AG Wenzel


Name: Prof. Dr. Ulrich Wenzel
Clinic/Institute: III. Medizinische Klinik
Email: wenzel@uke.de
Phone: +49 (0) 40 7410 - 50062

Research Focus and Main research questions

Experimental work:
We address the role of the innate and the adaptive immune system in hypertension and hypertensive end organ damage by examining the following points:

1. Role of complement in arterial hypertension
2. Role of the mineralocorticoid and AT1 receptor in inflammatory cells.

Clinical work:
So called malignant nephrosclerosis, defined as renal microangiopathy in the setting of severe hypertension leads to end-stage renal disease in a considerable proportion of patients despite good blood pressure control. The mechanisms causing transition from high blood pressure to malignant hypertension with malignant nephrosclerosis and renal failure are completely unknown. We use biased and unbiased approaches to examine the underlying mechanisms in human tissue.

  • Methods
  • Methods

    Methods:

    • Mouse models of arterial hypertension and kidney disease
    • FACS analysis heart, aorta, kidney
    • Hemodynamic measurements
    • Proteomics, proximity ligation assays and single cell RNAseq in human tissue (in cooperation)

  • Publications:

    Wenzel U, Turner JE, Krebs C, Kurts C, Harrison DG, Ehmke H (2016) Immune mechanisms in arterial hypertension. J Am Soc Nephrol 27:677-86

    Weiss S, Rosendahl A, Czesla D, Meyer-Schwesinger C, Stahl R, Ehmke H, Kurts C, Zipfel P, Köhl J, Wenzel U (2016) The complement receptor C5aR1 contributes to renal damage but protects the heart in angiotensin II-induced hypertension. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 310:F1356-65

    Ahadzadeh E, Rosendahl A, Czesla D, Steffens P, Prüßner L, Meyer-Schwesinger C, Wanner N, Paust HJ, Huber TB, Stahl R, Wiech T, Kurts C, Seniuk A, Ehmke H, Wenzel UO (2018) The chemokine receptor CX3CR1 reduces renal injury in mice with angiotensin II induced hypertension. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 315:F1526-F1535

    Rosendahl A, Kabiri R, Bode M, Klinge S, Ehmke H, Mittrücker HW, Wenzel UO (2019) Adaptive immunity and IL-17A in chronic kidney disease in mice. Brit J Pharmacol 176:2002-2014
    Wenzel UO, Bode M, Kurts C, Ehmke H (2019). Salt, inflammation, IL-17 and hypertension. Br J Pharmacol 176:1853-1863

    Wenzel UO, Kemper C, Bode M (2020). The role of complement in arterial hypertension and hypertensive end organ damage Brit J Pharmacol Online ahead of print.
    Wenzel UO, Kintscher U. ACE2 and SARS-CoV-2 - tissue or plasma, good or bad? Am J Hypertens. (2021) 34:274-277

    Wenzel UO, Ehmke H, Bode M (2021) Immune mechanisms in arterial hypertension. Recent advances. Cell Tissue Res Jan 4. Online ahead of print.

  • Recent Funding (2016-2021):

    2020-2022: DFG WE 1688/19-1 Die Rolle von dendritischen Zellen und Komplement bei arterieller Hypertonie und hypertensiven Endorganschäden

    2016-2019: DFG SFB 1192 Project B7 The innate immune response in hypertensive glomerular injury

Research Team

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