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Zhonghui Guan, MD

Title(s)Professor, Anesthesia
SchoolSchool of Medicine
Address1550 Fourth Street, #001
San Francisco CA 94158
Phone415-885-7246
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    Collapse Biography 
    Collapse education and training
    UCSF, San Francisco, CA08/2009Clinical Pain Fellow
    Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA08/2008Anesthesia Resident
    Columbia University, New York, NY07/2004Associate Research Scientist
    National Institute of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD04/1999Postdoctoral Research Scientist
    Peking Union Medical College (PUMC), Beijing, ChinaMD07/1994Medicine
    Collapse awards and honors
    U.S. News & World Report2012Top Doctor in Pain Management

    Collapse Overview 
    Collapse overview
    Dr. Zhonghui Guan is an anesthesiologist and pain management specialist. He has particular expertise in treating chronic pain, including low back pain, neck pain, neuropathic pain, complex regional pain syndrome, failed back surgery syndrome and cancer pain.

    In his research, Guan focuses on better understanding the regulation of gene expression in chronic pain. Gene expression regulation is essentially cell processes that control synthesis of proteins or other products that play a role in body functions.

    Guan earned his medical degree at Peking Union Medical College in Beijing. He completed an anesthesia residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, followed by a pain management fellowship at UCSF.

    Guan is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the American Society of Anesthesiologists, California Society of Anesthesiologists and Society for Neuroscience.
    Collapse Academic Senate

    Collapse Research 
    Collapse research activities and funding
    Mechanisms and consequences of Hedgehog signaling and immune infiltration in schwannoma
    DOD NFRP NF200021Jul 15, 2021 - Jul 14, 2023
    Role: Co-Investigator
    Mechanism of microglia proliferation
    NIH R01NS121144Jun 1, 2021 - May 31, 2026
    Role: Principal Investigator
    Regulation of Nerve Injury-induced Gene Expression in Neuropathic Pain
    NIH R01NS100801Jul 1, 2017 - Jun 30, 2022
    Role: Principal Investigator
    Epigenetic regulation in neuropathic pain
    NIH K08NS078050Sep 30, 2012 - Aug 31, 2018
    Role: Principal Investigator

    Collapse ORNG Applications 
    Collapse Featured Publications

    Collapse Bibliographic 
    Collapse selected publications
    Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Researchers can login to make corrections and additions, or contact us for help. to make corrections and additions.
    Newest   |   Oldest   |   Most Cited   |   Most Discussed   |   Timeline   |   Field Summary   |   Plain Text
    Altmetrics Details PMC Citations indicate the number of times the publication was cited by articles in PubMed Central, and the Altmetric score represents citations in news articles and social media. (Note that publications are often cited in additional ways that are not shown here.) Fields are based on how the National Library of Medicine (NLM) classifies the publication's journal and might not represent the specific topic of the publication. Translation tags are based on the publication type and the MeSH terms NLM assigns to the publication. Some publications (especially newer ones and publications not in PubMed) might not yet be assigned Field or Translation tags.) Click a Field or Translation tag to filter the publications.
    1. Higher circulating short-chain fatty acids are associated with good neurologic outcome after cardiac arrest. Crit Care. 2025 Aug 20; 29(1):371. Lieberman OJ, Yao V, Velasquez G, Otero M, Bao K, Peterson K, Kobeissy FH, Pan JZ, Guan Z, Hinson HE, Baranzini SE, Hemphill JC, Singhal NS, Amorim E. PMID: 40836357; PMCID: PMC12369024.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    
    2. Editorial: Microglia and tissue macrophages in pain. Front Immunol. 2025; 16:1666972. Mohsenin D, Yu J, Guan Z, Yu X. PMID: 40852719; PMCID: PMC12367496.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    
    3. Saphenous-sural nerve injury: a sensory-specific rodent model of neuropathic pain without motor deficits. Pain. 2025 Aug 04. Su PP, He L, Zhang L, Yu J, Guan Z. PMID: 40758538; PMCID: PMC12327791.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    
    4. Orexinergic projections to substantia innominata mediate arousal and analgesia. Br J Anaesth. 2025 Sep; 135(3):668-684. Xiang X, Wang F, Chen C, Guan Z, Zhou W. PMID: 40634184.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    5. A Novel Ultrasonographic Method to Quickly and Accurately Access the C2 Dorsal Root Ganglion. Pain Physician. 2024 Nov; 27(8):E927-E935. He L, Zhao W, Su PP, Liao X, Zhao J, Dou Z, Wang H, Yang L, Guan Z. PMID: 39621993.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    6. Orexinergic projections to substantia innominata mediate arousal and analgesia. bioRxiv. 2024 Oct 31. Xiang X, Wang F, Chen C, Guan Z, Zhou W. PMID: 39554139; PMCID: PMC11565723.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:
    7. ATF3 is a neuron-specific biomarker for spinal cord injury and ischaemic stroke. Clin Transl Med. 2024 Apr; 14(4):e1650. Pan JZ, Wang Z, Sun W, Pan P, Li W, Sun Y, Chen S, Lin A, Tan W, He L, Greene J, Yao V, An L, Liang R, Li Q, Yu J, Zhang L, Kyritsis N, Fernandez XD, Moncivais S, Mendoza E, Fung P, Wang G, Niu X, Du Q, Xiao Z, Chang Y, Lv P, Huie JR, Torres-Espin A, Ferguson AR, Hemmerle DD, Talbott JF, Weinstein PR, Pascual LU, Singh V, DiGiorgio AM, Saigal R, Whetstone WD, Manley GT, Dhall SS, Bresnahan JC, Maze M, Jiang X, Singhal NS, Beattie MS, Su H, Guan Z. PMID: 38649772; PMCID: PMC11035380.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 6     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    8. Mismatched Postsurgical Opioid Prescription to Liver Transplant Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study From a Single High-volume Transplant Center. Transplantation. 2024 02 01; 108(2):483-490. Chen VJ, Guan LS, Bokoch MP, Langnas E, Kothari R, Croci R, Campbell LJ, Quan D, Freise C, Guan Z. PMID: 38259180.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    9. Opioid Overprescription and Underprescription to Patients After Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2023 08 01; 149(8):756-758. Kuo J, Langnas E, Zhang L, Seth R, Guan Z. PMID: 37347473; PMCID: PMC10288375.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    10. Mismatched opioid prescription in patients discharged after neurological surgeries: a retrospective cohort study. Pain. 2023 11 01; 164(11):2615-2621. Campbell LJ, Mummaneni PV, Letchuman V, Langnas E, Agarwal N, Guan LS, Croci R, Vargas E, Reisner L, Bickler P, Chou D, Chang E, Guan Z. PMID: 37326642.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 1     Fields:    
    11. A Procedure for Mouse Dorsal Root Ganglion Cryosectioning. J Vis Exp. 2023 06 09; (196). He L, Zhao W, Zhang L, Ilango M, Zhao N, Yang L, Guan Z. PMID: 37358286.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:Animals
    12. Discharge Opioid Over- and Underprescription to Patients after General Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study. J Am Coll Surg. 2023 08 01; 237(2):332-342. Guan LS, Langnas E, Bongiovanni T, Campbell LJ, Wick EC, Guan Z. PMID: 37096926.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 1     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    13. Racial Differences in Postoperative Opioid Prescribing Practices in Spine Surgical Patients. Neurosurgery. 2023 03 01; 92(3):490-496. Letchuman V, He L, Mummaneni PV, Agarwal N, Campbell LJ, Shabani S, Chan AK, Abrecht CR, Miller C, Sankaran S, Rambachan A, Croci R, Berven SH, Chou D, Holly LT, Guan Z. PMID: 36700672.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 7     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    14. The Role of Neuro-Immune Interactions in Chronic Pain: Implications for Clinical Practice. J Pain Res. 2022; 15:2223-2248. Su PP, Zhang L, He L, Zhao N, Guan Z. PMID: 35957964; PMCID: PMC9359791.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 13  
    15. Opioid prescribing practices at hospital discharge for surgical patients before and after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2016 opioid prescribing guideline. BMC Anesthesiol. 2022 05 11; 22(1):141. Langnas E, Bishara A, Croci R, Rodriguez-Monguio R, Wick EC, Chen CL, Guan Z. PMID: 35546657; PMCID: PMC9097447.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 4     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    16. Neuroanatomical Basis for the Orexinergic Modulation of Anesthesia Arousal and Pain Control. Front Cell Neurosci. 2022; 16:891631. Xiang X, Chen Y, Li KX, Fang J, Bickler PE, Guan Z, Zhou W. PMID: 35558876; PMCID: PMC9090436.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 4  
    17. Identification of Foramen Ovale With H-Figure Fluoroscopic Landmark Improves Treatment Outcomes in Idiopathic Trigeminal Neuralgia. Anesth Analg. 2022 10 01; 135(4):837-844. He LL, Zhao WX, Paul Su PY, Sun QR, Guo GL, Yue JN, Ni JX, Yang LQ, Guan Z. PMID: 35426836; PMCID: PMC9495645.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 2     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    18. Distinct phases of adult microglia proliferation: a Myc-mediated early phase and a Tnfaip3-mediated late phase. Cell Discov. 2022 Apr 12; 8(1):34. Tan W, Su PP, Leff J, Gao X, Chen J, Guan AK, Kalyanasundaram G, Ma A, Guan Z. PMID: 35411038; PMCID: PMC9001707.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 15  
    19. Modified Spared Nerve Injury Surgery Model of Neuropathic Pain in Mice. J Vis Exp. 2022 01 25; (179). He L, Zhao W, Zhang L, Ilango M, Zhao N, Yang L, Guan Z. PMID: 35156658.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 5     Fields:    Translation:Animals
    20. Function of Oncogene Mycn in Adult Neurogenesis and Oligodendrogenesis. Mol Neurobiol. 2022 Jan; 59(1):77-92. Chen J, Guan Z. PMID: 34625907; PMCID: PMC8786763.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 11     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    21. Novel method of locating the foramen ovale: a stable chair with solid legs. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2022 01; 47(1):70. He L, Guan Z. PMID: 33952682.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    22. Perioperative Use of Gabapentinoids: Comment. Anesthesiology. 2021 04 01; 134(4):665-666. Su PP, Guan Z. PMID: 33404633; PMCID: PMC7978162.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    23. Contribution of colony-stimulating factor 1 to neuropathic pain. Pain Rep. 2021; 6(1):e883. Yu X, Basbaum A, Guan Z. PMID: 33981926; PMCID: PMC8108585.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 25  
    24. Ion Channels in Anesthesia. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2021; 1349:401-413. Zhou W, Guan Z. PMID: 35138625.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 2     Fields:    
    25. Novel fluoroscopic landmark to significantly facilitate the visualization of foramen ovale in treating idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2021 04; 46(4):350-353. He L, Zhao W, Su PP, Guo G, Yue J, Ni J, Yang L, Guan Z. PMID: 33328267.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 1     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    26. Dorsal root ganglion macrophages contribute to both the initiation and persistence of neuropathic pain. Nat Commun. 2020 01 14; 11(1):264. Yu X, Liu H, Hamel KA, Morvan MG, Yu S, Leff J, Guan Z, Braz JM, Basbaum AI. PMID: 31937758; PMCID: PMC6959328.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 247     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    27. Rapid Isolation of Dorsal Root Ganglion Macrophages. J Vis Exp. 2019 09 07; (151). Yu X, Leff J, Guan Z. PMID: 31545312; PMCID: PMC6778691.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 2     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    28. Case Report and Literature Review: Interventional Management of Erythromelalgia. Transl Perioper Pain Med. 2019; 6(4):91-97. Chinn G, Guan Z. PMID: 31592193; PMCID: PMC6779334.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 2  
    29. Spinal Cord Stimulation for Failed Back Surgery Syndrome -- Patient Selection Considerations. Transl Perioper Pain Med. 2019; 6(3):81-90. Palmer N, Guan Z, Chai NC. PMID: 31687422; PMCID: PMC6828157.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 15  
    30. Anesthetic management of radical nephrectomy in patients with renal cell carcinoma involving renal vein or inferior vena cava. Tumori. 2019 Oct; 105(5):411-416. Chen K, Wang J, Dai J, Luo A, Tian Y, Guan Z, Wang X. PMID: 30940005.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 2     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    31. Transcription factor Sp4 is required for hyperalgesic state persistence. PLoS One. 2019; 14(2):e0211349. Sheehan K, Lee J, Chong J, Zavala K, Sharma M, Philipsen S, Maruyama T, Xu Z, Guan Z, Eilers H, Kawamata T, Schumacher M. PMID: 30811405; PMCID: PMC6392229.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 6     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    32. Activation of orexin system facilitates anesthesia emergence and pain control. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2018 11 06; 115(45):E10740-E10747. Zhou W, Cheung K, Kyu S, Wang L, Guan Z, Kurien PA, Bickler PE, Jan LY. PMID: 30348769; PMCID: PMC6233126.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 28     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    33. A consensus on immunotherapy from the 2017 Chinese Lung Cancer Summit expert panel. Transl Lung Cancer Res. 2018 Jun; 7(3):428-436. Wu YL, Wang CL, Liao ML, Guan ZZ, Gao CY, Lu S, Zhao MF, Wang J, Liu XQ, Yang JJ, Liang J, Mao WM, Han BH, Zhang XC, Song Y, Feng JF, Ma SL, Wu G, Zhou CC, Chen KN, Cheng Y, He Y, Chen C, Wang Q, Lin JZ, Zhu B, Liu YP, Hu Y, Qiao GB, Zhou Q, Song QB, Wu N, Wu L, Huang C, Fu XL, Xiong JP, Hu J, Hu CP, Chang JH, Zhao Q, Zhao J, Zhou PH, Ma ZY, Chen Y, Zhang HL, Yang F, Wang JJ, Pan YY, Yang XN, Fan Y, Liu Z, Fan W, Yang N, Guan YF, Sun H, Zhong WZ. PMID: 30050780; PMCID: PMC6037958.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 6  
    34. Contemporary views on inflammatory pain mechanisms: TRPing over innate and microglial pathways. F1000Res. 2016; 5. Guan Z, Hellman J, Schumacher M. PMID: 27781082; PMCID: PMC5054801.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 11     Fields:    
    35. Injured sensory neuron-derived CSF1 induces microglial proliferation and DAP12-dependent pain. Nat Neurosci. 2016 Jan; 19(1):94-101. Guan Z, Kuhn JA, Wang X, Colquitt B, Solorzano C, Vaman S, Guan AK, Evans-Reinsch Z, Braz J, Devor M, Abboud-Werner SL, Lanier LL, Lomvardas S, Basbaum AI. PMID: 26642091; PMCID: PMC4703328.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 268     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    36. Transplant-mediated enhancement of spinal cord GABAergic inhibition reverses paclitaxel-induced mechanical and heat hypersensitivity. Pain. 2015 Jun; 156(6):1084-1091. Bráz JM, Wang X, Guan Z, Rubenstein JL, Basbaum AI. PMID: 25760475; PMCID: PMC4431911.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 45     Fields:    Translation:Animals
    37. Primary afferent and spinal cord expression of gastrin-releasing peptide: message, protein, and antibody concerns. J Neurosci. 2015 Jan 14; 35(2):648-57. Solorzano C, Villafuerte D, Meda K, Cevikbas F, Bráz J, Sharif-Naeini R, Juarez-Salinas D, Llewellyn-Smith IJ, Guan Z, Basbaum AI. PMID: 25589759; PMCID: PMC4293415.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 52     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    38. A double-blind, randomized phase II study of dicycloplatin plus paclitaxel versus carboplatin plus paclitaxel as first-line therapy for patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancers. Arch Med Sci. 2014 Aug 29; 10(4):717-24. Liu KJ, Guan ZZ, Liang Y, Yang XQ, Peng J, Huang H, Shao QX, Wang MZ, Zhu YZ, Wu CP, Wang SB, Xiong JP, Bai YX, Yu SY, Zhang Y, Hu XH, Feng JF, Wu SX, Jiao SC, Zhou CC, Wang J, Wu HY. PMID: 25276156; PMCID: PMC4175772.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 5  
    39. Clinical characteristics and prognostic factors in Chinese patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Med Oncol. 2012 Jun; 29(2):1127-33. Zhu YJ, Sun YL, Xia Y, Jiang WQ, Huang JJ, Huang HQ, Lin TY, Guan ZZ, Li ZM. PMID: 21390515.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 5     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    40. Misalignment of disposable pulse oximeter probes results in false saturation readings that influence anesthetic management. Anesth Analg. 2009 Nov; 109(5):1530-3. Guan Z, Baker K, Sandberg WS. PMID: 19843792.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 3     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    41. The mushroom body defect gene product is an essential component of the meiosis II spindle apparatus in Drosophila oocytes. Genetics. 2006 May; 173(1):243-53. Yu JX, Guan Z, Nash HA. PMID: 16510791; PMCID: PMC1461445.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 19     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    42. CREB-binding protein controls response to cocaine by acetylating histones at the fosB promoter in the mouse striatum. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005 Dec 27; 102(52):19186-91. Levine AA, Guan Z, Barco A, Xu S, Kandel ER, Schwartz JH. PMID: 16380431; PMCID: PMC1323217.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 130     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    43. p38 MAP kinase mediates both short-term and long-term synaptic depression in aplysia. J Neurosci. 2003 Aug 13; 23(19):7317-25. Guan Z, Kim JH, Lomvardas S, Holick K, Xu S, Kandel ER, Schwartz JH. PMID: 12917365; PMCID: PMC6740437.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 34     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    44. [Relationship between tumor necrosis factor genetic polymorphisms and acute lymphocytic leukemia]. Ai Zheng. 2003 Aug; 22(8):861-6. Zhao HY, Chen YX, Lin XB, Zhong XY, Zhong LY, Ou RM, Jiang WQ, Guan ZZ. PMID: 12917036.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 2     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    45. Integration of long-term-memory-related synaptic plasticity involves bidirectional regulation of gene expression and chromatin structure. Cell. 2002 Nov 15; 111(4):483-93. Guan Z, Giustetto M, Lomvardas S, Kim JH, Miniaci MC, Schwartz JH, Thanos D, Kandel ER. PMID: 12437922.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 204     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    46. Mushroom body defect, a gene involved in the control of neuroblast proliferation in Drosophila, encodes a coiled-coil protein. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2000 Jul 05; 97(14):8122-7. Guan Z, Prado A, Melzig J, Heisenberg M, Nash HA, Raabe T. PMID: 10884435; PMCID: PMC16680.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 18     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    47. A new assay for the genetic study of general anesthesia in Drosophila melanogaster: use in analysis of mutations in the X-chromosomal 12E region. J Neurogenet. 2000 Apr; 14(1):25-42. Guan Z, Scott RL, Nash HA. PMID: 10938546.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 13     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
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