Naked diggers will help to cope with pain
In addition to an exceptionally long lifespan, the result of the evolution of naked diggers was the ability of these rodents to feel great in conditions of high acidity, incompatible with the life of other mammals, including humans. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have obtained data shedding light on this unique adaptation.
According to the head of the work, Professor Thomas Park, in densely populated caves of naked diggers, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the air reaches very high values. Knowledge of the mechanisms that ensure the ability of animals to tolerate these conditions can help in the development of methods for pain relief in humans. The fact is that the main mechanism for the formation of aching pain, for example, in injuries, is the acidification of damaged tissues, which is an inevitable side effect of their injury.
The mammalian nose has specialized receptors that respond to the concentration of carbon dioxide in the inhaled air. Activation of the corresponding nerve fibers causes stimulation of the trigeminal nerve nucleus in the brain stem, which, in turn, triggers physiological and behavioral reactions that protect the animal, manifested by scratching the nose and avoiding areas with an increased concentration of carbon dioxide.
The researchers launched naked diggers into a system of aviaries, some of which were filled with air with a carbon dioxide content of 10-20 or 50% (in the normal atmosphere of the Earth, the concentration of carbon dioxide is about 0.04%; a 10% concentration is enough for a person to lose consciousness and die).
The movement of animals was not limited in any way, while scientists recorded the length of time spent in each of the zones. The behavior and physiological reactions of animals were compared with the behavior and physiological reactions of laboratory rats, mice and closely related species of diggers who prefer to live in more comfortable conditions. The authors posted a video describing their experiment on YouTube:
Observations showed that at a concentration of carbon dioxide not exceeding 20%, naked diggers spent the same amount of time in all zones of the system, regardless of the concentration of carbon dioxide, and activation of the trigeminal nerve nucleus was not recorded in them. Animals of all control groups avoided such zones; at the same time, they had a significant increase in the activity of this brain stem structure.
Naked diggers avoided areas with a carbon dioxide concentration of 50%, although there they did not register activation of the trigeminal nerve nucleus. This indicates the existence of a mechanism that allows naked diggers to avoid pain syndrome while constantly staying in conditions of high acidity. Further study of this mechanism in the future will help in the development of new methods for eliminating pain in humans during injuries and after surgical interventions.
The article Pamela Colleen LaVinka, Thomas J. Park Blunted Behavioral and C Fos Responses to Acidic Fumes in the African Naked Mole-Rat is published in the journal PLoS ONE.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of the University of Illinois at Chicago:
Naked Mole-Rats May Hold Clues to Pain Relief.
25.09.2012