Kristiaan Wouters

Associate professor

Dr Kristiaan Wouters has studied Biomedical Sciences at Hasselt University (Belgium). In 2003, he started his PhD research at the Dept. of Molecular Genetics at Maastricht University on the role of macrophages and inflammation in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. After obtaining his PhD in 2008, he worked as a post-doc in the laboratory of Prof. Bart Staels at the Pasteur Institute in Lille, France, on the role of macrophage polarisation in obesity, diabetes, and atherosclerosis. Kristiaan has returned to Maastricht at the Dept. of Internal Medicine as tenure track researcher setting up his research group 'Translational Immunometabolism'. Since 2019, he has been appointed as Associate Professor.

The group focusses on the immunological events in adipose tissue during obesity and the impact of these events on cardiometabolic complications, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, with a specific focus on the interplay between metabolism and inflammation in innate immune cells.

Current projects focus on the role of reactive dicarbonyls formed during glycolysis on immune cell function in cardiometabolic diseases, and on multivariate analysis of flow cytometry data.

Department of Internal Medicine
Universiteitssingel 50, 6229 ER Maastricht
PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht
Room number: H5.310
T: +31(0)43 388 42 33

2024
- Berends, E., Pencheva, M. G., van de Waarenburg, M. P. H., Scheijen, J. L. J. M., Hermes, D. J. H. P., Wouters, K., van Oostenbrugge, R. J., Foulquier, S., & Schalkwijk, C. G. (2024). Glyoxalase 1 overexpression improves neurovascular coupling and limits development of mild cognitive impairment in a mouse model of type 1 diabetes. Journal of Physiology, 602(22), 6209-6223. https://doi.org/10.1113/JP286723
- Berends, E., Vangrieken, P., Amiri, N., van de Waarenburg, M. P. H., Scheijen, J. L. J. M., Hermes, D. J. H. P., Wouters, K., van Oostenbrugge, R. J., Schalkwijk, C. G., & Foulquier, S. (2024). Increased Levels of Circulating Methylglyoxal Have No Consequence for Cerebral Microvascular Integrity and Cognitive Function in Young Healthy Mice. Molecular Neurobiology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12035-024-04552-3
- Sun, D., van Greevenbroek, M. M. J., Scheijen, J. L. J. M., Kelly, J., Schalkwijk, C. G., & Wouters, K. (2024). Methylglyoxal mediates the association between 2-hour plasma glucose and HbA1c with inflammation: The Maastricht Study. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgae640
- Adam, S., Maas, S. L., Huchzermeier, R., Rakateli, L., Abschlag, K., Hohl, M., Liao, L., Bartneck, M., Teunissen, M., Wouters, K., Santovito, D., Jankowski, J., Biessen, E. A. L., & van der Vorst, E. P. C. (2024). The calcium-sensing-receptor (CaSR) in adipocytes contributes to sex-differences in the susceptibility to high fat diet induced obesity and atherosclerosis. EBioMedicine, 107, Article 105293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ebiom.2024.105293
- Buziau, A. M., Oosterveer, M. H., Wouters, K., Bos, T., Tolan, D. R., Agius, L., Ford, B. E., Cassiman, D., Stehouwer, C. D. A., Schalkwijk, C. G., & Brouwers, M. C. G. J. (2024). Hepatic glucokinase regulatory protein and carbohydrate response element binding protein attenuation reduce de novo lipogenesis but do not mitigate intrahepatic triglyceride accumulation in ALDOB deficiency. Molecular Metabolism, 87, Article 101984. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molmet.2024.101984
- D'Haese, S., Claes, L., Jaeken, E., Deluyker, D., Evens, L., Heeren, E., Haesen, S., Vastmans, L., Lambrichts, I., Wouters, K., Schalkwijk, C. G., Hansen, D., Eijnde, B. O., & Bito, V. (2024). Pyridoxamine Alleviates Cardiac Fibrosis and Oxidative Stress in Western Diet-Induced Prediabetic Rats. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 25(15), Article 8508. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25158508
- Rombaut, B., Schepers, M., Tiane, A., Mussen, F., Koole, L., Kessels, S., Trippaers, C., Jacobs, R., Wouters, K., Willems, E., Veggel, L. V., Koulousakis, P., Deluyker, D., Bito, V., Prickaerts, J., Wens, I., Brône, B., van den Hove, D. L. A., & Vanmierlo, T. (2024). Early Inhibition of Phosphodiesterase 4B (PDE4B) Instills Cognitive Resilience in APPswe/PS1dE9 Mice. Cells, 13(12), Article 1000. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13121000
- D'Haese, S., Claes, L., de Laat, I., Van Campenhout, S., Deluyker, D., Heeren, E., Haesen, S., Lambrichts, I., Wouters, K., Schalkwijk, C. G., Hansen, D., Eijnde, B., & Bito, V. (2024). Moderate-Intensity and High-Intensity Interval Exercise Training Offer Equal Cardioprotection, with Different Mechanisms, during the Development of Type 2 Diabetes in Rats. Nutrients, 16(3), Article 431. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16030431
2023
- Trouwborst, I., Wouters, K., Jocken, J. W., Jardon, K. M., Gijbels, A., Dagnelie, P. C., van Greevenbroek, M. M. J., van der Kallen, C. J., Stehouwer, C. D. A., Schalkwijk, C. G., Richard, N., Bendik, I., Afman, L. A., Blaak, E. E., & Goossens, G. H. (2023). Circulating and adipose tissue immune cells in tissue-specific insulin resistance in humans with overweight and obesity. Obesity, 31(5), 1326-1337. https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.23714
- Zhang, X. D., Scheijen, J. L. J. M., Stehouwer, C. D. A., Wouters, K., & Schalkwijk, C. G. (2023). Increased methylglyoxal formation in plasma and tissues during a glucose tolerance test is derived from exogenous glucose. Clinical Science, 137(8), 697-706. https://doi.org/10.1042/CS20220753

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Team Science grant Uyen Nguyen and Roel Meiburg

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Kristiaan Wouters

Associate professor