Eman Soliman

Education

B.S. Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zagazig University, Egypt
M.Sc. Pharmacology, Zagazig University, Egypt
Ph.D. Pharmacology and Toxicology, East Carolina University
Post-doctoral Fellowship: Immunology, East Carolina University
Post-doctoral Fellowship: Neuroimmunology, Virginia Tech

Research Interest

My research explores the complex neuroimmune interactions that shape recovery following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Specifically, I focus on the process of efferocytosis—the clearance of apoptotic cells—and how this mechanism contributes to resolving inflammation, limiting secondary injury, and promoting tissue repair in the injured brain. A central theme of my work is understanding how microglia and peripheral-derived macrophages (PDMs) coordinate this response and the extent to which their origin, activation state, and signaling pathways influence neuroinflammatory outcomes.

My lab utilizes transgenic and bone marrow chimeric mouse models, advanced 3D imaging, and transcriptomics to dissect the spatial, temporal, and sex-specific regulation of efferocytosis in the injured brain. Through these approaches, we aim to define cell-type-specific contributions to injury resolution and identify targetable mechanisms that could enhance neuroprotection and long-term functional recovery.

Selected Publications

de Jager C, Soliman E, Theus MH. Interrogating mediators of single-cell transcriptional changes in the acute damaged cerebral cortex: Insights into endothelial-astrocyte interactions. Mol Cell Neurosci. 2025 Mar 14;133:104003. doi: 10.1016/j.mcn.2025.104003. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 40090391.

Soliman E, Gudenschwager Basso EK, Ju J, Willison A, Theus MH. Skull bone marrow-derived immune cells infiltrate the injured cerebral cortex and exhibit anti-inflammatory properties. Brain Behav Immun. 2025 Jan;123:244-253. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2024.09.023. Epub 2024 Sep 16. PubMed PMID: 39293691; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC11624077.

Gudenschwager Basso EK, Ju J, Soliman E, de Jager C, Wei X, Pridham KJ, Olsen ML, Theus MH. Immunoregulatory and neutrophil-like monocyte subsets with distinct single-cell transcriptomic signatures emerge following brain injury. J Neuroinflammation. 2024 Feb 3;21(1):41. doi: 10.1186/s12974-024-03032-8. PubMed PMID: 38310257; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10838447.

Soliman E, Leonard J, Basso EKG, Gershenson I, Ju J, Mills J, de Jager C, Kaloss AM, Elhassanny M, Pereira D, Chen M, Wang X, Theus MH. Efferocytosis is restricted by axon guidance molecule EphA4 via ERK/Stat6/MERTK signaling following brain injury. J Neuroinflammation. 2023 Nov 9;20(1):256. doi: 10.1186/s12974-023-02940-5. PubMed PMID: 37941008; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10633953.

Cash A, de Jager C, Brickler T, Soliman E, Ladner L, Kaloss AM, Zhu Y, Pridham KJ, Mills J, Ju J, Basso EKG, Chen M, Johnson Z, Sotiropoulos Y, Wang X, Xie H, Matson JB, Marvin EA, Theus MH. Endothelial deletion of EPH receptor A4 alters single-cell profile and Tie2/Akap12 signaling to preserve blood-brain barrier integrity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2023 Oct 10;120(41):e2204700120. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2204700120. Epub 2023 Oct 5. PubMed PMID: 37796990; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10576133.

Mills J, Ladner L, Soliman E, Leonard J, Morton PD, Theus MH. Cross-Talk and Subset Control of Microglia and Associated Myeloid Cells in Neurological Disorders. Cells. 2022 Oct 25;11(21). doi: 10.3390/cells11213364. Review. PubMed PMID: 36359758; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9658881

Kowalski EA, Soliman E, Kelly C, Basso EKG, Leonard J, Pridham KJ, Ju J, Cash A, Hazy A, de Jager C, Kaloss AM, Ding H, Hernandez RD, Coleman G, Wang X, Olsen ML, Pickrell AM, Theus MH. Monocyte proinflammatory phenotypic control by ephrin type A receptor 4 mediates neural tissue damage. JCI Insight. 2022 Aug 8;7(15). doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.156319. PubMed PMID: 35737458; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9462496.

Kaloss AM, Arnold LN, Soliman E, Langman M, Groot N, Vlaisavljevich E, Theus MH. Noninvasive Low-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Mediates Tissue Protection following Ischemic Stroke. BME Front. 2022;2022:9864910. doi: 10.34133/2022/9864910. eCollection 2022. PubMed PMID: 37850177; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10521672.

Fritsch LE, Ju J, Gudenschwager Basso EK, Soliman E, Paul S, Chen J, Kaloss AM, Kowalski EA, Tuhy TC, Somaiya RD, Wang X, Allen IC, Theus MH, Pickrell AM. Type I Interferon Response Is Mediated by NLRX1-cGAS-STING Signaling in Brain Injury. Front Mol Neurosci. 2022;15:852243. doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.852243. eCollection 2022. PubMed PMID: 35283725; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8916033.

Soliman E, Bhalla S, Elhassanny AEM, Malur A, Ogburn D, Leffler N, Malur AG, Thomassen MJ. Myeloid ABCG1 Deficiency Enhances Apoptosis and Initiates Efferocytosis in Bronchoalveolar Lavage Cells of Murine Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube-Induced Granuloma Model. Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Dec 21;23(1). doi: 10.3390/ijms23010047. PubMed PMID: 35008476; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8744594.

Sakr A, Rezq S, Ibrahim SM, Soliman E, Baraka MM, Romero DG, Kothayer H. Design and synthesis of novel quinazolinones conjugated ibuprofen, indole acetamide, or thioacetohydrazide as selective COX-2 inhibitors: anti-inflammatory, analgesic and anticancer activities. J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem. 2021 Dec;36(1):1810-1828. doi: 10.1080/14756366.2021.1956912. PubMed PMID: 34338135; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8330735.

Soliman E, Mills J, Ju J, Kaloss AM, Basso EKG, Groot N, Kelly C, Kowalski EA, Elhassanny M, Chen M, Wang X, Theus MH. Conditional Deletion of EphA4 on Cx3cr1-Expressing Microglia Fails to Influence Histopathological Outcome and Blood Brain Barrier Disruption Following Brain Injury. Front Mol Neurosci. 2021;14:747770. doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2021.747770. eCollection 2021. PubMed PMID: 34630039; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8497746.

Soliman E, Elhassanny AEM, Malur A, McPeek M, Bell A, Leffler N, Van Dross R, Jones JL, Malur AG, Thomassen MJ. Impaired mitochondrial function of alveolar macrophages in carbon nanotube-induced chronic pulmonary granulomatous disease. Toxicology. 2020 Dec 1;445:152598. doi: 10.1016/j.tox.2020.152598. Epub 2020 Sep 22. PubMed PMID: 32976959; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7606835.

Mohan A, Neequaye N, Malur A, Soliman E, McPeek M, Leffler N, Ogburn D, Tokarz DA, Knudson W, Gharib SA, Schnapp LM, Barna BP, Thomassen MJ. Matrix Metalloproteinase-12 Is Required for Granuloma Progression. Front Immunol. 2020;11:553949. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.553949. eCollection 2020. PubMed PMID: 33072094; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7531023.

Elhassanny AEM, Soliman E, Marie M, McGuire P, Gul W, ElSohly M, Van Dross R. Heme-Dependent ER Stress Apoptosis: A Mechanism for the Selective Toxicity of the Dihydroartemisinin, NSC735847, in Colorectal Cancer Cells. Front Oncol. 2020;10:965. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2020.00965. eCollection 2020. PubMed PMID: 32626657; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7313430.

Sanderford V, Barna BP, Barrington RA, Malur A, Mohan A, Leffler N, Soliman E, Thomassen MJ. PPARγ Deficiency in Carbon Nanotube-elicited Granulomatous Inflammation Promotes a Th17 Response to a Microbial Antigen. J Nanomed Nanotechnol. 2020;11(1). doi: 10.35248/2157-7439.20.11.541. Epub 2020 Feb 18. PubMed PMID: 32405439; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7219023.

Elhassanny AEM, Ladin DA, Soliman E, Albassam H, Morris A, Kobet R, Thayne K, Burns C, Danell AS, Van Dross R. Prostaglandin D(2)-ethanolamide induces skin cancer apoptosis by suppressing the activity of cellular antioxidants. Prostaglandins Other Lipid Mediat. 2019 Jun;142:9-23. doi: 10.1016/j.prostaglandins.2019.03.001. Epub 2019 Mar 8. PubMed PMID: 30858059.

Soderstrom K, Soliman E, Van Dross R. Cannabinoids Modulate Neuronal Activity and Cancer by CB1 and CB2 Receptor-Independent Mechanisms. Front Pharmacol. 2017;8:720. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2017.00720. eCollection 2017. Review. PubMed PMID: 29066974; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5641363.

Ladin DA, Soliman E, Escobedo R, Fitzgerald TL, Yang LV, Burns C, Van Dross R. Synthesis and Evaluation of the Novel Prostamide, 15-Deoxy, Δ(12,14)-Prostamide J(2), as a Selective Antitumor Therapeutic. Mol Cancer Ther. 2017 May;16(5):838-849. doi: 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-16-0484. Epub 2017 Mar 14. PubMed PMID: 28292936.

Soliman E, Van Dross R. Anandamide-induced endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis are mediated by oxidative stress in non-melanoma skin cancer: Receptor-independent endocannabinoid signaling. Mol Carcinog. 2016 Nov;55(11):1807-1821. doi: 10.1002/mc.22429. Epub 2015 Oct 29. PubMed PMID: 26513129.

Ladin DA, Soliman E, Griffin L, Van Dross R. Preclinical and Clinical Assessment of Cannabinoids as Anti-Cancer Agents. Front Pharmacol. 2016;7:361. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2016.00361. eCollection 2016. Review. PubMed PMID: 27774065; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5054289.

Soliman E, Ladin D, Van Dross R. Cannabinoids as Therapeutics for Non-Melanoma and Melanoma Skin Cancer. Journal of Dermatology and Clinical Research. 2016 June; 4(2):1069. Edit Non-PubMed Article Manually-entered

Soliman E, Henderson KL, Danell AS, Van Dross R. Arachidonoyl-ethanolamide activates endoplasmic reticulum stress-apoptosis in tumorigenic keratinocytes: Role of cyclooxygenase-2 and novel J-series prostamides. Mol Carcinog. 2016 Feb;55(2):117-30. doi: 10.1002/mc.22257. Epub 2015 Jan 3. PubMed PMID: 25557612.

Kiraly AJ, Soliman E, Jenkins A, Van Dross RT. Apigenin inhibits COX-2, PGE2, and EP1 and also initiates terminal differentiation in the epidermis of tumor bearing mice. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2016 Jan;104:44-53. doi: 10.1016/j.plefa.2015.11.006. Epub 2015 Dec 21. PubMed PMID: 26802941.

Van Dross R, Soliman E, Jha S, Johnson T, Mukhopadhyay S. Receptor-dependent and receptor-independent endocannabinoid signaling: a therapeutic target for regulation of cancer growth. Life Sci. 2013 Mar 19;92(8-9):463-6. doi: 10.1016/j.lfs.2012.09.025. Epub 2012 Oct 12. Review. PubMed PMID: 23069587; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4226396.

Laboratory Members

Name	Title	Building/Room	Phone
Mina Zhang	Research Technician	BSOM 6W-29