Dominic D'Agostino, PhD

Research Scientist, Inst. Human and Machine Cognition

Contact Info

• 12901 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. MDC 8
  Tampa FL 33612
• Academic Email: ddagosti@usf.edu
• Academic Phone: (813) 396-9628
• View My C.V. | View My Website | View My Lab Site

Education

Academic Philosophy

Interdisciplinary and Emerging Signature Programs

• Cancer Biology
• Cardiovascular
• Metabolic Regulation and Disorders
• Neurodegenerative Disease
• Neuroscience
• Oxygen Toxicity

Research Interests

• The primary focus of our laboratory is developing and testing metabolic-based therapies, including dietary therapies, nutritional supplements and a variety of metabolic-based drugs. Our focus has been on seizure disorders, brain cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and rare genetic/metabolic disorders. We conduct physiological, cellular, molecular, and epigenetic studies to understand the efficacy and mechanism of ketone metabolic therapies (KMT). Our USF and collaborative research is supported by federal agencies (DOD, ONR, NAVSEA, NIH) industry partners, 501c3 foundation and contributions to our lab from generous donors to USF Nonprofit Foundation (501c3). Our laboratory is also interested in space research, including analog research on NASA's Extreme Environment Mission Operation (NEEMO 22, 23), which allows us to study environmental medicine and methods to enhance safety, performance and physiological resilience in astronauts and aquanauts.

Memberships

• Associate Professor (American Association for Cancer Research, 2014 - Present)
• Associate Professor (Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Society, 2005 - Present)
• Associate Professor (American Physiology Society, 1999 - Present)
• Assistant Professor (Microscopy and Microanalysis, 2010 - 2016)
• Associate Professor (Society for Neuroscience, 2004 - Present)
• Associate Professor (Aerospace Medicine, 2005 - Present)

Recent Publications

• Kephart WC, Mumford PW, Mao X, Romero MA, Hyatt HW, Zhang Y, Mobley CB, Quindry JC, Young KC, Beck DT, Martin JS, McCullough DJ, D''Agostino DP, Lowery RP, Wilson JM, Kavazis AN, Roberts MD. The 1-Week and 8-Month Effects of a Ketogenic Diet or Ketone Salt Supplementation on Multi-Organ Markers of Oxidative Stress and Mitochondrial Function in Rats. Nutrients. 9(9) , 2017.
• Ari C, Canfield CE; Copes N Poff AM Fiorelli TN Landon CS Goldhagen CR Mavromates N D’Agostino DP. Biochemical alterations in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Mouse Model resulted from the Deanna Protocol Supplement Complex. Metabolomics. 13: 5555; DOI 10.1007/s11306-017-1183-1, 2017.
• Seyfried TN, Yu G, Maroon JC, D''Agostino DP. Press-pulse: a novel therapeutic strategy for the metabolic management of cancer. Nutrition & metabolism. 14: 19, 2017.
• Ari C, Kovács Z, Juhasz G, Murdun C, Goldhagen CR, Koutnik AP, Poff AM, Kesl SL, D''Agostino DP. Corrigendum: Exogenous Ketone Supplements Reduce Anxiety-Related Behavior in Sprague-Dawley and Wistar Albino Glaxo/Rijswijk Rats. Frontiers in molecular neuroscience. 10: 36, 2017.
• Poff AM, Moss S, Soliven M, D''Agostino DP. Ketone Supplementation: Meeting the Needs of the Brain in an Energy Crisis. Frontiers in nutrition. 8: 783659, 2021.
• Colquhoun RJ, Gai CM, Walters J, Brannon AR, Kilpatrick MW, DʼAgostino DP, Campbell BI. Comparison of Powerlifting Performance in Trained Men Using Traditional and Flexible Daily Undulating Periodization. Journal of strength and conditioning research. 31(2) : 283-291, 2017.
• Ward NP, Poff AM, Koutnik AP, D''Agostino DP. Complex I inhibition augments dichloroacetate cytotoxicity through enhancing oxidative stress in VM-M3 glioblastoma cells. PloS one. 12(6) : e0180061, 2017.
• Somlyai G, Collins TQ, Meuillet EJ, Hitendra P, D''Agostino DP, Boros LG. Structural homologies between phenformin, lipitor and gleevec aim the same metabolic oncotarget in leukemia and melanoma. Oncotarget. 8(30) : 50187-50192, 2017.
• Prins PJ, Buxton JD, McClure TS, D''Agostino DP, Ault DL, Welton GL, Jones DW, Atwell AD, Slack MA, Slack ML, Williams CE, Blanchflower ME, Kannel KK, Faulkner MN, Szmaciasz HL, Croll SM, Stanforth LM, Harris TD, Gwaltney HC, Koutnik AP. Ketone Bodies Impact on Hypoxic CO Retention Protocol During Exercise. Frontiers in physiology. 12: 780755, 2021.
• Klement RJ, Feinman RD, Gross EC, Champ CE, D''Agostino DP, Fine EJ, Kämmerer U, Poff A, Rho JM, Seyfried TN, Scheck AC. Need for new review of article on ketogenic dietary regimes for cancer patients. Medical oncology (Northwood, London, England). 34(6) : 108, 2017.
• Brunner B, Ari C, D''Agostino DP, Kovács Z. Adenosine Receptors Modulate the Exogenous Ketogenic Supplement-Evoked Alleviating Effect on Lipopolysaccharide-Generated Increase in Absence Epileptic Activity in WAG/Rij Rats. Nutrients. 13(11) , 2021.
• Kovács Z, D''Agostino DP, Dobolyi A, Ari C. Adenosine A1 Receptor Antagonism Abolished the Anti-seizure Effects of Exogenous Ketone Supplementation in Wistar Albino Glaxo Rijswijk Rats. Frontiers in molecular neuroscience. 10: 235, 2017.
• Ciarlone SL, Grieco JC, D''Agostino DP, Weeber EJ. Ketone ester supplementation attenuates seizure activity, and improves behavior and hippocampal synaptic plasticity in an Angelman syndrome mouse model. Neurobiology of disease. 96: 38-46, 2016.
• Poff AM, Kernagis D, D''Agostino DP. Hyperbaric Environment: Oxygen and Cellular Damage versus Protection. Comprehensive Physiology. 7(1) : 213-234, 2016.
• Egan B, D''Agostino DP. Fueling Performance: Ketones Enter the Mix. Cell metabolism. 24(3) : 373-375, 2016.
• Boros LG, D''Agostino DP, Katz HE, Roth JP, Meuillet EJ, Somlyai G. Submolecular regulation of cell transformation by deuterium depleting water exchange reactions in the tricarboxylic acid substrate cycle. Medical hypotheses. 87: 69-74, 2016.
• Brunner B, Rauch E, Ari C, D''Agostino DP, Kovács Z. Enhancement of Ketone Supplements-Evoked Effect on Absence Epileptic Activity by Co-Administration of Uridine in Wistar Albino Glaxo Rijswijk Rats. Nutrients. 13(1) , 2021.
• Kesl SL, Poff AM, Ward NP, Fiorelli TN, Ari C, Van Putten AJ, Sherwood JW, Arnold P, D''Agostino DP. Effects of exogenous ketone supplementation on blood ketone, glucose, triglyceride, and lipoprotein levels in Sprague-Dawley rats. Nutrition & metabolism. 13: 9, 2016.
• Hinojo CM, Ciarlone GE, D''Agostino DP, Dean JB. Exogenous ketone salts inhibit superoxide production in the rat caudal solitary complex during exposure to normobaric and hyperbaric hyperoxia. Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985). 130(6) : 1936-1954, 2021.
• Gambardella I, Ascione R, D''Agostino DP, Ari C, Worku B, Tranbaugh RF, Ivascu N, Villena-Vargas J, Girardi LN. Systematic Review - Neuroprotection of ketosis in acute injury of the mammalian central nervous system: A meta-analysis. Journal of neurochemistry. 158(2) : 105-118, 2021.
• Ari C, Kovács Z, Juhasz G, Murdun C, Goldhagen CR, Koutnik AP, Poff AM, Kesl SL, D''Agostino DP. Exogenous Ketone Supplements Reduce Anxiety-Related Behavior in Sprague-Dawley and Wistar Albino Glaxo/Rijswijk Rats. Frontiers in molecular neuroscience. 9: 137, 2016.
• Viggiano A, Pilla R, Arnold P, Monda M, D''Agostino D, Zeppa P, & Coppola G. Different calorie restriction treatments have similar anti-seizure efficacy. Seizure. 35: 45-9, 2016.
• Stavitzski NM, Landon CS, Hinojo CM, Poff AM, Rogers CQ, D''Agostino DP, Dean JB. Exogenous ketone ester delays CNS oxygen toxicity without impairing cognitive and motor performance in male Sprague-Dawley rats. American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology. 321(2) : R100-R111, 2021.
• Viggiano A, Pilla R, Arnold P, Monda M, D''Agostino D, & Coppola G. Anticonvulsant properties of an oral ketone ester in a pentylenetetrazole-model of seizure. Brain Research. 1618: 50-4, 2015.
• Norwitz NG, Winwood R, Stubbs BJ, D''Agostino DP, Barnes PJ. Case Report: Ketogenic Diet Is Associated With Improvements in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Frontiers in medicine. 8: 699427, 2021.
• Poff A Ward N Seyfried T Arnold P & D’Agostino DP. A novel non-toxic metabolic therapy – ketogenic diet, ketone supplementation, and hyperbaric oxygen – elicit potent anti-cancer effects in vitro and in vivo. PLoS One. 10(6) : e0127407, 2015.
• Seyfried TN, Flores R, Poff AM, D''Agostino DP, Mukherjee P. Metabolic therapy: a new paradigm for managing malignant brain cancer. Cancer letters. 356(2 Pt A) : 289-300, 2015.
• Aronica L, Volek J, Poff A, D''agostino DP. Genetic variants for personalised management of very low carbohydrate ketogenic diets. BMJ nutrition, prevention & health. 3(2) : 363-373, 2020.
• Youm YH, Nguyen KY, Grant RW, Goldberg EL, Bodogai M, Kim D, D''Agostino D, Planavsky N, Lupfer C, Kanneganti TD, Kang S, Horvath TL, Fahmy TM, Crawford PA, Biragyn A, Alnemri E, & Dixit VD. The ketone metabolite β-hydroxybutyrate blocks NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated inflammatory disease. Nature Medicine. , 2015.
• Poff AM, Ward N, Seyfried TN, Arnold P, D''Agostino DP. Non-Toxic Metabolic Management of Metastatic Cancer in VM Mice: Novel Combination of Ketogenic Diet, Ketone Supplementation, and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. PloS one. 10(6) : e0127407, 2015.
• Koutnik AP, Favre ME, Noboa K, Sanchez-Gonzalez MA, Moss SE, Goubran B, Ari C, Poff AM, Rogers CQ, DeBlasi JM, Samy B, Moussa M, Serrador JM, D''Agostino DP. Human Adaptations to Multiday Saturation on NASA NEEMO. Frontiers in physiology. 11: 610000, 2020.
• Ari C, Poff AM, Held HE, Landon CS, Goldhagen CR, Mavromates N, D''Agostino DP. Metabolic therapy with Deanna Protocol supplementation delays disease progression and extends survival in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) mouse model. PloS one. 9(7) : e103526, 2014.
• Prins PJ, D''Agostino DP, Rogers CQ, Ault DL, Welton GL, Jones DW, Henson SR, Rothfuss TJ, Aiken KG, Hose JL, England EL, Atwell AD, Buxton JD, Koutnik AP. Dose response of a novel exogenous ketone supplement on physiological, perceptual and performance parameters. Nutrition & metabolism. 17: 81, 2020.
• Poff AM, Ari C, Arnold P, Seyfried TN, D''Agostino DP. Ketone supplementation decreases tumor cell viability and prolongs survival of mice with metastatic cancer. International journal of cancer. 135(7) : 1711-20, 2014.
• Seyfried TN, Flores RE, Poff AM, D''Agostino DP. Cancer as a metabolic disease: implications for novel therapeutics. Carcinogenesis. 35(3) : 515-27, 2014.
• Kovács Z, Brunner B, D''Agostino DP, Ari C. Age- and Sex-Dependent Modulation of Exogenous Ketone Supplement-Evoked Effects on Blood Glucose and Ketone Body Levels in Wistar Albino Glaxo Rijswijk Rats. Frontiers in neuroscience. 14: 618422, 2020.
• Seyfried TN Marsh J Mukherjee P Zuccoli G & D’Agostino DP. Could Metabolic Therapy Become a Viable Alternative to the Standard of Care for Managing Glioblastoma? Oncology & Hematology Review. 10(1) : 13-20, 2014.
• Ari C, Murdun C, Goldhagen C, Koutnik AP, Bharwani SR, Diamond DM, Kindy M, D''Agostino DP, Kovacs Z. Exogenous Ketone Supplements Improved Motor Performance in Preclinical Rodent Models. Nutrients. 12(8) , 2020.
• Poff AM, Ari C, Seyfried TN, D''Agostino DP. The ketogenic diet and hyperbaric oxygen therapy prolong survival in mice with systemic metastatic cancer. PloS one. 8(6) : e65522, 2013.
• D''Agostino DP, Pilla R, Held HE, Landon CS, Puchowicz M, Brunengraber H, Ari C, Arnold P, Dean JB. Therapeutic ketosis with ketone ester delays central nervous system oxygen toxicity seizures in rats. American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology. 304(10) : R829-36, 2013.
• Brownlow ML, Benner L, D''Agostino D, Gordon MN, & Morgan D. Ketogenic diet improves motor performance but not cognition in two mouse models of Alzheimer''s pathology. PLoS One. 8(9) : e75713, 2013.
• Brownlow ML., Benner L., Benner L., Joly-Amando A., Azam S., D’Agostino DP., Gordon MN., & Morgan D. Calorie restriction, but not ketogenic diet, improves cognition in models of Alzheimer''s pathology. Alzheimers’s and Dementia. 9(4) : P160, 2013.
• Paoli A, Grimaldi K, D''Agostino D, Cenci L, Moro T, Bianco A, & Palma A. Ketogenic diet does not affect strength performance in elite artistic gymnasts. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 9(1) : 34, 2012.
• D''Agostino DP, McNally HA, Dean JB. Development and testing of hyperbaric atomic force microscopy (AFM) and fluorescence microscopy for biological applications. Journal of microscopy. 246(2) : 129-42, 2012.
• Deemer SE, Davis RAH, Roberts BM, Smith DL, Koutnik AP, Poff AM, D''Agostino DP, Plaisance EP. Exogenous Dietary Ketone Ester Decreases Body Weight and Adiposity in Mice Housed at Thermoneutrality. Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.). 28(8) : 1447-1455, 2020.
• McNally H; D''Agostino DP. Hyperbaric Atomic Force Microscopy System Performance and Applications Imaging and Microscopy. 13(1) : 41-43, 2011.
• Prins PJ, Koutnik AP, D''Agostino DP, Rogers CQ, Seibert JF, Breckenridge JA, Jackson DS, Ryan EJ, Buxton JD, Ault DL. Effects of an Exogenous Ketone Supplement on Five-Kilometer Running Performance. Journal of human kinetics. 72: 115-127, 2020.
• D''Agostino DP, Olson JE, Dean JB. Acute hyperoxia increases lipid peroxidation and induces plasma membrane blebbing in human U87 glioblastoma cells. Neuroscience. 159(3) : 1011-22, 2009.
• D''Agostino DP, Colomb DG, Dean JB. Effects of hyperbaric gases on membrane nanostructure and function in neurons. Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985). 106(3) : 996-1003, 2009.
• Koutnik AP, Poff AM, Ward NP, DeBlasi JM, Soliven MA, Romero MA, Roberson PA, Fox CD, Roberts MD, D''Agostino DP. Ketone Bodies Attenuate Wasting in Models of Atrophy. Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle. 11(4) : 973-996, 2020.
• D''Agostino D, Mazza E, Neubauer JA. Heme oxygenase is necessary for the excitatory response of cultured neonatal rat rostral ventrolateral medulla neurons to hypoxia. American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology. 296(1) : R102-18, 2009.
• Kovács Z, Brunner B, D''Agostino DP, Ari C. Inhibition of adenosine A1 receptors abolished the nutritional ketosis-evoked delay in the onset of isoflurane-induced anesthesia in Wistar Albino Glaxo Rijswijk rats. BMC anesthesiology. 20(1) : 30, 2020.
• D''Agostino DP, Putnam RW, Dean JB. Superoxide (*O2- ) production in CA1 neurons of rat hippocampal slices exposed to graded levels of oxygen. Journal of neurophysiology. 98(2) : 1030-41, 2007.
• Herber DL, Weeber EJ, D''Agostino DP, Duis J. Evaluation of the safety and tolerability of a nutritional Formulation in patients with ANgelman Syndrome (FANS): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials. 21(1) : 60, 2020.
• Poff AM, Rho JM, D''Agostino DP. Ketone Administration for Seizure Disorders: History and Rationale for Ketone Esters and Metabolic Alternatives. Frontiers in neuroscience. 13: 1041, 2019.
• Ari C, Murdun C, Koutnik AP, Goldhagen CR, Rogers C, Park C, Bharwani S, Diamond DM, Kindy MS, D''Agostino DP, Kovács Z. Exogenous Ketones Lower Blood Glucose Level in Rested and Exercised Rodent Models. Nutrients. 11(10) , 2019.
• Kovács Z, D''Agostino DP, Diamond D, Kindy MS, Rogers C, Ari C. Therapeutic Potential of Exogenous Ketone Supplement Induced Ketosis in the Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders: Review of Current Literature. Frontiers in psychiatry. 10: 363, 2019.
• Deemer SE, Davis RAH, Gower BA, Koutnik AP, Poff AM, Dickinson SL, Allison DB, D''Agostino DP, Plaisance EP. Concentration-Dependent Effects of a Dietary Ketone Ester on Components of Energy Balance in Mice. Frontiers in nutrition. 6: 56, 2019.
• Gross EC, Klement RJ, Schoenen J, D''Agostino DP, Fischer D. Potential Protective Mechanisms of Ketone Bodies in Migraine Prevention. Nutrients. 11(4) , 2019.
• Kovács Z, D''Agostino DP, Diamond DM, Ari C. Exogenous Ketone Supplementation Decreased the Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Increase in Absence Epileptic Activity in Wistar Albino Glaxo Rijswijk Rats. Frontiers in molecular neuroscience. 12: 45, 2019.
• Koutnik AP, D''Agostino DP, Egan B. Anticatabolic Effects of Ketone Bodies in Skeletal Muscle. Trends in endocrinology and metabolism: TEM. 30(4) : 227-229, 2019.
• Ari C, D''Agostino DP, Diamond DM, Kindy M, Park C, Kovács Z. Elevated Plus Maze Test Combined with Video Tracking Software to Investigate the Anxiolytic Effect of Exogenous Ketogenic Supplements. Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE. (143) , 2019.
• Kovács Z, D''Agostino DP, Ari C. Anxiolytic Effect of Exogenous Ketone Supplementation Is Abolished by Adenosine A1 Receptor Inhibition in Wistar Albino Glaxo/Rijswijk Rats. Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience. 12: 29, 2018.
• Stubbs BJ, Koutnik AP, Poff AM, Ford KM, D''Agostino DP. Commentary: Ketone Diester Ingestion Impairs Time-Trial Performance in Professional Cyclists. Frontiers in physiology. 9: 279, 2018.
• Ari C, Kovács Z, Murdun C, Koutnik AP, Goldhagen CR, Rogers C, Diamond D, D''Agostino DP. Nutritional ketosis delays the onset of isoflurane induced anesthesia. BMC anesthesiology. 18(1) : 85, 2018.
• Wilson JM Lowery RP Roberts MD Sharp MH Joy JM Shields KA Partl J Volek JS D''Agostino DP. The Effects of Ketogenic Dieting on Body Composition, Strength, Power, and Hormonal Profiles in Resistance Training Males. J Strength Cond Res.. : doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001935., 2017.
• Kevin B Cayabyab, Marley J Shin, Micah S Heimuli, Iris J Kim, Dominic P D'Agostino, Richard J Johnson, Andrew P Koutnik, Nick Bellissimo, David M Diamond, Nicholas G Norwitz, Juan A Arroyo, Paul R Reynolds, Benjamin T Bikman The Metabolic and Endocrine Effects of a 12-Week Allulose-Rich Diet Nutrients. 16(12):1821, 2024.
• Philip J Prins, Timothy D Noakes, Alex Buga, Dominic P D'Agostino, Jeff S Volek, Jeffrey D Buxton, Kara Heckman, Dalton W Jones , Naomi E Tobias, Holly M Grose, Anna K Jenkins, Kelli T Jancay, Andrew P Koutnik Low and high carbohydrate isocaloric diets on performance, fat oxidation, glucose and cardiometabolic health in middle age males Frontiers Nutrition. Volume 10(10) , 2023.