Original title: A myth about the „potent cardiostimulating“ action of insect neuropeptides has been unfounded
Authors: Sláma, Karel
Document type: Papers
Conference/Event: Biologically Active Peptides. Conference /12./, Praha (CZ), 2011-04-27 / 2011-04-29
Year: 2011
Language: eng
Abstract: Chemists and biochemists isolating or synthesizing insect neuropeptides used to create a myth about “potent cardiostimulating” properties of these peptides. The myth was motivated by a tendency to gain professional importance and scientific merit of their work. Crucial arguments in favour of the idea were obtained by simple, largely nonspecific, in vitro bioassays performed on isolated hearts of cockroaches in saline. These assays gave positive responses to a wide range of low molecular compounds as well as to most peptides tested. Our attempts to solve this problem started by development of new touch-free electrocardiographic methods for monitoring the heartbeat of unrestrained insects. Extensive in vivo recordings revealed that the tentatively “cardioactive” neuropeptides had no cardiostimulating activity under physiological conditions. Intimate similarities appeared between regulation of insect and human hearts. Accordingly, a cardioactive peptide does not exist in human medicine as well. Specific electrocardiographic methods were invented for testing new cardioactive pharmacological preparations on easily available insect material.
Keywords: cardioactive neuropeptides; insect electrocardiography; myogenic heartbeat
Project no.: CEZ:AV0Z50070508 (CEP)
Host item entry: Collection Symposium Series, ISBN 978-80-86241-44-9

Institution: Biology Centre AS ČR (web)
Document availability information: Fulltext is available at the institute of the Academy of Sciences.
Original record: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0208636

Permalink: http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-110478


The record appears in these collections:
Research > Institutes ASCR > Biology Centre
Conference materials > Papers