Effects of Chavicol on Intracellular Ionized Calcium in a Free-living Soil Nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans

Abstract

The physiological effects of two phenolic nematocides, chavicol and demethyleugenol, on C. elegans were studied by [Ca2+]j measurement using a microspectrofluorometer and an image analyzer, Chavicol and demethyleugenol, which had similar effects on the nematodes, caused a significant elevation of [Ca2+]j in the intestinal tract. The image analysis suggested that these phenolic nematocides caused the destruction of cell membrane and the leakage of cytosol from the intestinal tract into the pseudocoelomic cavity. © 1994, Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry. All rights reserved.