Effects of Extracts of Alternative Chinese Herbal Pain Medicines on Nerve Conduction
Location
CSU 253/4/5
Start Date
4-4-2011 1:30 PM
End Date
4-4-2011 3:00 PM
Student's Major
Biological Sciences
Student's College
Science, Engineering and Technology
Mentor's Name
Steven Mercurio
Mentor's Department
Biological Sciences
Mentor's College
Science, Engineering and Technology
Description
Chinese herbal medicines may be sources of pain relief that many are using as alternative therapies. The problem with pain research is that the animal models used by American pharmaceutical companies show variable results and do not get at the true nature of pain relief agents. The purpose of this study was to use a frog sciatic nerve preparation to study the direct effects of claimed herbal remedies on nerve conduction compared to the known sodium channel blocker as a first measure of pain relief and possible neurotoxicity. The sciatic nerve was removed from a frog and placed in a nerve chamber containing Ringer‘s solution that illustrated the action potential. The first control experiment involved repeated exposure to Ringer‘s solution to make sure that the exposures were not a condition for nerve degeneration and less performance.
Lidocaine was used to show the loss of impulse activity in frog nerve action potential in Ringer‘s solution. The osthol, corydalis, aconitine, and lidocaine were each dissolved in Ringer‘s solution and the frog sciatic nerve was placed in the prepared solution. The nerve activity of the osthol, corydalis, and aconitine was recorded and compared to the activity recorded from the nerve in lidocaine. It was expected that the more toxic aconitine compounds that block the sodium channel would be the most effective in preventing nerve conduction while the other agents would not be as potent. This would indicate a more rapid way of testing what are known as lead compounds in pharmaceutical pain research.
Effects of Extracts of Alternative Chinese Herbal Pain Medicines on Nerve Conduction
CSU 253/4/5
Chinese herbal medicines may be sources of pain relief that many are using as alternative therapies. The problem with pain research is that the animal models used by American pharmaceutical companies show variable results and do not get at the true nature of pain relief agents. The purpose of this study was to use a frog sciatic nerve preparation to study the direct effects of claimed herbal remedies on nerve conduction compared to the known sodium channel blocker as a first measure of pain relief and possible neurotoxicity. The sciatic nerve was removed from a frog and placed in a nerve chamber containing Ringer‘s solution that illustrated the action potential. The first control experiment involved repeated exposure to Ringer‘s solution to make sure that the exposures were not a condition for nerve degeneration and less performance.
Lidocaine was used to show the loss of impulse activity in frog nerve action potential in Ringer‘s solution. The osthol, corydalis, aconitine, and lidocaine were each dissolved in Ringer‘s solution and the frog sciatic nerve was placed in the prepared solution. The nerve activity of the osthol, corydalis, and aconitine was recorded and compared to the activity recorded from the nerve in lidocaine. It was expected that the more toxic aconitine compounds that block the sodium channel would be the most effective in preventing nerve conduction while the other agents would not be as potent. This would indicate a more rapid way of testing what are known as lead compounds in pharmaceutical pain research.
Recommended Citation
Widman, Daniel. "Effects of Extracts of Alternative Chinese Herbal Pain Medicines on Nerve Conduction." Undergraduate Research Symposium, Mankato, MN, April 4, 2011.
https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/urs/2011/poster-session-C/15
