Frogs live a "twin-city" life in the water and on land, and they use many breathing techniques throughout their lives — with the help of gills, lungs, and skin.
Now, German scientists have developed another way to help tadpoles "breathe" by introducing algae into their bloodstream to provide oxygen to them. On October 13, this method, published in Interdisciplinary Science, could provide enough oxygen to effectively rescue neurons in the brains of hypoxic tadpoles.
Hans Straka, corresponding author of the paper and of the University of Munich, said: "Algae actually produces a lot of oxygen, which can bring nerve cells back to life. To many, this sounds like science fiction, but it's just the result of a proper combination of biological protocols and biological principles. ”
Straka was studying oxygen consumption in the brains of the African clawed frog tadpole, and a lunch conversation with a botanist inspired him to combine plant physiology with neuroscience: to use the power of photosynthesis to provide oxygen to nerve cells.
The idea doesn't seem far-fetched. In nature, seaweeds live harmoniously in sponges, corals and sea anemones, providing them with oxygen and even nutrients. Why don't vertebrates like frogs have such "helpers"?
To explore the possibilities, the team injected green algae (Chlamydia) or cyanobacteria (aceticular bacteria) into the tadpole's heart. With a heartbeat, the algae slowly crosses the blood vessels and eventually reaches the brain, turning the translucent tadpole into a bright green. The light that hits the tadpoles prompts the two algae to pump oxygen to nearby cells.
After distributing the algae to the brain, the researchers separated the tadpole's head and put it into an "oxygen bubble bath" containing the necessary nutrients that preserve cellular function, allowing the team to monitor nerve activity and oxygen levels in the head.
When the researchers consumed oxygen from the "bubble bath," the nerves in the tadpole's head stopped moving and fell silent. However, after irradiating the head with light, within 15 to 20 minutes, neural activity restarts, which is twice as fast as replenishing oxygen without seaweed. The recovered nerves also performed as well as before the lack of oxygen, or even better, suggesting that the researchers' approach was quick and effective.
"We have successfully demonstrated that this approach is very reliable and powerful." Straka said, "Of course, that doesn't mean you can eventually apply it, but it's the first step in launching other research." ”
While the researchers believe the findings may one day lead to new treatments for diseases caused by stroke or hypoxic environments such as underwater and at high altitudes, algae are far from ready to enter the human bloodstream. The team plans to see if the injected algae can survive in the tadpoles and continue to produce oxygen without causing a harmful immune response from the host.
Straka also said the study will be helpful for other labs that study isolating tissue or organoids. The introduction of oxyatoces allows these tissues to thrive and improve their survival rates, potentially reducing the need for live animals.
"You have to have new ideas to explore, and that's one of the ways to move science forward." Straka says, "If you're open-minded and think carefully, all of a sudden you can see all the possibilities in one idea." (Source: China Science Daily Feng Lifei)
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