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Reho G, Menger Y, Goumon Y, Lelièvre V, Cadiou H. Behavioral and pharmacological characterization of planarian nociception. Front Mol Neurosci 2024; 17:1368009. [PMID: 38751713 PMCID: PMC11094297 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2024.1368009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Pain mostly arises because specialized cells called nociceptors detect harmful or potentially harmful stimuli. In lower animals with less convoluted nervous system, these responses are believed to be purely nociceptive. Amongst invertebrate animal models, planarians are becoming popular in a wide range of pharmacological and behavioral studies beyond the field of regeneration. Recent publications led the way on pain studies by focusing on nociceptive behaviors such as the 'scrunching' gait displayed under various noxious stimuli, as opposed to the 'gliding' gait planarians usually adopt in normal conditions. Methods In this study, we adapted commonly used nociceptive tests to further explore nociception in planarians of the species Girardia dorotocephala. By using behavioral analysis in open fields and place preferences, we managed to set up chemical, thermal and mechanical nociceptive tests. We also adapted RNA interference protocols and explored the effects of knocking down TRPA1 ion channels, one of the main effectors of chemically and thermally-induced nociceptive responses in vertebrates. Results Consequently, we demonstrated the reliability of the scrunching gait in this planarian species, which they displayed in a dose-dependent manner when exposed to the irritant AITC. We also showed that suppressing the expression of TRPA1 ion channels completely suppressed the scrunching gait, demonstrating the involvement of TRPA1 nociceptors in this nociceptive reaction. Besides, we also explored the effects of two common analgesics that both displayed strong antinociceptive properties. First, morphine reduced the chemically-induced nociceptive scrunching gaits by more than 20% and shifted the E C 50 of the dose-response curve by approximately 10 μM. Secondly, the NSAID meloxicam drastically reduced chemically-induced scrunching by up to 60% and reduced heat avoidance in place preference tests. Discussion Thus, we managed to characterize both behavioral and pharmacological aspects of G. dorotocephala's nociception, further developing the use of planarians as a replacement model in pain studies and more globally the study of invertebrate nociception.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Hervé Cadiou
- CNRS UPR 3212, Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
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2
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Collins EMS, Hessel EVS, Hughes S. How neurobehavior and brain development in alternative whole-organism models can contribute to prediction of developmental neurotoxicity. Neurotoxicology 2024; 102:48-57. [PMID: 38552718 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2024.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
Developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) is not routinely evaluated in chemical risk assessment because current test paradigms for DNT require the use of mammalian models which are ethically controversial, expensive, and resource demanding. Consequently, efforts have focused on revolutionizing DNT testing through affordable novel alternative methods for risk assessment. The goal is to develop a DNT in vitro test battery amenable to high-throughput screening (HTS). Currently, the DNT in vitro test battery consists primarily of human cell-based assays because of their immediate relevance to human health. However, such cell-based assays alone are unable to capture the complexity of a developing nervous system. Whole organismal systems that qualify as 3 R (Replace, Reduce and Refine) models are urgently needed to complement cell-based DNT testing. These models can provide the necessary organismal context and be used to explore the impact of chemicals on brain function by linking molecular and/or cellular changes to behavioural readouts. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, the planarian Dugesia japonica, and embryos of the zebrafish Danio rerio are all suited to low-cost HTS and each has unique strengths for DNT testing. Here, we review the strengths and the complementarity of these organisms in a novel, integrative context and highlight how they can augment current cell-based assays for more comprehensive and robust DNT screening of chemicals. Considering the limitations of all in vitro test systems, we discuss how a smart combinatory use of these systems will contribute to a better human relevant risk assessment of chemicals that considers the complexity of the developing brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva-Maria S Collins
- Swarthmore College, Biology, 500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA 19081, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - Ellen V S Hessel
- Centre for Health Protection, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Antonie van Leeuwenhoeklaan 9, Bilthoven, 3721 MA, the Netherlands
| | - Samantha Hughes
- Department of Environmental Health and Toxicology, A-LIFE, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, de Boelelaan 1085, Amsterdam, 1081 HV, the Netherlands.
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Rosner A, Ballarin L, Barnay-Verdier S, Borisenko I, Drago L, Drobne D, Concetta Eliso M, Harbuzov Z, Grimaldi A, Guy-Haim T, Karahan A, Lynch I, Giulia Lionetto M, Martinez P, Mehennaoui K, Oruc Ozcan E, Pinsino A, Paz G, Rinkevich B, Spagnuolo A, Sugni M, Cambier S. A broad-taxa approach as an important concept in ecotoxicological studies and pollution monitoring. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:131-176. [PMID: 37698089 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023]
Abstract
Aquatic invertebrates play a pivotal role in (eco)toxicological assessments because they offer ethical, cost-effective and repeatable testing options. Additionally, their significance in the food chain and their ability to represent diverse aquatic ecosystems make them valuable subjects for (eco)toxicological studies. To ensure consistency and comparability across studies, international (eco)toxicology guidelines have been used to establish standardised methods and protocols for data collection, analysis and interpretation. However, the current standardised protocols primarily focus on a limited number of aquatic invertebrate species, mainly from Arthropoda, Mollusca and Annelida. These protocols are suitable for basic toxicity screening, effectively assessing the immediate and severe effects of toxic substances on organisms. For more comprehensive and ecologically relevant assessments, particularly those addressing long-term effects and ecosystem-wide impacts, we recommended the use of a broader diversity of species, since the present choice of taxa exacerbates the limited scope of basic ecotoxicological studies. This review provides a comprehensive overview of (eco)toxicological studies, focusing on major aquatic invertebrate taxa and how they are used to assess the impact of chemicals in diverse aquatic environments. The present work supports the use of a broad-taxa approach in basic environmental assessments, as it better represents the natural populations inhabiting various ecosystems. Advances in omics and other biochemical and computational techniques make the broad-taxa approach more feasible, enabling mechanistic studies on non-model organisms. By combining these approaches with in vitro techniques together with the broad-taxa approach, researchers can gain insights into less-explored impacts of pollution, such as changes in population diversity, the development of tolerance and transgenerational inheritance of pollution responses, the impact on organism phenotypic plasticity, biological invasion outcomes, social behaviour changes, metabolome changes, regeneration phenomena, disease susceptibility and tissue pathologies. This review also emphasises the need for harmonised data-reporting standards and minimum annotation checklists to ensure that research results are findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR), maximising the use and reusability of data. The ultimate goal is to encourage integrated and holistic problem-focused collaboration between diverse scientific disciplines, international standardisation organisations and decision-making bodies, with a focus on transdisciplinary knowledge co-production for the One-Health approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amalia Rosner
- Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, National Institute of Oceanography, PO 2336 Sha'ar Palmer 1, Haifa, 3102201, Israel
| | - Loriano Ballarin
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, via Ugo Bassi 58/B, Padova, I-35121, Italy
| | - Stéphanie Barnay-Verdier
- Sorbonne Université; CNRS, INSERM, Université Côte d'Azur, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging Nice, 28 avenue Valombrose, Nice, F-06107, France
| | - Ilya Borisenko
- Faculty of Biology, Department of Embryology, Saint Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya embankment 7/9, Saint Petersburg, 199034, Russia
| | - Laura Drago
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, via Ugo Bassi 58/B, Padova, I-35121, Italy
| | - Damjana Drobne
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Večna pot 111, Ljubljana, 1111, Slovenia
| | - Maria Concetta Eliso
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, 80121, Italy
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Zoya Harbuzov
- Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, National Institute of Oceanography, PO 2336 Sha'ar Palmer 1, Haifa, 3102201, Israel
- Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, Department of Marine Biology, University of Haifa, 199 Aba Koushy Ave., Haifa, 3498838, Israel
| | - Annalisa Grimaldi
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Via J. H. Dunant, Varese, 3-21100, Italy
| | - Tamar Guy-Haim
- Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, National Institute of Oceanography, PO 2336 Sha'ar Palmer 1, Haifa, 3102201, Israel
| | - Arzu Karahan
- Middle East Technical University, Institute of Marine Sciences, Erdemli-Mersin, PO 28, 33731, Turkey
| | - Iseult Lynch
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Maria Giulia Lionetto
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, via prov. le Lecce -Monteroni, Lecce, I-73100, Italy
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Piazza Marina, 61, Palermo, I-90133, Italy
| | - Pedro Martinez
- Department de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, Barcelona, 08028, Spain
- Institut Català de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Passeig de Lluís Companys, Barcelona, 08010, Spain
| | - Kahina Mehennaoui
- Environmental Research and Innovation (ERIN) Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), 41, rue du Brill, Belvaux, L-4422, Luxembourg
| | - Elif Oruc Ozcan
- Faculty of Arts and Science, Department of Biology, Cukurova University, Balcali, Saricam, Adana, 01330, Turkey
| | - Annalisa Pinsino
- National Research Council, Institute of Translational Pharmacology (IFT), National Research Council (CNR), Via Ugo La Malfa 153, Palermo, 90146, Italy
| | - Guy Paz
- Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, National Institute of Oceanography, PO 2336 Sha'ar Palmer 1, Haifa, 3102201, Israel
| | - Baruch Rinkevich
- Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, National Institute of Oceanography, PO 2336 Sha'ar Palmer 1, Haifa, 3102201, Israel
| | - Antonietta Spagnuolo
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, 80121, Italy
| | - Michela Sugni
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan, Via Celoria 26, Milan, 20133, Italy
| | - Sébastien Cambier
- Environmental Research and Innovation (ERIN) Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), 41, rue du Brill, Belvaux, L-4422, Luxembourg
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Kashima M, Komura R, Sato Y, Hashimoto C, Hirata H. A resource of single-cell gene expression profiles in a planarian Dugesia japonica. Dev Growth Differ 2024; 66:43-55. [PMID: 37779230 DOI: 10.1111/dgd.12893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
The freshwater planarian Dugesia japonica maintains an abundant heterogeneous cell population called neoblasts, which include adult pluripotent stem cells. Thus, it is an excellent model organism for stem cell and regeneration research. Recently, many single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) databases of several model organisms, including other planarian species, have become publicly available; these are powerful and useful resources to search for gene expression in various tissues and cells. However, the only scRNA-seq dataset for D. japonica has been limited by the number of genes detected. Herein, we collected D. japonica cells, and conducted an scRNA-seq analysis. A novel, automatic, iterative cell clustering strategy produced a dataset of 3,404 cells, which could be classified into 63 cell types based on gene expression profiles. We introduced two examples for utilizing the scRNA-seq dataset in this study using D. japonica. First, the dataset provided results consistent with previous studies as well as novel functionally relevant insights, that is, the expression of DjMTA and DjP2X-A genes in neoblasts that give rise to differentiated cells. Second, we conducted an integrative analysis of the scRNA-seq dataset and time-course bulk RNA-seq of irradiated animals, demonstrating that the dataset can help interpret differentially expressed genes captured via bulk RNA-seq. Using the R package "Seurat" and GSE223927, researchers can easily access and utilize this dataset.
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Affiliation(s)
- Makoto Kashima
- College of Science and Engineering, Aoyama Gakuin University, Sagamihara, Japan
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, Toho University, Funabashi, Japan
| | - Rei Komura
- College of Science and Engineering, Aoyama Gakuin University, Sagamihara, Japan
| | - Yuki Sato
- JT Biohistory Research Hall, Takatsuki, Japan
| | - Chikara Hashimoto
- JT Biohistory Research Hall, Takatsuki, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Japan
| | - Hiromi Hirata
- College of Science and Engineering, Aoyama Gakuin University, Sagamihara, Japan
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Zhao WJ, Yang XQ, Shi CY, Zhang HC, Chen GW, Liu DZ. Neurotoxicity of Glyphosate to Planarian Dugesia japonica. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 2023; 111:66. [PMID: 37904018 DOI: 10.1007/s00128-023-03826-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/01/2023]
Abstract
As one of the most widely used herbicides in agricultural industry, the residues of glyphosate (GLY) are frequent environmental pollutants. Freshwater planarian Dugesia japonica has been developed as a model for neurotoxicology. In this study, the effects of GLY on locomotion and feeding behavior, as well as neuroenzyme activities and mRNA expressions of D. japonica were determined. Additionally, histochemical localization was executed to explore the damage to the central nervous system (CNS) of planarians stressed by GLY. The results showed that the locomotor velocity, ingestion rate and the neuroenzyme activity were inhibited and the gene expressions were altered. Also, histo-architecture injury to CNS of planarians upon GLY exposure in a time-dependent manner was observed. Collectively, our results indicate that GLY can cause neurotoxicity to freshwater planarians representing as reduction in locomotor velocity and feeding rate by disturbing the neurotransmission systems and damaging the structure of CNS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Jing Zhao
- College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, No.46, Jianshe East Road, Xinxiang, 453007, China
| | - Xiao-Qing Yang
- College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, No.46, Jianshe East Road, Xinxiang, 453007, China
| | - Chang-Ying Shi
- College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, No.46, Jianshe East Road, Xinxiang, 453007, China
| | - He-Cai Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, No.46, Jianshe East Road, Xinxiang, 453007, China.
| | - Guang-Wen Chen
- College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, No.46, Jianshe East Road, Xinxiang, 453007, China.
| | - De-Zeng Liu
- College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, No.46, Jianshe East Road, Xinxiang, 453007, China
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6
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Kang J, Ai Q, Zhao A, Wang H, Zhang X, Liu Y, Zhang L, Liu Y. Neurotoxicological mechanisms of carbon quantum dots in a new animal model Dugesia japonica. Ecotoxicology 2023; 32:711-719. [PMID: 37386302 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-023-02671-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023]
Abstract
As luminescent nanomaterials, the carbon quantum dots (CQDs) research focused on emerging applications since their discovery. However, their toxicological effects on the natural environment are still unclear. The freshwater planarian Dugesia japonica is distributed extensively in aquatic ecosystems and can regenerate a new brain in 5 days after amputation. Therefore it can be used as a new model organism in the field of neuroregeneration toxicology. In our study, D. japonica was cut and incubated in medium treated with CQDs. The results showed that the injured planarian lost the neuronal ability of brain regeneration after treatment with CQDs. Its Hh signalling system was interfered with at Day 5, and all cultured pieces died on or before Day 10 due to head lysis. Our work reveals that CQDs might affect the nerve regeneration of freshwater planarians via the Hh signalling pathway. The results of this study improve our understanding of CQD neuronal development toxicology and can aid in the development of warning systems for aquatic ecosystem damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Kang
- College of Life Science, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China.
- College of Biomedical Engineering, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China.
| | - Qing Ai
- College of Biomedical Engineering, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Ang Zhao
- College of Life Science, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Haijiao Wang
- College of Life Science, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Xiangpeng Zhang
- Third Affiliated Hospital, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Yanli Liu
- College of Life Science, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | | | - Yuqing Liu
- College of Life Science, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China.
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Fuselier SG, Ireland D, Fu N, Rabeler C, Collins EMS. Comparative toxicity assessment of glyphosate and two commercial formulations in the planarian Dugesia japonica. Front Toxicol 2023; 5:1200881. [PMID: 37435546 PMCID: PMC10332155 DOI: 10.3389/ftox.2023.1200881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Glyphosate is a widely used, non-selective herbicide. Glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) are considered safe for non-target organisms and environmentally benign at currently allowed environmental exposure levels. However, their increased use in recent years has triggered questions about possible adverse outcomes due to low dose chronic exposure in animals and humans. While the toxicity of GBHs has primarily been attributed to glyphosate, other largely unstudied components of GBHs may be inherently toxic or could act synergistically with glyphosate. Thus, comparative studies of glyphosate and GBHs are needed to parse out their respective toxicity. Methods: We performed such a comparative screen using pure glyphosate and two popular GBHs at the same glyphosate acid equivalent concentrations in the freshwater planarian Dugesia japonica. This planarian has been shown to be a useful model for both ecotoxicology and neurotoxicity/developmental neurotoxicity studies. Effects on morphology and various behavioral readouts were obtained using an automated screening platform, with assessments on day 7 and day 12 of exposure. Adult and regenerating planarians were screened to allow for detection of developmentally selective effects. Results: Both GBHs were more toxic than pure glyphosate. While pure glyphosate induced lethality at 1 mM and no other effects, both GBHs induced lethality at 316 μM and sublethal behavioral effects starting at 31.6 μM in adult planarians. These data suggest that glyphosate alone is not responsible for the observed toxicity of the GBHs. Because these two GBHs also include other active ingredients, namely diquat dibromide and pelargonic acid, respectively, we tested whether these compounds were responsible for the observed effects. Screening of the equivalent concentrations of pure diquat dibromide and pure pelargonic acid revealed that the toxicity of either GBH could not be explained by the active ingredients alone. Discussion: Because all compounds induced toxicity at concentrations above allowed exposure levels, our data indicates that glyphosate/GBH exposure is not an ecotoxicological concern for D. japonica planarians. Developmentally selective effects were not observed for all compounds. Together, these data demonstrate the usefulness of high throughput screening in D. japonica planarians for assessing various types of toxicity, especially for comparative studies of several chemicals across different developmental stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- S. Grace Fuselier
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, United States
| | - Danielle Ireland
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, United States
| | - Nicholas Fu
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, United States
| | - Christina Rabeler
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, United States
| | - Eva-Maria S. Collins
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, United States
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, United States
- Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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Buang F, Fu M, Chatzifragkou A, Cairul Iqbal Mohd Amin M, Khutoryanskiy VV. Hydroxyethyl cellulose functionalised with maleimide groups as a new excipient with enhanced mucoadhesive properties. Int J Pharm 2023:123113. [PMID: 37301242 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2023.123113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2023] [Revised: 05/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) is a non-ionic water-soluble polymer with poor mucoadhesive properties. The mucoadhesive properties of hydroxyethylcellulose can be improved by modifying it through conjugation with molecules containing maleimide groups. Maleimide groups interact with the thiol groups present in cysteine domains in the mucin via Michael addition reaction under physiological conditions to form a strong mucoadhesive bond. This will prolong the residence time of a dosage form containing this modified polymer and drug on mucosal surfaces. In this study HEC was modified by reaction with 4-bromophenyl maleimide in varying molar ratios and the successful synthesis was confirmed using 1H NMR and FTIR spectroscopies. The safety of the newly synthesised polymer derivatives was assessed with in vivo planaria assays and in vitro MTT assay utilising Caco-2 cell line. The synthesized maleimide-functionalised HEC solutions were sprayed onto blank tablets to develop a model dosage form. The physical properties and mucoadhesive behavior of these tablets were evaluated using a tensile test with sheep buccal mucosa. The maleimide-functionalised HEC exhibited superior mucoadhesive properties compared to unmodified HEC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fhataheya Buang
- Reading School of Pharmacy, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading, RG6 6AD, United Kingdom; Centre for Drug Delivery Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, 50300 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Manfei Fu
- Reading School of Pharmacy, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading, RG6 6AD, United Kingdom
| | - Afroditi Chatzifragkou
- Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading, RG6 6AD, United Kingdom
| | - Mohd Cairul Iqbal Mohd Amin
- Centre for Drug Delivery Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, 50300 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Vitaliy V Khutoryanskiy
- Reading School of Pharmacy, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading, RG6 6AD, United Kingdom.
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Bayingana K, Ireland D, Rosenthal E, Rabeler C, Collins EMS. Adult and regenerating planarians respond differentially to chronic drug exposure. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2023; 96:107148. [PMID: 36539103 DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2022.107148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Revised: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
There is a lack of data on the effects of chronic exposure to common drugs and stimulants on the developing nervous system. Freshwater planarians have emerged as a useful invertebrate model amenable to high-throughput behavioral phenotyping to assay chemical safety in adult and developing brains. Here, we leverage the unique strength of the system to test in parallel for effects on the adult and developing nervous system, by screening ten common drugs and stimulants (forskolin, clenbuterol, LRE-1, MDL-12,330A, adenosine, caffeine, histamine, mianserin, fluoxetine and sertraline) using the asexual freshwater planarian Dugesia japonica. The compounds were tested up to 100 μM nominal concentration for their effects on planarian morphology and behavior. Quantitative phenotypic assessments were performed on days 7 and 12 of exposure using an automated screening platform. The antidepressants sertraline and fluoxetine were the most potent to induce lethality, with significant lethality observed at 10 μM. All ten compounds caused sublethal morphological and/or behavioral effects, with the most effects, in terms of potency and breadth of endpoints affected, seen with mianserin and fluoxetine. Four of the compounds (forskolin, clenbuterol, mianserin, and fluoxetine) were developmentally selective, causing effects at lower concentrations in regenerating planarians. Of these, fluoxetine showed the greatest differences between the two developmental stages, inducing many behavioral endpoints in regenerating planarians but only a few in adult planarians. While some of these behavioral effects may be due to neuroefficacy, these results substantiate the need for better evaluation of the safety of these common drugs on the developing nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Bayingana
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, United States of America
| | - Danielle Ireland
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, United States of America
| | - Elizabeth Rosenthal
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, United States of America
| | - Christina Rabeler
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, United States of America
| | - Eva-Maria S Collins
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, United States of America; Department of Physics and Astronomy, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, United States of America; Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America; Department of Physics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States of America.
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Ireland D, Collins EMS. New Worm on the Block: Planarians in (Neuro)Toxicology. Curr Protoc 2022; 2:e637. [PMID: 36571713 PMCID: PMC9797031 DOI: 10.1002/cpz1.637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Traditional mammalian testing is too time- and cost-intensive to keep up with the large number of environmental chemicals needing assessment. This has led to a dearth of information about the potential adverse effects of these chemicals, especially on the developing brain. Thus, there is an urgent need for rapid and cost-effective neurotoxicity and developmental neurotoxicity testing. Because of the complexity of the brain, metabolically competent organismal models are necessary to understand the effects of chemicals on nervous system development and function on a systems level. In this overview, we showcase asexual freshwater planarians as an alternative invertebrate ("non-animal") organismal model for neurotoxicology research. Planarians have long been used to study the effects of chemicals on regeneration and behavior. But they have only recently moved back into the spotlight because modern molecular and computational approaches now enable quantitative high-content and high-throughput toxicity studies. Here, we present a short history of the use of planarians in toxicology research, highlight current techniques to measure toxicity qualitatively and quantitatively in planarians, and discuss how to further promote this non-animal organismal system into mainstream toxicology research. The articles in this collection will help work towards this goal by providing detailed protocols that can be adopted by the community to standardize planarian toxicity testing. © 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Ireland
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, United States of America
| | - Eva-Maria S. Collins
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, United States of America
- Department of Physics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States of America
- Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
- Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
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11
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Ireland D, Rabeler C, Gong T, Collins EMS. Bioactivation and detoxification of organophosphorus pesticides in freshwater planarians shares similarities with humans. Arch Toxicol 2022; 96:3233-3243. [PMID: 36173421 PMCID: PMC10729609 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-022-03387-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) are a chemically diverse class of insecticides that inhibit acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Many OPs require bioactivation to their active oxon form via cytochrome P450 to effectively inhibit AChE. OP toxicity can be mitigated by detoxification reactions performed by carboxylesterase and paraoxonase. The relative extent of bioactivation to detoxification varies among individuals and between species, leading to differential susceptibility to OP toxicity. Because of these species differences, it is imperative to characterize OP metabolism in model systems used to assess OP toxicity. We have shown that the asexual freshwater planarian Dugesia japonica is a suitable model to assess OP neurotoxicity and developmental neurotoxicity via rapid, automated testing of adult and developing organisms in parallel using morphological and behavioral endpoints. D. japonica has two cholinesterase enzymes with intermediate properties between AChE and butyrylcholinesterase that are sensitive to OP inhibition. Here, we demonstrate that D. japonica contains the major OP metabolic machinery to be a relevant model for OP neurotoxicity studies. Adult and regenerating D. japonica can bioactivate chlorpyrifos and diazinon into their respective oxons. Significant AChE inhibition was only observed after in vivo metabolic activation but not when the parent OPs were directly added to planarian homogenate using the same concentrations and timing. Using biochemical assays, we found that D. japonica has both carboxylesterase (24 nmol/(min*mg protein)) and paraoxonase (60 pmol/(min*mg protein)) activity. We show that planarian carboxylesterase activity is distinct from cholinesterase activity using benzil and tacrine. These results further support the use of D. japonica for OP toxicity studies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - TaiXi Gong
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, USA
| | - Eva-Maria S Collins
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, USA.
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Department of Physics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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Ireland D, Zhang S, Bochenek V, Hsieh JH, Rabeler C, Meyer Z, Collins EMS. Differences in neurotoxic outcomes of organophosphorus pesticides revealed via multi-dimensional screening in adult and regenerating planarians. Front Toxicol 2022; 4:948455. [PMID: 36267428 PMCID: PMC9578561 DOI: 10.3389/ftox.2022.948455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) are a chemically diverse class of commonly used insecticides. Epidemiological studies suggest that low dose chronic prenatal and infant exposures can lead to life-long neurological damage and behavioral disorders. While inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is the shared mechanism of acute OP neurotoxicity, OP-induced developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) can occur independently and/or in the absence of significant AChE inhibition, implying that OPs affect alternative targets. Moreover, different OPs can cause different adverse outcomes, suggesting that different OPs act through different mechanisms. These findings emphasize the importance of comparative studies of OP toxicity. Freshwater planarians are an invertebrate system that uniquely allows for automated, rapid and inexpensive testing of adult and developing organisms in parallel to differentiate neurotoxicity from DNT. Effects found only in regenerating planarians would be indicative of DNT, whereas shared effects may represent neurotoxicity. We leverage this unique feature of planarians to investigate potential differential effects of OPs on the adult and developing brain by performing a comparative screen to test 7 OPs (acephate, chlorpyrifos, dichlorvos, diazinon, malathion, parathion and profenofos) across 10 concentrations in quarter-log steps. Neurotoxicity was evaluated using a wide range of quantitative morphological and behavioral readouts. AChE activity was measured using an Ellman assay. The toxicological profiles of the 7 OPs differed across the OPs and between adult and regenerating planarians. Toxicological profiles were not correlated with levels of AChE inhibition. Twenty-two "mechanistic control compounds" known to target pathways suggested in the literature to be affected by OPs (cholinergic neurotransmission, serotonin neurotransmission, endocannabinoid system, cytoskeleton, adenyl cyclase and oxidative stress) and 2 negative controls were also screened. When compared with the mechanistic control compounds, the phenotypic profiles of the different OPs separated into distinct clusters. The phenotypic profiles of adult vs. regenerating planarians exposed to the OPs clustered differently, suggesting some developmental-specific mechanisms. These results further support findings in other systems that OPs cause different adverse outcomes in the (developing) brain and build the foundation for future comparative studies focused on delineating the mechanisms of OP neurotoxicity in planarians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Ireland
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, United States
| | - Siqi Zhang
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Veronica Bochenek
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, United States
| | - Jui-Hua Hsieh
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Christina Rabeler
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, United States
| | - Zane Meyer
- Department of Engineering, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, United States,Department of Computer Science, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, United States
| | - Eva-Maria S. Collins
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, United States,Department of Physics and Astronomy, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, United States,Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States,Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States,Department of Physics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States,*Correspondence: Eva-Maria S. Collins,
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Yin D, Xu Z, Feng M, Zhao Z, Chen D, Song L, Muddassir Ali M. Genotoxicity Evaluation of Metformin in Freshwater Planarian Dugesia japonica by the Comet Assay and RAPD Analysis. BioMed Research International 2022; 2022:1-7. [PMID: 36033573 PMCID: PMC9403254 DOI: 10.1155/2022/2822605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Revised: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Objective To investigate the genotoxicity of metformin on planarian with different concentrations and exposure times. Methods The planarians were treated, respectively, with 10 mmol/L and 50 mmol/L metformin for 1, 3, and 5 days, and then, the comet assay and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis were performed. 13 random primers were used for PCR amplification with the genomic DNAs as templates. Planarians cultured in clear water were used as the control. Genomic template stability (GTS) was calculated by comparing and analyzing the RAPD patterns of the control group and the treatment groups. Results In the comet assay, DNA damage of planarians treated with 10 mmol/L metformin for 1, 3, and 5 days was 10.2%, 25.4%, and 36.8%, respectively, and that of planarians treated with 50 mmol/L metformin was 40.6%, 62.8%, and 65.4%, respectively. GTS values of planarians exposed to 10 mmol/L metformin for 1, 3, and 5 days were 64.1%, 62.8%, and 52.6%, respectively, and those of planarians exposed to 50 mmol/L metformin for 1, 3, and 5 days were 52.6%, 51.3%, and 50%, respectively. DNA damage increased and GTS values decreased with the increasing metformin exposure concentration and exposure time. Conclusion Metformin has certain genotoxicity on planarian in a dose- and time-related manner. The comet assay and RAPD analysis are highly sensitive methods for detecting genotoxicity with drugs.
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Reho G, Lelièvre V, Cadiou H. Planarian nociception: Lessons from a scrunching flatworm. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 15:935918. [PMID: 35959107 PMCID: PMC9362985 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.935918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In addition to being studied for their exceptional regeneration abilities, planarians (i.e., flatworms) have also been extensively used in the context of pharmacological experiments during the past century. Many researchers used planarians as a model system for the study of drug abuse because they display high similarities with the nervous system of vertebrates at cellular and molecular levels (e.g., neuronal morphology, neurotransmitter ligands, and receptor function). This research field recently led to the discovery of causal relationships between the expression of Transient Receptor Potential ion channels in planarians and their behavioral responses to noxious stimuli such as heat, cold or pharmacological analogs such as TRP agonists, among others. It has also been shown that some antinociceptive drugs modulate these behaviors. However, among the few authors that tried to implement a full behavior analysis, none reached a consensual use of the terms used to describe planarian gaits yet, nor did they establish a comprehensive description of a potential planarian nociceptive system. The aim of this review is therefore to aggregate the ancient and the most recent evidence for a true nociceptive behavior in planarians. It also highlights the convenience and relevance of this invertebrate model for nociceptive tests and suggests further lines of research. In regards to past pharmacological studies, this review finally discusses the opportunities given by the model to extensively screen for novel antinociceptive drugs.
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Pucci C, Martinelli C, De Pasquale D, Battaglini M, di Leo N, Degl’Innocenti A, Belenli Gümüş M, Drago F, Ciofani G. Tannic Acid-Iron Complex-Based Nanoparticles as a Novel Tool against Oxidative Stress. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2022; 14:15927-15941. [PMID: 35352893 PMCID: PMC9011352 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c24576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Accumulation of reactive oxygen species in cells leads to oxidative stress, with consequent damage for cellular components and activation of cell-death mechanisms. Oxidative stress is often associated with age-related conditions, as well as with several neurodegenerative diseases. For this reason, antioxidant molecules have attracted a lot of attention, especially those derived from natural sources─like polyphenols and tannins. The main issue related to the use of antioxidants is their inherent tendency to be oxidized, their quick enzymatic degradation in biological fluids, and their poor bioavailability. Nanomedicine, in this sense, has helped in finding new solutions to deliver and protect antioxidants; however, the concentration of the encapsulated molecule in conventional nanosystems could be very low and, therefore, less effective. We propose to exploit the properties of tannic acid, a known plant-derived antioxidant, to chelate iron ions, forming hydrophobic complexes that can be coated with a biocompatible and biodegradable phospholipid to improve stability in biological media. By combining nanoprecipitation and hot sonication procedures, we obtained three-dimensional networks composed of tannic acid-iron with a hydrodynamic diameter of ≈200 nm. These nanostructures show antioxidant properties and scavenging activity in cells after induction of an acute chemical pro-oxidant insult; moreover, they also demonstrated to counteract damage induced by oxidative stress both in vitro and on an in vivo model organism (planarians).
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlotta Pucci
- Smart
Bio-Interfaces, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera, Italy
| | - Chiara Martinelli
- Smart
Bio-Interfaces, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera, Italy
| | - Daniele De Pasquale
- Smart
Bio-Interfaces, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera, Italy
| | - Matteo Battaglini
- Smart
Bio-Interfaces, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera, Italy
| | - Nicoletta di Leo
- Smart
Bio-Interfaces, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera, Italy
- The
Biorobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore
Sant’Anna, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera, Italy
| | - Andrea Degl’Innocenti
- Smart
Bio-Interfaces, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera, Italy
| | - Melike Belenli Gümüş
- Smart
Bio-Interfaces, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera, Italy
- The
Biorobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore
Sant’Anna, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera, Italy
| | - Filippo Drago
- Electron
Microscopy Facility, Istituto Italiano di
Tecnologia, Via Morego
30, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Gianni Ciofani
- Smart
Bio-Interfaces, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera, Italy
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Göethel G, Augsten LV, das Neves GM, Gonçalves IL, de Souza JPS, Garcia SC, Eifler-Lima VL. The role of alternative toxicological trials in drug discovery programs: The case of Caenorhabditis elegans and other methods. Curr Med Chem 2022; 29:5270-5288. [PMID: 35352642 DOI: 10.2174/0929867329666220329190825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The discovery of a new drug requires over a billion dollars and around 12 years of research efforts, and toxicity is the leading reason for failure to approve candidate drugs. Many alternative methods have been validated to detect toxicity as early as possible to diminish the waste of resources and efforts in medicinal chemistry research, and in vivo alternative methods are especially valuable for the amount of information they can give at little cost and in a short time. In this work, we present a review of the literature published between the years 2000 and 2021 of in vivo alternative methods of toxicity screening employed in medicinal chemistry, which we believe will be useful because, in addition to shortening research times, these studies provide much additional information aside from the toxicity of drug candidate compounds. These in vivo models include zebrafish, Artemia salina, Galleria mellonella, Drosophila melanogaster, planarians, and Caenorhabditis elegans as highlights. The most published ones in the last decade were zebrafish, D. melanogaster and C. elegans due to their reliability, ease and cost-effectiveness of implementation and flexibility. Special attention is given to C. elegans because of its rising popularity, a wide range of uses including toxicity screening, and active effects measurement, from antioxidant effects to anthelmintic and antimicrobial activities, and its fast and reliable results. Over time, C. elegans also became a viable high-throughput (HTS) automated drug screening option. Additionally, this manuscript lists briefly the other screening methods used for the initial toxicological analyses and the role of alternative in vivo methods in these scenarios, classifying them as in silico, in vitro and alternative in vivo models, the latter of which have been receiving a growing increase in interest in recent years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Göethel
- Laboratório de Toxicologia (LATOX). Pharmaceutical Sciences Graduate Program, College of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Avenida Ipiranga, 2752, Porto Alegre - RS, Brazil
| | - Lucas Volnei Augsten
- Laboratório de Síntese Orgânica Medicinal (LaSOM), Pharmaceutical Sciences Graduate Program, College of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Avenida Ipiranga, 2752, Porto Alegre - RS, Brazil
| | - Gustavo Machado das Neves
- Laboratório de Síntese Orgânica Medicinal (LaSOM), Pharmaceutical Sciences Graduate Program, College of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Avenida Ipiranga, 2752, Porto Alegre - RS, Brazil
| | - Itamar Luís Gonçalves
- Laboratório de Síntese Orgânica Medicinal (LaSOM), Pharmaceutical Sciences Graduate Program, College of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Avenida Ipiranga, 2752, Porto Alegre - RS, Brazil
| | - João Pedro Silveira de Souza
- Laboratório de Síntese Orgânica Medicinal (LaSOM), Pharmaceutical Sciences Graduate Program, College of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Avenida Ipiranga, 2752, Porto Alegre - RS, Brazil
| | - Solange Cristina Garcia
- Laboratório de Toxicologia (LATOX). Pharmaceutical Sciences Graduate Program, College of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Avenida Ipiranga, 2752, Porto Alegre - RS, Brazil
| | - Vera Lucia Eifler-Lima
- Laboratório de Síntese Orgânica Medicinal (LaSOM), Pharmaceutical Sciences Graduate Program, College of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Avenida Ipiranga, 2752, Porto Alegre - RS, Brazil
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Ermakov A, Afanasyeva V, Ermakova O, Blagodatski A, Popov A. Effect of weak alternating magnetic fields on planarian regeneration. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2021; 592:7-12. [PMID: 35007847 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2021.12.096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 12/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
We investigated the effect of weak combined magnetic field (CMF) on stem cell proliferation and regeneration of the planarian Schmidtea mediterranea. CMF parameters were set in accordance with Valery Lednev's theory of magnetic parametric resonance. It was shown that CMF with an amplitude of 74 μT and a frequency of 30 Hz accelerated the growth of the planarian head blastema by 25%. Alterations of the frequency in range from 27 to 33 Hz led to a complete disappearance of the effect. A further decrease in the CMF frequency inhibited regeneration. The maximum inhibition (24%) was observed at a frequency of 16 Hz. A further decrease in the CMF frequency (down to 13 Hz) led to disappearance of the described effect. Regeneration rate changes under the CMF are influenced by alterations in stem cell mitotic activity, which in turn depends on the wound-induced gene expression level. Thus, the CMF, preset in accordance to the Lednev's theory, can specifically influence the expression of regeneration-related genes and regeneration itself, what can find biomedical applications.
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18
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Morris J, Bealer EJ, Souza IDS, Repmann L, Bonelli H, Stanzione JF, Staehle MM. Chemical Exposure-Induced Developmental Neurotoxicity in Head-Regenerating Schmidtea Mediterranea. Toxicol Sci 2021; 185:220-231. [PMID: 34791476 DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfab132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The growing number of commercially-used chemicals that are under-evaluated for developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) combined with the difficulty in describing the etiology of exposure-related neurodevelopmental toxicity has created a reticent threat to human health. Current means of screening chemicals for DNT are limited to expensive, time-consuming, and labor-intensive traditional laboratory animal models. In this study, we hypothesize that exposed head regenerating planarian flatworms can effectively and efficiently categorize DNT in known developmental neurotoxins (ethanol and bisphenol A (BPA)). Planarian flatworms are an established alternative animal model for neurodevelopmental studies and have remarkable regenerative abilities allowing neurodevelopment to be induced via head resection. Here, we observed changes in photophobic behavior and central nervous system (CNS) morphology to evaluate the impact of exposure to low concentrations of ethanol, BPA, and BPA industry alternatives bisphenol F (BPF), and bisguaiacol (BG) on neurodevelopment. Our studies show that exposure to 1% v/v ethanol during regeneration induces a recoverable 48-hour delay in the development of proper CNS integrity, which aligns with behavioral assessments of cognitive ability. Exposure to BPA and its alternatives induced deviations to neurodevelopment in a range of severities, distinguished by suppressions, delays, or a combination of the two. These results suggest that quick and inexpensive behavioral assessments are a viable surrogate for tedious and costly immunostaining studies, equipping more utility and resolution to the planarian model for neurodevelopmental toxicity in the future of mass chemical screening. These studies demonstrate that behavioral phenotypes observed following chemical exposure are classifiable and also temporally correlated to the anatomical development of the central nervous system in planaria. This will facilitate and accelerate toxicological screening assays with this alternative animal model.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Morris
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ
| | - E J Bealer
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ
| | - I D S Souza
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ
| | - L Repmann
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ
| | - H Bonelli
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ
| | - J F Stanzione
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ
| | - M M Staehle
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ
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Goel T, Ireland D, Shetty V, Rabeler C, Diamond PH, Collins EMS. Let it rip: the mechanics of self-bisection in asexual planarians determines their population reproductive strategies. Phys Biol 2021; 19. [PMID: 34638110 DOI: 10.1088/1478-3975/ac2f29] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Asexual freshwater planarians reproduce by transverse bisection (binary fission) into two pieces. This process produces a head and a tail, which fully regenerate within 1-2 weeks. How planarians split into two offspring-using only their musculature and substrate traction-is a challenging biomechanics problem. We found that three different species,Dugesia japonica,Girardia tigrinaandSchmidtea mediterranea, have evolved three different mechanical solutions to self-bisect. Using time lapse imaging of the fission process, we quantitatively characterize the main steps of division in the three species and extract the distinct and shared key features. Across the three species, planarians actively alter their body shape, regulate substrate traction, and use their muscles to generate tensile stresses large enough to overcome the ultimate tensile strength of the tissue. Moreover, we show thathoweach planarian species divides dictates how resources are split among its offspring. This ultimately determines offspring survival and reproductive success. Thus, heterospecific differences in the mechanics of self-bisection of individual worms explain the observed differences in the population reproductive strategies of different planarian species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tapan Goel
- Physics Department, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States of America
| | - Danielle Ireland
- Biology Department, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, United States of America
| | - Vir Shetty
- Physics and Astronomy Department, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, United States of America
| | - Christina Rabeler
- Biology Department, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, United States of America
| | - Patrick H Diamond
- Physics Department, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States of America
| | - Eva-Maria S Collins
- Physics Department, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States of America.,Biology Department, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, United States of America.,Physics and Astronomy Department, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, United States of America
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Kang J, Chen J, Dong Z, Chen G, Liu D. The negative effect of the PI3K inhibitor 3-methyladenine on planarian regeneration via the autophagy signalling pathway. Ecotoxicology 2021; 30:1941-1948. [PMID: 34403000 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-021-02439-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
As an important PI3K (VPS34) inhibitor, 3-methyladenine (3-MA) can block the formation of autophagic vesicles in animals. Most toxicological studies using 3-MA have shown that 3-MA leads to serious disorders via autophagy suppression in mammals. However, no toxicological research on 3-MA has been performed on individuals undergoing regeneration. The freshwater planarian has powerful regenerative capability, and it can regenerate a new brain in 5 days and undergo complete adult individual remodelling in approximately 14 days. Moreover, it is also an excellent model organism for studies on environmental toxicology due to its high chemical sensitivity and extensive distribution. Here, Dugesia japonica planarians were treated with 3-MA, and the results showed that autophagy was inhibited and Djvps34 expression levels were down-regulated. After exposure to 10 mM 3-MA for 18 h, all the controls showed normal phenotypes, while one-half of the planarians treated with 3-MA showed morphological defects. In most cases, an ulcer appeared in the middle of the body, and a normal phenotype was restored 7 days following 3-MA exposure. During regeneration, disproportionate blastemas with tissue regression were observed. Furthermore, 3-MA treatment suppressed stem cell proliferation in intact and regenerating worms. These findings demonstrate that autophagy is indispensable for tissue homeostasis and regeneration in planarians and that 3-MA treatment is detrimental to planarian regeneration via its effect on the autophagy pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Kang
- College of Life Science, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, China
- College of Life Science, Xingxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Jinzi Chen
- College of Life Science, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Zimei Dong
- College of Life Science, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, China.
| | - Guangwen Chen
- College of Life Science, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, China.
| | - Dezeng Liu
- College of Life Science, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, China
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Simão FCP, Gravato C, Machado AL, Soares AMVM, Pestana JLT. Toxicity of different polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to the freshwater planarian Girardia tigrina. Environ Pollut 2020; 266:115185. [PMID: 32777698 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2020] [Revised: 06/18/2020] [Accepted: 07/03/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Freshwater planarians have been gaining relevance as experimental animals for numerous research areas given their interesting features, such as high regeneration potential, shared features with the vertebrates' nervous system or the range of endpoints that can be easily evaluated in response to contaminants. Ecotoxicological research using these animals has been steadily increasing in the past decades, as planarians' potentialities for this research area are being recognized. In this work, we used polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as model contaminants and evaluated effects of exposure to phenanthrene, pyrene and benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) in planarians. The freshwater planarian Girardia tigrina was chosen and mortality, cephalic regeneration (during and post-exposure), behavioral endpoints and presence of PAHs in tissues, were evaluated. Mortality was only observed in planarians exposed to phenanthrene, with an estimated LC50 of 830 μg L-1. Results indicate that planarian behavioral endpoints were very sensitive in response to sub-lethal concentrations of PAHs, showing a greater sensitivity towards B[a]P and pyrene. Briefly, post-exposure locomotion and post-exposure feeding were significantly impaired by sub-lethal concentrations of all compounds, whereas regeneration of photoreceptors was only significantly delayed in planarians exposed to pyrene. Moreover, levels of PAH-type compounds in planarian tissues followed a concentration-dependent increase, showing uptake of compounds from experimental solutions. The present results highlight the importance of studying alternative and complementary endpoints, such as behavior, not only because these may be able to detect effects at lower levels of contamination, but also due to their ecological relevance. The simplicity of evaluating a wide range of responses to contaminants further demonstrates the utility of freshwater planarians for ecotoxicological research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fátima C P Simão
- CESAM & Departamento de Biologia, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal.
| | - Carlos Gravato
- Faculdade de Ciências & CESAM, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016, Campo Grande, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Ana Luísa Machado
- CESAM & Departamento de Biologia, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Amadeu M V M Soares
- CESAM & Departamento de Biologia, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - João L T Pestana
- CESAM & Departamento de Biologia, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal
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