Art Cho

Professor Emeritus

Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, Environmental Health Sciences

UCLA School of Public Health
650 Charles E. Young Drive South
21-297 CHS
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772

(310) 825-6567
acho@mednet.ucla.edu

Biographical Information

Dr. Cho’s laboratory utilizes chemical approaches to conduct research in drug metabolism and neuropharmacology. Drug metabolism studies investigate mechanisms of oxidation of foreign compounds by cytochrome P450, an enzyme system capable of oxidizing the carbon atom of a variety of functional groups including ethers, olefins and amines. Since many of the products of this system are pharmacologically or toxicologically active, their formation is important in understanding drug action. The laboratory is also studying the action of central nervous stimulants related to amphetamine. These compounds affect dopaminergic and serotonergic neurons and stimulate the postsynaptic receptor. These studies have used in vivo microdialysis and pharmacokinetic approaches to understand drug action in intact organisms.