakis
Stavros Stavrakis

26 July 2023 in Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
SZStefanos Zafeiropoulos
Stefanos Zafeiropoulos
UAUmair Ahmed
Umair Ahmed
ABAlexia Bikou
Alexia Bikou
IMIbrahim T. Mughrabi
Ibrahim T. Mughrabi
SSStavros Stavrakis
Stavros Stavrakis
SZStavros Zanos
Stavros Zanos

21 June 2024 in Circulation Research
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
PDF file
SZStefanos Zafeiropoulos
Stefanos Zafeiropoulos
UAUmair Ahmed
Umair Ahmed
ABAlexandra Bekiaridou
Alexandra Bekiaridou
NJNaveen Jayaprakash
Naveen Jayaprakash
IMIbrahim T. Mughrabi
Ibrahim T. Mughrabi
SZStavros Zanos
Stavros Zanos
BACKGROUND: Inflammation is pathogenically implicated in pulmonary arterial hypertension; however, it has not been adequately targeted therapeutically. We investigated whether neuromodulation of an anti-inflammatory neuroimmune pathway involving the splenic nerve using noninvasive, focused ultrasound stimulation of the spleen (sFUS) can improve experimental pulmonary hypertension. METHODS: Pulmonary hypertension was induced in rats either by Sugen 5416 (20 mg/kg SQ) injection, followed by 21 (or 35) days of hypoxia (sugen/hypoxia model), or by monocrotaline (60 mg/kg IP) injection (monocrotaline model). Animals were randomized to receive either 12-minute-long sessions of sFUS daily or sham stimulation for 14 days. Catheterizations, echocardiography, indices of autonomic function, lung and heart histology and immunohistochemistry, spleen flow cytometry, and lung single-cell RNA sequencing were performed after treatment to assess the effects of sFUS. RESULTS: Splenic denervation right before induction of pulmonary hypertension results in a more severe disease phenotype. In both sugen/hypoxia and monocrotaline models, sFUS treatment reduces right ventricular systolic pressure by 25% to 30% compared with sham treatment, without affecting systemic pressure, and improves right ventricular function and autonomic indices. sFUS reduces wall thickness, apoptosis, and proliferation in small pulmonary arterioles, suppresses CD3 + and CD68 + cell infiltration in lungs and right ventricular fibrosis and hypertrophy and lowers BNP (brain natriuretic peptide). Beneficial effects persist for weeks after sFUS discontinuation and are more robust with early and longer treatment. Splenic denervation abolishes sFUS therapeutic benefits. sFUS partially normalizes CD68 + and CD8 + T-cell counts in the spleen and downregulates several inflammatory genes and pathways in nonclassical and classical monocytes and macrophages in the lung. Differentially expressed genes in those cell types are significantly enriched for human pulmonary arterial hypertension–associated genes. CONCLUSIONS: sFUS causes dose-dependent, sustained improvement of hemodynamic, autonomic, laboratory, and pathological manifestations in 2 models of experimental pulmonary hypertension. Mechanistically, sFUS normalizes immune cell populations in the spleen and downregulates inflammatory genes and pathways in the lung, many of which are relevant in human disease.

1 April 2021 in Atherosclerosis
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
SZStefanos Zafeiropoulos
Stefanos Zafeiropoulos
IFIoannis Farmakis
Ioannis Farmakis
AKAnastasios Kartas
Anastasios Kartas
Alexandra ArvanitakiAlexandra Arvanitaki
Alexandra Arvanitaki
APAreti Pagiantza
Areti Pagiantza
George GiannakoulasGeorge Giannakoulas
George Giannakoulas

1 October 2020 in The American Journal of Cardiology
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
SZStefanos Zafeiropoulos
Stefanos Zafeiropoulos
IFIoannis Farmakis
Ioannis Farmakis
AKAnastasios Kartas
Anastasios Kartas
Alexandra ArvanitakiAlexandra Arvanitaki
Alexandra Arvanitaki
APAreti Pagiantza
Areti Pagiantza
George GiannakoulasGeorge Giannakoulas
George Giannakoulas