Dr. Oné R. Pagán's Publications
Books
Pagán OR (2021) Drunk Flies and Stoned Dolphins: A Trip Through the World of Animal Intoxication. BenBella Books
Pagán OR (2018) Strange survivors: How Organisms Attack and Defend in the Game of Life. BenBella Books.
Pagán OR (2014) The First Brain: The Neuroscience of Planarians. Oxford University Press (SECOND EDITION UPCOMING IN 2025).
Book Chapters
Pagán OR (2021) Chapter 7. Endozepines in Insect Development and Metamorphosis. In: Naturally Occurring Benzodiazepines, Endozepines, and their Receptors. Edited by Dr. R. B. Raffa. CRC Press.
Pagán OR (2019) Chapter 8. Cotinine as a possible allosteric modulator of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in various models. In: The Neuroscience of Nicotine, Edited by Dr. V. Preedy. Academic Press.
Pagán OR (2014) Chapter 1. Why do Plants Contain Biologically Active Compounds? In: Kratom and Other Mitragynines: The Chemistry and Pharmacology of Opioids from a Non-Opium Source. Edited by Dr. Robert B. Raffa. CRC Press.
Scientific Papers*
*Denotes WCU Student
28. Ruble M,* Simpson N,* Smith B,* Adeshina W,* Snyder E,* Pagán OR (2024). Cotinine influences the effect of high and low nicotine concentrations on planarian motility differently. Neurosci Lett. 841:137955.
27. Kakuturu J,* O'Brien M,* Pagán OR (2024) Schild Analysis of the Interaction between Parthenolide and Cocaine Suggests an Allosteric Relationship for Their Effects on Planarian Motility. Biomolecules. 2024 Sep 18;14(9):1168.
26. Pagán OR (2024) The complexities of ligand/receptor interactions: Exploring the role of molecular vibrations and quantum tunnelling. Bioessays 46(5).
25. Sabeva N, Pagán OR, Ferrer-Acosta Y, Eterović VA and Ferchmin PA (2022 in press) In Vivo Evaluation
of the Acute
Systemic Toxicity of (1S,2E,4R,6R,7E,11E)-cembratriene-4,6-diol (4R) in Sprague Dawley
Rats. Nutraceuticals 2(2):60-70.
24. Pagán OR, Baker DL,* Deats S,* O'Brien M,* Dymond R,* DeMichele G.* (2020) Measuring functional brain recovery in regenerating planarians by assessing the behavioral response to the cholinergic compound cytisine. Int J Dev Biol. Sep 10. doi: 10.1387/ijdb.180145op.
23. Pagán OR (2019) The Brain: A Concept in Flux. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. 374(1774):20180383.
22. Pagán OR (2017) Planaria: an animal model that integrates development, regeneration and pharmacology. Int J Dev Biol. 61(8-9):519-529.
21. Bach DJ,* Tenaglia M,* Baker DL,* Deats S,* Montgomery E,* Pagán OR (2016) Cotinine antagonizes the behavioral effects of nicotine exposure in the planarian Girardia tigrina. Neurosci Lett. 632:204-8.
20. Pagán OR, Montgomery E,* Deats S,* Bach D,* Baker D* (2015) Evidence of Nicotine-Induced, Curare-Insensitive, Behavior in Planarians. Neurochem Res.40(10):2087-90.
19. Pagán OR, Deats S,* Baker D,* Montgomery E,* Wilk G,* Tenaglia M,* Semon J* (2013) Planarians require an intact brain to behaviorally react to cocaine, but not to react to nicotine. Neuroscience. 246:265-70.
18. Pagán OR, Baker D,* Deats S,* Montgomery E,* Tenaglia M, Randolph C,* Kotturu D,* Tallarida C, Bach D,* Wilk G,* Rawls S, Raffa RB (2012) Planarians in pharmacology: parthenolide is a specific behavioral antagonist of cocaine in the planarian Girardia tigrina. Int J Dev Biol. 2012;56(1-3):193-6.
17. Baker D,* Deats S,* Boor P,* Pruitt J, Pagán OR (2011) Minimal structural requirements of alkyl γ-lactones capable of antagonizing the cocaine-induced motility decrease in planarians. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2011 Nov;100(1):174-9. Epub 2011 Aug 22.
16. Schwarz D, Bloom D, Castro R, Pagán OR and Jimenez-Rivera CA (2011) Parthenolide Blocks Cocaine's Effect on Spontaneous Firing Activity of Dopaminergic Neurons in the Ventral Tegmental Area. Current Neuropharmacology. 9(1):17-20.
15. Sivaprakasam K, Pagán OR, Hess GP (2010) Minimal RNA aptamer sequences that can inhibit or alleviate noncompetitive inhibition of the muscle-type nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. J Membr Biol. 233(1-3):1-12.
14. Pagán OR, Coudron T* and Kaneria T* (2009) The Flatworm Planaria as a Toxicology and Behavioral Pharmacology Animal Model in Undergraduate Research Experiences. The Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education (JUNE), 7(2):A48-A52. http://www.funjournal.org/.
13. Pagán OR, Rowlands AL,* Fattore AL,* Coudron T,* Urban KR,* Bidja AH,* Eterovic VA (2009) A cembranoid from tobacco prevents the expression of nicotine-induced withdrawal behavior in planarian worms. European Journal of Pharmacology. 615(1-3):118-24.
12. Ferchmin PA, Pagán OR, Ulrich H, Szeto AC, Hann RM, Eterovic VA (2009) Actions of octocoral and tobacco cembranoids on nicotinic receptors. Toxicon. 54(8):1174-82.
11. Rowlands AL* and Pagán OR (2008) Parthenolide prevents the expression of cocaine-induced withdrawal behavior in planarians. European Journal of Pharmacology 583(1):170-172.
10. Pagán OR, Rowlands AL,* Azam M, Urban KR,* Bidja AH,* Roy DM,* Feeney RB* and Afshari LK* (2008) Reversal of cocaine-induced planarian behavior by parthenolide and related sesquiterpene lactones. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior 89(2):160-170.
9. Pagán OR, Sivaprakasam K and Oswald RE (2007) Molecular properties of local anesthetics as predictors of affinity for nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Journal of Neuroscience Research 85(13):2943-2949.
8. Pagán OR, Rowlands AL* and Urban KR* (2006) Toxicity and behavioral effects of dimethylsulfoxide in planaria. Neuroscience Letters 407(3):274-8.
7. Pagán OR, Eterovic VA, Garcia M, Vergne D, Basilio CM, Rodriguez AD and Hann RM (2001) Cembranoid and long-chain alkanol sites on the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and their allosteric interaction. Biochemistry 40(37):11121-30.
6. Ferchmin PA, Lukas RJ, Hann RM, Fryer JD, Eaton JB, Pagán OR, Rodríguez AD, Nicolau Y, Rosado M, Cortés S and Eterovic VA (2001) Tobacco cembranoids block behavioral sensitization to nicotine and inhibit neuronal acetylcholine receptor function. Journal of Neuroscience Research 64:18-25.
5. Ulrich H, Ippolito JE, Pagán OR, Eterovic VA, Hann RM, Shi H, Lis JT, Eldefrawi ME and Hess GP (1998) In vitro selection of RNA molecules that displace cocaine from the membrane-bound nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Proceedings of the National Academy of sciences USA 95: 14051-14056.
4. Hann RM, Pagán OR, Jácome T, Gregory LM, Rodríguez AD and Eterovic VA (1998) Characterization of cembranoid interaction with the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics 287: 253-260.
3. Hann RM, Pagán OR, Jácome T, Gregory LM and Eterovic (1997) The 9-arginine residue of alpha-conotoxin GI is responsible for its selective high affinity for the alpha/gamma agonist site on the electric organ acetylcholine receptor. Biochemistry 36: 9051-9056.
2. Eaton MJ, Pagán OR, Hann RM and Eterovic VA (1997) Differential effects of dimethylsulfoxide on acetylcholine-induced current from Xenopus oocytes expressing nicotinic acetylcholine receptors from mouse muscle and Torpedo electrocytes. Neuroscience Letters 230: 163-166.
1. Hann RM, Pagán OR and Eterovic VA (1994) The alpha-conotoxins GI and MI distinguish between the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist sites while SI does not. Biochemistry 33: 14058-14063.
Ph.D. Dissertation
Synthetic local anesthetics as alleviators of cocaine inhibition of the human dopamine transporter
Field of Pharmacology and Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York (August, 2005).
Advisor: George P. Hess, PhD; Co-advisor: Robert E. Oswald, PhD
M.S. Thesis
Effects of cembranoids and anesthetic agents on [3H]-tenocyclidine binding to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor from Torpedo californica
Department of Biochemistry, University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus San Juan, Puerto Rico (June, 1998).
Advisors: Vesna A. Eterovic, PhD; Carlos M. Basilio, MD