Dr. Bruce A. Watkins
Professor
Acting Director - International Omega-3 Learning and Education Consortium for Health and Medicine
Ph.D. Nutrition and Physiological Chemistry
Affiliations
Courtesy Appointment Professor, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, SVM, Purdue University
Adjunct Professor of Anatomy, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Indiana School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
Research
My research is organized into two areas of nutrition focused on molecular biosciences in medicine. The first area is on bone and muscle biology associated with muscle atrophy and osteopenia. The first goal of the laboratory is to understand the interactions of flavonoids and fatty acids on prostanoids and growth factors on muscle and bone metabolism for optimal musculoskeletal health. The research is directed at characterizing how specific fatty acids and phytochemicals impact bone modeling and remodeling, and muscle development. These experiments investigate actions of nutrients on transcription factors (PPARs) and genes (COX, osteocalcin, alkaline phosphatase, BMP) in bone cell cultures and various animal models. The second goal is a paradigm that examines how flavonoids and fatty acids alter genes of osteoblast differentiation (Cbfa1) and osteoclastogenesis (osteoprotegrin OPG/OPGL). The third goal is to describe the actions of nutrients on the actions of agonists on endocannabinoid receptors in muscle and bone. The second area of research is on diet and inflammation. The research aim is to determine the efficacy and safety of phytochemicals and nutraceuticals in the diet. Research is conducted on the biochemistry and physiological actions of flavonoids in biological systems of inflammation.
Teaching
-
Undergraduate
Functional FoodsGraduate
Nutritional Sciences
Food Lipids
Phytochemicals
Bone Metabolism
Industrial
Scientific advisory boards; research projects on companion animal nutrition and medicine; nutrition and wellness research to improve the human condition
Selected Publications
Saifullah, A, Watkins, B.A., Saha, C., Li, Y., Moe, S. & Friedman, A.N. (2007) Oral fish oil supplementation is efficacious and improves the cardiovascular risk profile in long-term hemodialysis patients Am. J. Kidney Dis. (in press).
Watkins, B.A., Hannon, K., Ferruzzi, M. & Li, Y. (2007) Dietary PUFA and flavonoids as deterrents for environmental pollutants. J Nutr. Biochem. 18:196-205.
Shen, C.L., Yeh, J.K., Rasty, J., Li, Y. & Watkins, B.A. (2007) Improvement of bone quality in gonad-intact middle-aged male rats by long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Calif. Tissue Int. 80:286-293.
Horia, E. & Watkins, B.A. (2007) Complementary actions of docosahexaenoic acid and genistein on COX-2, PGE2 and invasiveness in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Carcinogenesis 28(14):809-815.
Friedman, A.N., Moe, S.M., Perkins, S.M., Li, Y. & Watkins, B.A. (2006) Fish consumption and omega-3 fatty acid status and determinants in long-term hemodialysis. Am. J. Kidney Dis. 47:1064-1071.
Shen, C.L., Yeh, J.K., Rasty, J., Li, Y. & Watkins, B.A. (2006) Protective effect of dietary long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on bone loss in gonad-intact middle-aged male rats. Brit. J. Nutr. 95:462-468.
Muñoz-Espada, C. & Watkins, B.A. (2006) Cyanidin attenuates PGE2 production and cyclooxygenase-2 expression in LNCaP human prostate cancer cells. J. Nutr. Biochem. 17:589-596.
Watkins, B.A., Li, Y., & Seifert, M.F. (2006) Dietary ratio of n-6/n-3 PUFAs and docosahexaenoic acid: actions on bone mineral and serum biomarkers in ovariectomized rats. J. Nutr. Biochem. 17(4):282-289.
Watkins, B.A., Reinwald, S., Li, Y., & Seifert, M.F. (2005) Protective actions of soy isoflavonoids and n-3 PUFAs on bone mass in ovariectomized rats. J. Nutr. Biochem. 16:479-488.
Cordain, L, Eaton, S.B., Sebastian, A., Mann, N., Lindeberg, S., Watkins, B.A., O’Keefe, J.H. & Miller, J.B. (2005) Origins and evolution of the western diet: health implications for the 21st century. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 81:341-354.
Awards and Honors
Babcock-Hart Award, (national award in nutritional biochemistry) IFT and International Life Sciences Institute, July, 2004Frank Annunzio Awards National Finalist, Multimedia Education (The Pizza Explorer CD-ROM, The National Health Museum in Washington DC), 2002
University Faculty Scholar (first award for excellence in research and teaching), Purdue University, April 1999-pres.
Research and Development Award (national award for research on lipids and growth factors in bone), IFT, 1999
Outstanding Paper Presentation, AOCS, 1996, 1999
Bio-Serv Award (national young investigator in nutritional biochemistry), ASNS (formerly AIN), 1994
Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Visiting Lecturer, 1994
PSA National Research Award (national young investigator award in bone metabolism), 1990
American Heart Association, Research Awardee, 1989-1991
Contact Dr. Watkins
e-mail: baw@purdue.edu
Address:
Department of Food Science
745 Agriculture Mall Drive
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2009 Phone: (765) 494-5802
(765) 496-7849