A novel and unique refraction-based optical recording system for pharmacological investigations on isolated muscle preparations

Abstract

In the field of neuroscience and ecotoxicology, there is a great need for investigating the effect(s) of a variety of different chemicals (e.g., pharmacologically active compounds, pesticides, neurotransmitters, modulators) at different biological levels. Different contractile tissue preparations have provided excellent model systems for in vitro pharmacological experiments for a long time. However, such investigations usually apply mechanical force transducer-based approaches. Thus, a rapid, easy, cheap, digital, and reproducible in vitro pharmacological method based on an effective, ‘non-invasive’ (compared to the force-transducer approaches), refraction-based optical recording approach and isolated heart preparations was developed. • A versatile and unique refraction-based optical recording system with a Java application was developed. • The recording system was tested and validated on isolated heart preparations obtained from the widely used invertebrate model organism, the great pond snail (Lymnaea stagnalis). • The recording system illustrates the progression of technology from the mechanical force transducer system and can represent a suitable tool in ecotoxicology or neuroscience.

Keywords

• In vitro pharmacological method based on a rapid, easy, cheap, and effective procedure and isolated heart preparations