Adjunct Professor
Izumi Maezawa is not currently accepting new patients. For assistance finding a UC Davis doctor, please call 800-2-UCDAVIS (800-282-3284).
The Maezawa lab studies pathology of glial cells in neurological disorders, notably Alzheimer’s disease and Rett syndrome. The current efforts focus on regulation of microglia by ketogenic metabolism and small lipid mediators that regulate inflammation. This research establishes the foundation to use ketogenic agents and inhibitors of lipid mediator generation to treat Alzheimer’s disease.
B.S., Pharmacy, Showa Pharmaceutical University, 1992
M.S., Clinical Pharmacy, Meijyo University, 1996
Ph.D., Neuropathology, University of Washington, 2005
Alzheimer's Pathology/Neuroinflammation, UC Davis, 2005-2010
New Investigator Award, Alzheimer’s Association, 2010
Institutional nomination, Edward Mallinckrodt, Jr. Foundation Award, UC Davis, 2009
Award for Excellence in Postdoctoral Research, University of California Davis, 2009
Award for best presentation in Japanese Scientist Bay Area Seminar, 2008
First place in the graduate student research presentation award, Department of Pathology, University of Washington, 2003
Tang X, Schindler RL, Di Lucente J, Oloumi A, Tena J, Harvey D, Lebrilla CB, Zivkovic AM, Jin LW, Maezawa I. Unique N-glycosylation signatures in human iPSC derived microglia activated by Aβ oligomer and lipopolysaccharide. Sci Rep. 2025 Apr 10;15(1):12348.PMID: 40210651
Di Lucente J, Ramsey JJ, Jin LW, Maezawa I. The impact of mild episodic ketosis on microglia and hippocampal long-term depression in 5xFAD mice. FASEB Bioadv. 2024 Oct 23;6(12):581-596.
Shafer CC, Di Lucente J, Mendiola UR, Maezawa I, Jin LW, Neumann EK. Effects of Sex and Western Diet on Spatial Lipidomic Profiles for the Hippocampus, Cortex, and Corpus Callosum in Mice Using MALDI MSI. J Am Soc Mass, Spectrom. Nov 6;35(11):2554-2563. PMID: 38456419
Di Lucente J, Persico G, Zhou Z, Jin LW, Ramsey JJ, Rutkowsky JM, Montgomery CM, Tomilov A, Kim K, Giorgio M, Maezawa I, Cortopassi GA. Ketogenic diet and BHB rescue the fall of long-term potentiation in an Alzheimer's mouse model and stimulates synaptic plasticity pathway enzymes. Commun Biol. 2024 Feb 16;7(1):195. doi: 10.1038/s42003-024-05860-z. PMID: 38366025
Jin LW, Di Lucente J, Ruiz Mendiola U, Suthprasertporn N, Tomilov A, Cortopassi G, Kim K, Ramsey JJ, Maezawa I. The ketone body β-hydroxybutyrate shifts microglial metabolism and suppresses amyloid-β oligomer-induced inflammation in human microglia. FASEB J. 2023 Nov;37(11):e23261.PMID: 37878335
Budamagunta MS, Mori H, Silk J, Slez RR, Bognár B, Mendiola UR, Kálai T, Maezawa I, Voss JC. Nitroxyl Hybrids with Curcumin and Stilbene Scaffolds Display Potent Antioxidant Activity, Remodel the Amyloid Beta Oligomer, and Reverse Amyloid Beta-Induced Cytotoxicity. Antioxidants (Basel). 2024 Nov 18;13(11):1411. PMID: 39594552
Jin L-W, Di Lucente, J., Mendiola, U.R., Tang, X., Zivkovic AM., Lebrilla, C.B., Maezawa, I. (2023) The role of FUT8-catalyzed core fucosylation in Alzheimer’s amyloid- oligomer-induced activation of human microglia. Glia. May;71 (5):1346-1359. PMID: 36692036
Muñoz Herrera OM, Hong BV, Ruiz Mendiola U, Maezawa I, Jin LW, Lebrilla CB, Harvey DJ, Zivkovic AM. (2023) Cholesterol, Amyloid Beta, Fructose, and LPS Influence ROS and ATP Concentrations and the Phagocytic Capacity of HMC3 Human Microglia Cell Line. Int J Mol Sci. Jun 20;24(12):10396. doi: 10.3390/ijms241210396.PMID: 37373543
Tang X, Tena J, Di Lucente J, Maezawa I, Harvey DJ, Jin LW, Lebrilla CB, Zivkovic AM (2022) Transcriptomic and glycomic analyses highlight pathway-specific glycosylation alterations unique to Alzheimer's disease. Sci Rep. 2023 May 15;13(1):7816..PMID: 37188790
Tena J, Maezawa I, Barboza M, Wong M, Zhu C, Alvarez MR, Jin LW, Zivkovic AM, Lebrilla CB (2022) Regio-Specific N-Glycome and N-Glycoproteome Map of the Elderly Human Brain With and Without Alzheimer's Disease. Mol Cell Proteomics. Nov;21(11):100427. PMID: 36252735