INVESTIGATING PHARMACOLOGICAL EFFECTS ON ACTION POTENTIALS FROM Lumbricus terrestris NERVE CORDS

Vehicular crashes and falls are the most common reasons behind spinal cord injuries (SCI). These injuries boost physical and emotional distress alike. However, an optimal animal model for studying SCIs has not yet been established.

Aim: This study attempted to investigate the action potentials of Lumbricus terrestris derived from the electrical stimulation of the earthworms following the injection of multiple drugs that were recognized to have some effect on the nervous system.

Methodology: Controlled amounts of pharmacological solutions of alcohol, acetylcholine, lidocaine, or ibuprofen were injected near the ventral nerve cord of L. terrestris under anesthesia, and the action potentials were acquired subsequently. The action potentials were triggered with electric stimulation, and analyzed with derived parameters such as latent period, wave width, peak point, trough point, and area under the curve (AUC).

Conclusions: The parameters evaluated in this study mostly showed characteristic functional changes with respect to the injection volume up to 300 uL drug solutions. In addition, the parameters were differentiated for each drug showing a unique character. Further study might be needed with other neurologic drugs.