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Home > Diabetes Researchers > Spencer D Proctor

Spencer D Proctor

Department: Department of Agricultural, Food & Nutritional Science
Degree: PhD, Medicine, University of Western Australia, Perth
Office: 318F Agriculture Forestry Centre
Tel: 780.492.4672
Laboratory Tel: 780.492.6358
Fax: 780.492.9072
E-mail:

Positions

Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural, Food & Nutritional Science
Director, Metabolic and Cardiovascular Diseases Laboratory
Affiliations: Alberta Institute for Human Nutrition

Dr. Spencer Proctor trained as a physiologist and cardiovascular scientist in both Australia and Canada.  He was appointed to the Alberta Institute for Human Nutrition at the University of Alberta in 2004 and founded the Metabolic and Cardiovascular Diseases (MCVD) Laboratory.  Dr. Proctor’s research program spans a unique continuum of expertise in the areas of nutrition, metabolism, physiology, behaviour, food health and chronic disease.  Areas of focus include:

1. Absorption/metabolism of dietary lipids in health, cardiovascular risk and the Metabolic Syndrome.

2. Interaction of lipids with arterial vessels during atherosclerosis and insulin resistance.

3. Novel bio-activity of dietary fatty acids and impact to the Metabolic Syndrome. 

 

Research Highlights

• We have been the first to provide visual evidence that intestinally derived cholesterol particles (chylomicrons) penetrate arterial tissue after hydrolysis to their smaller remnant form, and therefore contribute to the atherogenic process.
• We have pioneered new fluorescent imaging techniques together with the application of confocal microscopy to assess the interaction of lipoprotein particles in arterial vessels that lead to the discovery that properties of vascular biology during disease (hypercholesterolemia and diabetes) can alter the rate at which lipoproteins become trapped in arterial vessels.
• We continue to contribute to studies that correlate raised levels of chylomicron particles (measured as apolipoprotein-B48) and risk of heart disease in numerous clinical conditions. We have developed a model of over-production of intestinal derived cholesterol particles (lipoproteins) during insulin resistance  that is thought to contribute to dyslipidemia and CVD risk.
• We have discovered lipid lowering properties of trans-11 vaccenic acid, a ruminant (natural) trans-fat that is commonly found in dairy products.

Research Summary

Dr. Proctor and the MCVD Laboratory are contributing to the link between Nutrition and dietary-related chronic disease such as obesity and overweight to increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Traditionally, (bad or LDL-type cholesterol (made by the liver) has been viewed as the primary fasting end point associated with predicting CVD risk.  However, as many half those diagnosed with a cardiac event have (normal circulating concentrations of LDL cholesterol, suggesting other factors are at work.  Indeed recent epidemiological evidence suggests that non-fasting lipids (following absorption from the intestine) more accurately predict CVD risk than traditional indices. Dr. Proctor and his team (together in collaboration with Dr. Donna Vine, Nutrition, UofA) has been one of the first to contribute to the fact that intestinal lipoproteins (chylomicrons; that function to absorb and transport dietary lipids) are involved in the accumulation of lipid in arterial vessels during CVD.  They continue to explore broad nutritional aspects (including clinical studies in collaboration with Dr. Geoff Ball Pediatrics UofA) that might impact on the secretion and metabolism of dietary lipids and their consequence to overweight and CVD risk (and/or the Metabolic Syndrome).  Most recently they have begun to investigate potential behavioral aspects of weight gain (and/or loss) (collaboration with Dr. David Pierce, Sociology UofA) in order to bridge the impact of poor-nutritional foods and early biochemical and lipid alterations.

Keywords

type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, obesity, cardiovascular disease, pharmacological intervention, lipid metabolism, chylomicrons, high density lipoproteins atherogenesis, vascular biology, confocal microscopy, apolipoprotein B48, type 1 diabetes, advanced glycation end (AGE) products, proteoglycans

Recent Publications

• Su JW, Lambert JE, Clandinin MT and Proctor SD. Impaired Postprandial metabolism of Apolipoprotein B48-Containing Remnant Particles in Normolipidemic Subjects with Brittle Type 1 Diabetes. Diabetes Care Vol 32 (2), 2009 DOI 10.2337/dc08-1573  (IF=7.8).
• Blewett HJ, Gergung CA, Ruth MR, Proctor SD and Field CJ. Vaccenic acid favorably alters immune function in obese JCR:LA-cp rats. British Journal of Nutrition. 2009 Feb 16:1-11.
• Su JW, Nzekwu MMU, Ball GDC, Proctor SD. Postprandial lipemia as an early predictor of cardiovascular complications in childhood obesity. Journal of Clinical Lipidology. 2009, Vol.3, 78-84.
• Su JW, Nzekwu MMU, Castro-Cabezas M, Redgrave TG, Proctor SD.   Methods to assess impaired post-prandial metabolism and the impact for early detection of cardiovascular disease risk.  European Journal of Clinical Investigation.  2009 Sep;39(9):741-54. (IF=2.7).
• Field CJ, Hosea-Blewett H, Proctor SD and Vine DF. Human health benefits of vaccenic acid. Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism. 2009 Vol. 34, Number 5, 979-991.
• Shi D, Dyck MK, Uwiera RR, Russell JC, Proctor SD, Vine DF. A Unique Rodent Model of Cardiometabolic Risk Associated with the Metabolic Syndrome and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Endocrinology. Vol. 150, No. 9, 4425-4436, May 2009.  (IF=5.2).
• Wang Y, Lu J, Ruth MR, Goruk SD, Reaney M, Glimm D, Vine DF, Field CJ and Proctor SD. Trans-11 vaccenic acid reduces hepatic lipogenesis and chylomicron secretion in the JCR:LA-cp rat. Journal of Nutrition. Vol. 139, No. 11, 2049-2054, Nov. 2009. (IF=4.0).
• Russell JC, Kelly SE, Vine DF and Proctor SD. Irbesartan-mediated reduction of renal and cardiac damage in insulin resistant JCR:LA-cp rats. British Journal of Pharmacology. 2009 Vol. 158, Issue 6, Pages 1588-1596. (IF=4.9).
• Hassanali Z, Ametaj B, Field CJ, Proctor SD and Vine DF. Dietary Supplementation of n-3 PUFA reduces weight gain, and improves post-prandial lipemia and the associated inflammatory response in the obese JCR:LA-cp rat. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism. 2010  Volume 12, Issue 2, Pages 139 â€“ 147. (IF=4.2).
• Pierce WD, Diane A, Heth CD, Russell JC, Proctor SD. Evolution and obesity: resistance of obese-prone rats to a    challenge of food restriction and wheel running.  International Journal Obesity (London). 2010 Mar;34(3):589-92 (IF=3.6).
• Ruth MR, Wang Y, Yu HM, Goruk S, Reaney MJ, Proctor SD,  Vine DF,  and Catherine J Field.  Vaccenic and Elaidic Acid Modify Plasma and Splenocyte Membrane Phospholipids and Mitogen-Stimulated Cytokine Production in Obese Insulin Resistant JCR: LA-cp Rats.  Nutrients Journal. 2010  2:181-197.
• Mangat R, Vine DF, Forbes JM, Cooper ME, Mamo JCL and Proctor SD.  Increased risk of cardiovascular disease in type 1   diabetes: Increased arterial exposure to remnant lipoproteins leads to enhanced deposition of cholesterol and binding to glycated extracellular matrix proteoglycans.  Diabetic Medicine.  In press 2010.
• Jacome-Sosa M,  Lu J,  Wang Y,  Ruth MR, Wright DC, Reaney MJ, Shene J, Field CJ, Vine DF and Proctor SD. Increased hypolipidemic benefits of cis-9, trans-11 conjugated linoleic acid in combination with trans-11 vaccenic acid in a rodent model of the metabolic syndrome, the JCR:LA-cp rat.  Nutrition & Metabolism.  In press 2010.
• Mangat R, Warnakula S, Wang Y, Russell JC, Uwiera R and Vine DF and Proctor SD. Model of Intestinal Chylomicron Over-production and Ezetimibe Treatment: Impact on the Retention of Cholesterol in Arterial Vessels.  Atherosclerosis Supplements.  In press 2010. 
• Warnakula S, Hsieh J, Adeli K, Hussain MM, Tso P, Proctor SD.  New insights into how the intestine can regulate lipid homeostasis and impact vascular disease: frontiers for new pharmaceutical therapies to continue to lower cardiovascular risk.  The Canadian Journal of Cardiology.  In press 2010.
• Wang Y, Jacome-Sosa M, Vine DF and Proctor SD.  Beneficial effects of vaccenic acid on postprandial lipid metabolism and dyslipidemia: Impact of natural trans-fats to improve CVD risk.  Lipid Technology. Vol. 22 No. 5.  In press May 2010.
• Ussher JR, Koves TR, Cadete VJJ, Zhang L, Jaswal JS, Swyrd SP, Lopaschuk DG,  Proctor SD, Keung W,  Muoio DM, and Lopaschuk GD.  Inhibition of de novo ceramide synthesis reverses diet-induced insulin resistance and restores whole body oxygen consumption.  Diabetes Journal.  In press 2010.
• Jacobs RL, Zhao Y, P.Y. Koonen DPY, Sletten T, Su B, Lingrell S, Cao G, Peake DA, Kuo MS, Proctor SD, Kennedy BP, Dyck JRB, and Vance DE.  Impaired de novo choline synthesis explains why phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase-deficient mice are protected from diet-induced obesity.   Journal of Biological Chemistry.  In press 2010.

Book Chapters

JCL Mamo, SD Proctor. Chylomicron Remnants and Atherosclerosis in PJ Barter and K-A Rye, eds. Plasma Lipids and Their Role in Disease. Harwood Academic Publishers, Chapter 6: 109-137, 1999.

SD Proctor, JC Russell. Macro- and Micro-vascular Disease in a Pre-diabetic Animal Model: The JCR:LA-cp Rat. BC Hansen and G Bray, eds. The Metabolic Syndrome. Humana Press, 2007 in press.

JC Russell, SE Kelly, SD Proctor. The JCR:LA-cp Rat: An Animal Model of the Metabolic Syndrome Exhibiting Micro- and Macro-Vascular Disease. 2006 Chapter 7: pg 157-171 in Animal Models of Diabetes, E. Shafrir, ed . CRC Publishers.