Ing Kang Ho, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
(601) 984-1600
IHo@pharmacology.umsmed.edu
Biochemical Mechanisms of Tolerance to and Physical Dependence on Drugs of Abuse and Neurotoxicity Induced by Environmental Chemicals
The research activities in my laboratory involve the investigations of biochemical mechanisms of tolerance to and physical dependence on drugs of abuse and neurotoxicity induced by organophosphate cholinesterase inhibitors and lead. The topics of our major research interests are:
- characterization of opioid receptors in the development of physical dependence on opioids;
- examination of glutamatergic neurotransmission within the locus coeruleus in physical dependence on opioids;
- characterization of the involvement of locus coeruleus glutamate receptor subtypes in the development of dependence on opioids;
- investigation of allosteric coupling of GABA, benzodiazepine and other binding sites on the GABAA receptors in barbiturate dependence;
- examination of mechanism in regulation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors in lead induced neurotoxicity; and
- investigation of non-cholinergic aspects of organophosphate-induced neurotoxicity.
Selected Publications
Fan, L.-W., Tien, L.-T., Tanaka, S., Ma, T., Chudapongse, N., Sinchaisuk, S., Rockhold, R.W. and Ho, I.K. Changes in the brain kappa-opioid receptor levels of rats in withdrawal from physical dependence upon butorphanol. Neurosci. 121: 1063-1074, 2003. 
Chudapongse, N., Kim, S., Sasaki, K., Kramer, R.E and Ho, I. K. Nonopioid receptor mediated effects of U 50,488H on [Ca2+]i and extracellular dopamine in PC12 cells. J Neurosci. Res. 74: 598-604, 2003.
Tien, L.-T., Fan, LW., Sogawa, C., Ma, T., Loh, H.H., and Ho, I.K. Changes in acetylcholinesterase activity and muscarinic receptor bindings in mu-opioid receptor knockout mice. Mol. Brain Res. 126: 38-44, 2004.
Commiskey, S., Fan, L.-W., Ho, I. K. and Rockhold, R.W. Butorphanol: Effects of a prototypical agonist-antagonist analgesic on kappa-opioid receptors. J. Pharmacol. Sci. 98: 109-116, 2005.
Tien, L.-T., Fan, L.-W., Ma, T., Loh, H.H., and Ho, I. K. Roles of mu-opioid receptors in development of tolerance to diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP). J. Toxicol. Sci. 30: 43-59, 2005.