Anesthetic-like effects of ketamine in C. elegans
bioRxiv Preprint Server – August 28, 2024
Source: bioRxiv
Summary
Studying microscopic life often requires temporary stillness, but common methods can be harsh. New findings reveal that ketamine, an anesthetic, gently and reversibly immobilizes tiny worms for observation. Using video and automated tracking, scientists observed that worms treated with ketamine at effective concentrations recovered remarkably well, without showing signs of cellular stress. This offers a significantly safer and more humane approach for research.
Abstract
Transparency of C. elegans enables microscopic in vivo imaging of cellular processes, but immobilization is required due to high locomotor activity. Preservative NaN3 is commonly used for this, but is associated with oxidative stress and toxicity. Here, anesthetic-like effects of dissociate anesthetic ketamine in C. elegans are presented using video recordings and infrared-based automated activity tracking. Ketamine caused a reversible blockade of locomotion at a similar concentration (20-50 mM) at which NaN3 produces paralysis. Moreover, the recovery rate was remarkably high, and short-term ketamine treatment did not show signs of SKN-1 activation, a marker of the stress response.