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

Zsolt Pirger; Zita László; Ildikó Kemenes; György Kemenes; István Fodor

doi:10.1016/j.mex.2023.102117

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

MethodsX. 2023 Mar 17:10:102117. doi: 10.1016/j.mex.2023.102117. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Zsolt Pirger¹, Zita László¹, Ildikó Kemenes², György Kemenes², István Fodor¹

Affiliations

¹ Ecophysiological and Environmental Toxicological Research Group, Balaton Limnological Research Institute, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Tihany, Hungary.
² Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9QG, UK.

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; Isolated heart preparation; Lymnaea stagnalis; Optical recording system; Pharmacology; The great pond snail.