Evangelia Litsa Tsiani, PhD

Professor, Health Sciences

Evengelia Litsa Tsiani, PhD

Office: CRN 421
905 688 5550 x3881
etsiani@brocku.ca

My research focus is understanding glucose homeostasis, the intracellular signaling pathways that are activated and control muscle glucose transport, metabolism and the defects contributing to insulin resistance/diabetes. An additional research focus is understanding cancer biology and the defects leading to enhanced cell proliferation. My goal/aim is to find plant derived chemicals, nutraceuticals, or functional foods that could modulate certain signaling pathways and be used against insulin resistance /diabetes and cancer.

  • Cell signaling
  • Insulin resistance
  • Metabolism
  • Glucose homeostasis
  • Cancer Biology
  • Investigation of the biological effects of plant-derived chemicals
  • Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP)
  • Hellenic Canadian Academic Association of Ontario (HCAAO)
  • Brock University Academic Safety Committee
  • HLSC Departmental Hiring Committee
  • HLSC Departmental Curriculum Committee

Amanda Kornel, Matteo Nadile, Maria Ilektra Retsidou, Minas Sakellakis, Katerina Gioti, Apostolos Beloukas, Newman Siu Kwan Sze, Panagiota Klentrou, Evangelia Tsiani. Ursolic acid against prostate and urogenital cancers: a review of in vitro and in vivo studies. Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Apr 18;24(8):7414. doi:10.3390/ijms24087414.

Danja J. Den Hartogh, Filip Vlavcheski, and Evangelia Tsiani. Muscle Cell Insulin Resistance Is Attenuated by Rosmarinic Acid: Elucidating the Mechanisms Involved. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24, 5094. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/ijms24065094

Crozier RWE, Yousef M, Coish JM, Fajardo VA, Tsiani E, MacNeil AJ. Carnosic acid inhibits secretion of allergic inflammatory mediators in IgE-activated mast cells via direct regulation of Syk activation. J Biol Chem. 2023 Jan 3:102867.

Nadile M, Retsidou MI, Gioti K, Beloukas A, Tsiani E. Resveratrol against Cervical Cancer: Evidence from In Vitro and In Vivo Studies. Nutrients. 2022 Dec 10;14(24):5273. doi: 10.3390/nu14245273.

Vlavcheski F, O’Neill EJ, Gagacev F, Tsiani E. Effects of Berberine against Pancreatitis and Pancreatic Cancer. Molecules. 2022 Dec 6;27(23):8630. doi: 10.3390/molecules27238630.

Amanda Kornel, Matteo Nadile, and Evangelia Tsiani. Evidence of beneficial effects of Ursolic acid against lung cancer. Molecules. 2022 Nov 2;27(21):7466. doi: 10.3390/molecules27217466.

Yang AJT, Mohammad A, Tsiani E, Necakov A, MacPherson REK. Chronic AMPK Activation Reduces the Expression and Alters Distribution of Synaptic Proteins in Neuronal SH-SY5Y Cells. 2022 Jul 31;11(15):2354.

Den Hartogh DJ, Vlavcheski F, Giacca A, MacPherson REK, Tsiani E. Carnosic Acid Attenuates the Free Fatty Acid-Induced Insulin Resistance in Muscle Cells and Adipocytes. Cells. 2022 Jan 5;11(1):167. doi: 10.3390/cells11010167.

O’Neill EJ, Moore J, Song J, Tsiani EL. Inhibition of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Proliferation and Survival by Rosemary Extract Is Associated with Activation of ERK and AMPK. Life (Basel). 2021 Dec 31;12(1):52. doi: 10.3390/life12010052.

Kornel A, Den Hartogh DJ, Klentrou P, Tsiani E. Role of the Myokine Irisin on Bone Homeostasis: Review of the Current Evidence. Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Aug 24;22(17):9136. doi: 10.3390/ijms22179136.

Pereira S, Moore J, Li JX, Yu WQ, Ghanim H, Vlavcheski F, Joseph YD, Dandona P, Volchuk A, Cummins CL, Tsiani E, Giacca A. 4-Phenylbutyric acid improves free fatty acid-induced hepatic insulin resistance in vivo. Endocr Connect. 2021 Jul 28;10(8):861-872. doi: 10.1530/EC-21-0248.PMID: 34319253 (IF:3.33)

E. Tsiani, N Tsakiridis, Rozalia Kouvelioti, Alina Jaglanian, Panagiota Klentrou. Current evidence of the role of the myokine irisin in cancer. Cancers (Basel). 2021 May 27;13(11):2628. doi:10.3390/cancers13112628.PMID: 34071869

Baron DC, Marko DM, Tsiani E, MacPherson REK Rosemary extract increases neuronal cell glucose uptake and activates AMPK. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2021 Feb;46(2):141-147. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2020-0014. Epub 2020 Aug 13.

Eric J. O’Neill, Deborah Termini, Alexandria Albano, and Evangelia Tsiani. Anti-Cancer Properties of Theaflavins. Molecules. 2021 Feb 13;26(4):987. doi: 10.3390/molecules26040987.PMID: 33668434

Shamshoum H, Vlavcheski F, MacPherson REK, Tsiani E. Rosemary Extract Activates AMPK, Inhibits mTOR and Attenuates the High Glucose and High Insulin-Induced Muscle Cell Insulin Resistance. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2021 Jan 20. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2020-0592. Online ahead of print.

Termini D, Den Hartogh DJ, Jaglanian A, Tsiani E. Curcumin against Prostate Cancer: Current Evidence. Biomolecules. 2020 Nov 10;10(11):1536. doi: 10.3390/biom10111536.

Jaglanian A, Termini D, Tsiani E. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) extract inhibits prostate cancer cell proliferation and survival by targeting Akt and mTOR. Biomed Pharmacother. 2020 Nov;131:110717. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2020.110717. Epub 2020 Sep 23.

O’Neill EJ, Hartogh DJD, Azizi K, Tsiani E. Anticancer Properties of Carnosol: A Summary of in Vitro and In Vivo Evidence. Antioxidants (Basel). 2020 Oct 8;9(10):961. doi: 10.3390/antiox9100961.

Guo J, Pereira TJ, Mori Y, Gonzalez Medina M, Breen DM, Dalvi PS, Zhang H, McCole DF, McBurney MW, Heximer SP, Tsiani EL, Dolinsky VW, Giacca A.

Resveratrol Inhibits Neointimal Growth after Arterial Injury in High-Fat-Fed Rodents: The Roles of SIRT1 and AMPK. J Vasc Res. 2020;57(6):325-340. doi: 10.1159/000509217. Epub 2020 Aug 10.

Den Hartogh DJ, Vlavcheski F, Giacca A, Tsiani E. Attenuation of Free Fatty Acid (FFA)-Induced Skeletal Muscle Cell Insulin Resistance by Resveratrol is Linked to Activation of AMPK and Inhibition of mTOR and p70 S6K. Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Jul 11;21(14):E4900. doi: 10.3390/ijms21144900. PMID: 32664532

Marko DM, Foran G, Vlavcheski F, Baron DC, Hayward GC, Baranowski BJ, Necakov A, Tsiani E, MacPherson REK. Interleukin-6 Treatment Results in GLUT4 Translocation and AMPK Phosphorylation in Neuronal SH-SY5Y Cells. Cells. 2020 Apr 30;9(5):1114. doi: 10.3390/cells9051114. PMID: 32365859

Vlavcheski F, Den Hartogh DJ, Giacca A, Tsiani E. Amelioration of High-Insulin-Induced Skeletal Muscle Cell Insulin Resistance by Resveratrol Is Linked to Activation of AMPK and Restoration of GLUT4 Translocation. Nutrients. 2020 Mar 27;12(4). pii: E914. doi: 10.3390/nu12040914.

Yousef M, Crozier RWE, Hicks NJ, Watson CJF, Boyd T, Tsiani E, MacNeil AJ.

Attenuation of allergen-mediated mast cell activation by rosemary extract (Rosmarinus officinalis L.). J Leukoc Biol. 2020 Mar 23. doi: 10.1002/JLB.3A0320-434R. [Epub ahead of print]

Jaglanian A, Tsiani E. Rosemary Extract Inhibits Proliferation, Survival, Akt, and mTOR Signaling in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells. Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Jan 27;21(3). pii: E810. doi: 10.3390/ijms21030810.

Den Hartogh DJ, Gabriel A, Tsiani E. Antidiabetic Properties of Curcumin I: Evidence from In Vitro Studies. Nutrients. 2020 Jan 1;12(1). pii: E118. doi: 10.3390/nu12010118. Review.

Den Hartogh DJ, Gabriel A, Tsiani E. Antidiabetic Properties of Curcumin II: Evidence from In Vivo Studies. Nutrients. 2019 Dec 25;12(1). pii: E58. doi: 10.3390/nu12010058. Review.

Den Hartogh DJ, Tsiani E. Health Benefits of Resveratrol in Kidney Disease: Evidence from In Vitro and In Vivo Studies. Nutrients. 2019 Jul 17;11(7). pii: E1624. doi: 10.3390/nu11071624. Review.

Vlavcheski F, Young M, Tsiani E. Antidiabetic Effects of Hydroxytyrosol: In Vitro and In Vivo Evidence. Antioxidants (Basel). 2019 Jun 21;8(6). pii: E188. doi: 10.3390/antiox8060188. Review.

Desai T, Koulajian K, Ivovic A, Breen DM, Luu L, Tsiani EL, Wheeler MB, Giacca A. Pharmacologic or genetic activation of SIRT1 attenuates the fat-induced decrease in beta-cell function in vivo. Nutr Diabetes. 2019 Mar 19;9(1):11. doi: 10.1038/s41387-019-0075-z.

Den Hartogh DJ, Tsiani E. Antidiabetic Properties of Naringenin: A Citrus Fruit Polyphenol. Biomolecules. 2019 Mar 12;9(3). pii: E99. doi: 10.3390/biom9030099. Review.

Vlavcheski F, Tsiani E. Attenuation of Free Fatty Acid-Induced Muscle Insulin Resistance by Rosemary Extract. Nutrients. 2018 Nov 2;10(11). pii: E1623. doi: 10.3390/nu10111623.

Barnes T, Di Sebastiano KM, Vlavcheski F, Quadrilatero J, Tsiani E, Mourtzakis M. Glutamate increases glucose uptake in L6 myotubes in a concentration- and time-dependent manner that is mediated by AMPK. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2018 Dec;43(12):1307-1313. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2018-0174.

Vlavcheski F, Baron D, Vlachogiannis IA, MacPherson REK, Tsiani E. Carnosol Increases Skeletal Muscle Cell Glucose Uptake via AMPK-Dependent GLUT4 Glucose Transporter Translocation. Int J Mol Sci. 2018 Apr 29;19(5).

Yousef M, Vlachogiannis IA, Tsiani E. Effects of Resveratrol against Lung Cancer: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies. Nutrients. 2017 Nov 10;9(11). Review.

Vlavcheski F, Naimi M, Murphy B, Hudlicky T, Tsiani E. Rosmarinic Acid, a Rosemary Extract Polyphenol, Increases Skeletal Muscle Cell Glucose Uptake and Activates AMPK. Molecules. 2017 Oct 7;22(10).

Naimi M, Vlavcheski F, Shamshoum H, Tsiani E. Rosemary Extract as a Potential Anti-Hyperglycemic Agent: Current Evidence and Future Perspectives. Nutrients. 2017 Sep 1;9(9).

Shamshoum H, Vlavcheski F, Tsiani E. Anticancer effects of oleuropein. Biofactors. 2017 Jun 14. doi: 10.1002/biof.1366. [Epub ahead of print] Review.

Kurgan N, Tsakiridis E, Kouvelioti R, Moore J, Klentrou P, Tsiani E. Inhibition of Human Lung Cancer Cell Proliferation and Survival by Post-Exercise Serum Is Associated with the Inhibition of Akt, mTOR, p70 S6K, and Erk1/2. Cancers (Basel). 2017 May 8;9(5). pii: E46. doi: 10.3390/cancers9050046.

Yousef M, Tsiani E. Metformin in Lung Cancer: Review of in Vitro and in Vivo Animal Studies. Cancers (Basel). 2017 May 6;9(5). pii: E45. doi: 10.3390/cancers9050045. Review.

Naimi M, Vlavcheski F, Murphy B, Hudlicky T, Tsiani E. Carnosic acid as a component of rosemary extract stimulates skeletal muscle cell glucose uptake via AMPK activation. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol. 2017 Jan;44(1):94-102. doi: 10.1111/1440-1681.12674.

Jessy Moore, Michael Yousef, Evangelia Tsiani. Anticancer Effects of Rosemary (Rosmarinus Officinalis L.) Extract and Rosemary Extract Polyphenols. Nutrients. 2016 Nov 17;8(11). pii: E731.

Moore J, Megaly M, MacNeil AJ, Klentrou P, Tsiani E. Rosemary extract reduces Akt/mTOR/p70S6K activation and inhibits proliferation and survival of A549 human lung cancer cells. Biomed Pharmacother. 2016 Jul 28;83:725-732. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2016.07.043. [Epub ahead of print]

Barron CC, Bilan PJ, Tsakiridis T, Tsiani E. Facilitative glucose transporters: Implications for cancer detection, prognosis and treatment. Metabolism. 2016 Feb;65(2):124-39. doi: 10.1016/j.metabol.2015.10.007. Epub 2015 Nov 13. Review.

Pereira S, Yu W Q, Moore J, Mori Y, Tsiani E, and Giacca A. Effect of a p38 MAPK inhibitor on FFA-induced hepatic insulin resistance in vivo. Nutrition & Diabetes, 2016 May 2;6:e210. doi: 10.1038/nutd.2016.11.

Pereira S, Park E, Moore J, Faubert B, Breen D, Oprescu A, Nahle A, Kwan D, Giacca A, Tsiani E. Resveratrol Prevents Insulin Resistance Caused by Short-Term Elevation of Free Fatty Acids In Vivo. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2015 Published on the web 10 July 2015, 10.1139/apnm-2015-0075

Moore J, Pickering G, Gaudette NJ, Tsiani E. Resveratrol-fortification of red wine does not provide greater inhibition of human lung cancer cell survival compared to non-fortified wine. Journal of Molecular Biochemistry, Vol 4, No 3 (2015)

Naimi M, Tsakiridis T, Stamatatos TC, Alexandropoulos DI, Tsiani E. Increased skeletal muscle glucose uptake by rosemary extract through AMPK activation.Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2015 Apr;40(4):407-13.

Mezil YA, Allison D, Kish K, Ditor D, Ward WE, Tsiani E, Klentrou P. Response of Bone Turnover Markers and Cytokines to High-Intensity Low-Impact Exercise.Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2015 Jul;47(7):1495-502.

Barron CC, Moore J, Tsakiridis T, Pickering G, Tsiani E. Inhibition of human lung cancer cell proliferation and survival by wine. Cancer Cell Int. 2014 Jan 23;14(1):6. doi: 10.1186/1475-2867-14-6.PMID:24456610

Storozhuk Y, Hopmans SN, Sanli T, Barron C, Tsiani E, Cutz JC, Pond G, Wright J, Singh G, Tsakiridis T. Metformin inhibits growth and enhances radiation response of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) through ATM and AMPK. Br J Cancer. 2013 Apr 30. doi: 10.1038/bjc.2013.187.

  • Principles of Human Physiology
  • Human Endocrinology
  • Cell Signaling Pathways in Health and Disease (graduate studies)