As a neuroscientist and physiologist, I am interested in the role of peripheral glia in regulating organ functions, including heart, blood vessels, and the urinary bladder. I am also interested in the roles of peripheral glia in chronic diseases such as neurogenic hypertension and chronic pain. The Xie lab is part of the Basic and Translational Urology Research Program in the Division of Urology, Department of Surgery. The current research focus include:

1. The analgesic role of sensory satellite glial cells in visceral pain
Patients with pelvic pain also lower urinary tract symptoms. Nociceptive sensitization contributes to underlies visceral allodynia and hyperalgesia. Our work focuses on targeting satellite glial cells, a specialized peripheral glia in the sensory ganglia to reduce pain and prevent the chronification of pelvic pain after injury and peripheral inflammation.

Xie AX, Pan XQ, Meacham RB, Malykhina AP. (2018) The Expression of Transcription Factors MeCP2 and CREB Is Modulated in Inflammatory Pelvic Pain. Front Syst Neurosci. 2019 Jan 11;12:69. doi: 10.3389/fnsys.2018.00069. eCollection 2018.
Xie AX*, Madayag A, Minton SK, McCarthy KD, Malykhina AP. (2020) Sensory satellite glial Gq-GPCR activation alleviates inflammatory pain via peripheral adenosine 1 receptor activation. *Corresponding author. Sci Rep. 2020 Aug 25;10(1):14181. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-71073-z.
Xie AX†*, Taves S†, McCarthy KD. (2021) Nuclear factor Kappa B-COX2 pathway activation in non-myelinating Schwann cells is necessary for the maintenance of neuropathic pain in mice. *Corresponding author. Front. Cell. Neurosci. 14 January 2022 doi: 10.3389/fncel.2021.782275
Xie AX, Iguchi N, Clarkson TC, Malykhina AP. (2022) Pharmacogenetic inhibition of sensory afferent excitability alleviates bladder VEGF signaling-induced visceral hypersensitivity in an animal model of UCPPS. PLoS One. 2022 Jan 25;17(1):e0262769. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262769
Xie AX†, Iguchi N†, Malykhina AP*. (2024) Long-term follow-up of TREK-1 KO mice reveals the development of bladder hypertrophy and impaired bladder smooth muscle contractility with age. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol. 2024 Jun 1;326(6):F957-F970. doi: 10.1152/ajprenal.00382.2023.
Yesupatham SK, Malykhina AP, Xie AX*. (2025) Transcriptome Analysis in Lumbosacral Dorsal Root Ganglia Suggests Sex-specific Mechanisms Underlying Visceral Hypersensitivity. Am J Physiol Physiol Genomics. Under Revision.

2. The neuroactive role of autonomic satellite glial cells
The long-term goal of conducting glia research is to target glial signaling for disease treatments. But first, we need to understand the role of glia in vivo and in intact neural circuits. This part of lab research focus on the role of satellite glial cells in autonomic ganglia, and how their activation can be used to enhance hollow organ contractility and improve cardio output and micturition.

Agulhon C, Boyt KM, Xie AX, Friocourt F, Roth BL, McCarthy KD. (2013) Modulation of the autonomic nervous system and behaviour by acute glial cell Gq protein-coupled receptor activation in vivo. J Physiol. 2013 Nov 15;591(22):5599-609. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.2013.261289.
Xie AX, Petravicz, J, McCarthy KD. (2015) Molecular approaches for manipulating astrocytic signaling in vivo. Front Cell Neurosci. 2015 Apr 21;9:144. doi: 10.3389/fncel.2015.00144
Xie AX*, Lee JJ, McCarthy KD. (2016) Ganglionic GFAP+ Glial Gq-GPCR Signaling Enhances Heart Functions in vivo. *Corresponding author. JCI Insight. 2017;2(2):e90565. doi:10.1172/jci.insight.90565.
Xie AX*, Chaia A, McCarthy KD. (2017) Targeting sympathetic glia for treating cardiovascular diseases. *Corresponding author. Receptors and Clinical Investigation. 2017;4:e1572. doi: 10.14800/rci.1572.