1 Professor Jörgen Ekström () Appointed (full) Professor of

1
Professor Jörgen Ekström
()
Appointed (full) Professor of Pharmacology 1988, at the Department of Pharmacology, Institute of
Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. MD
(licensed physician) and PhD degrees from the University of Lund, Sweden. Formerly, positions as
Professor of Oral Biology, Acting Professor/Associate Professor of Physiology and Senior Research
Fellow (Medical Research Council) in the field of The Autonomic Nervous System Biology.
Presently, Senior Professor of Pharmacology (University of Gothenburg), and Visiting Professor of
the University of Cagliari, Italy. Formerly, reviewing editor of The Journal of Physiology (London).
Co-editor of the books Glandular Mechanisms of Salivary Secretion and Neural Mechanisms of
Salivary Gland Secretion (Karger, 1998 and 1999) and author of book chapters and reviews on the
regulation of salivary glands and their secretion. More than 180 peer-reviewed original publications,
mainly with focus on salivary gland physiology, pathophysiology and pharmacology. In particular,
the research has involved: the synthesis of acetylcholine; denervation and reinnervation
phenomena - supersensitivity and subsensitivity; treatment of salivary gland hypofunction; nonconventional regulatory systems such as neuropeptides and nitric oxide, and recently gastrointestinal hormones and clozapine-induced sialorrhea. The research has been supported by The
Swedish Medical Research Council/The Science Council over a period of three decades. Inventor of
patents for the drug treatment of mouth dryness. Received The International Association of Dental
Research`s Distinguished Scientist Award for Salivary Research in 2004.
Since 2008 collaborative research with members of the Cagliari University that, so far, has resulted
in 15 peer-reviewed publications and one book chapter.
Supervisor for Doctoral Theses (in medicine or dentistry): Lars Malmberg 1986, Bengt (Götrick)
1991, Gunnar Tobin 1991, Bengt-Olof Nilsson 1991, Anna Asztély 1999, Hulya Cevik-Aras 2009,
Nina Khosravani 2009, Tania Godoy 2013.
Teaching experience (students in medicine, odontology, nursery and dental hygiene):
2
Lecture series in physiology (1972-1988) on endocrinology and reproductive physiology,
digestive tract physiology, heart and circulatory physiology, respiratory physiology,
autonomic nervous system physiology and oral biology. Examiner in Physiology 1975-1988.
Lecture series in pharmacology (1989- present) on peripheral nervous system pharmacology,
digestive tract pharmacology, respiratory tract pharmacology, heart and circulatory
pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, medication to the elderly.
Examiner in Pharmacology 1989- present.
Further information can be found on the following web site:
http://www.neurophys.gu.se/sektioner/farmakologi/forskning/oral-fysiologi-och-farmakologi/
An International Agreement exists.
The Times Higher Education Ranking for the University of Gothenburg: 201-225
Publication list
Book Chapter in collaboration with researchers of the University of Cagliari
Ekström J, Khosravani N, Castagnola M, Messana I. Saliva and the control of its secretion. In:
Ekberg O. (Ed.), Dysphagia: Diagnosis and Treatment. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg,
2012;19-47.
Some recent and important papers carried out in cooperation with researchers of the
University of Cagliari :
1. Del Fiacco M, Quartu M, Ekström J, Melis T, Boi M, Isola M, Loy F, Serra M. Effect of
the neuropeptides vasoactive intestinal peptide, peptide histidine methionine and substance P
on human major salivary gland secretion. Oral Dis. 2014 Apr 12. doi: 10.1111/odi.12249.
2. Loy F, Isola M, Isola R, Lilliu M, Solinas P, Conti G, Godoy T, Riva A, Ekström J. The
antipsychotic amisulpride: ultrastructural evidence of its secretory activity in salivary glands.
Oral Dis. 2013 Nov 19. doi: 10.1111/odi.12209.
3. Isola M, Ekström J, Diana M, Solinas P, Cossu M, Lilliu MA, Loy F, Isola R. Subcellular
distribution of melatonin receptors in human parotid glands. J Anat. 2013 Nov;223(5):519524
3
4. Cabras T, Iavarone F, Pirolli F, De Rosa MC, Vitali A, Faa G, Cordaro M, Messana I,
Ekström J, Castagnola M. Top-down HPLC-ESI-MS characterization of rat gliadoralin A: a
new member of the family of rat submandibular gland glutamine-rich proteins (GRPs),
potential substrate of transglutaminases. J Sep Sci. 2013 Sep;36(17):2848-61.
5. Ekström J, Godoy T, Loy, Riva A. Parasympathetic vasoactive intestinal peptide: a likely
contributor to clozapine-induced sialorrhea.
Oral Dis. 2014 Apr;20(3):e90-6. doi:
10.1111/odi.
6. Nemolato S, Ekström J, Cabras T, Di Felice E, Locci A, Messana I, Castagnola M, Faa G.
Immunoreactivity for thymosin beta 4 and thymosin beta 10 in the adult rat oro-gastrointestinal tract. Eur J Histochem. 2013 May 7;57(2):e17
7. Godoy T, Riva A, Ekström J. Salivary secretion effects of the antipsychotic drug
olanzapine in an animal model. Oral Dis. 2012 Jun 28. doi: 10.1111/j.16010825.2012.01964.x.
175. Loy F, Diana M, Isola R, Solinas P, Isola M, Conti G, Lantini MS, Cossu M, Riva A,
Ekström J. Morphological evidence that pentagastrin regulates secretion in the human parotid
gland. J Anat. 2012;220:447-453.
8. Godoy T, Riva A, Ekström J. Atypical antipsychotics - effects of amisulpride on salivary
secretion and on clozapine-induced sialorrhea. Oral Dis. 2012;18:680-691.
9. Godoy T, Riva A, Ekström J.
Clozapine-induced salivation: interaction with N-
desmethylclozapine and amisulpride in an experimental rat model. Eur J Oral Sci.
2011;119:275-81.
10. Ekström J, Godoy T, Riva A. Clozapine: agonistic and antagonistic salivary secretory
actions. J Dent Res. 2010;89:276-280.