Excess weight is a major risk factor for type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other comorbidities. Animal models of feeding provide insight into the problem and provide a means for the discovery and evaluation of pharmacotherapeutic treatment. Mammalian models are the most commonly used, but recently non-mammalian models have been utilized (e.g., C. elegans). Planarians provide an intermediate model. They are the earliest extant animal with a primitive brain-like structure and are a convenient model of mammalian behavioral endpoints and drug-induced effects. The purpose of the present study was to determine if a quantitative measure of presumptive feeding behavior could be visualized using an imaging technique. Colored food pellets were prepared and in some experiments, plasmid-delivered green fluorescent protein was added. Both visible and fluorescence microscopy displayed clear indication of internalization of the red dye and localization to the digestive system. This new methodology establishes a convenient way to study normal physiological feeding behavior as well as modifications induced by drugs or other exogenous substances.
CITATION STYLE
B. Raffa, R., S. Tallarida, C., R. Patel, S., M. Rawls, S., & Krynetskiy, E. (2012). Development of a Behavioral and Imaging Model of Feeding in Planarians. Pharmacology & Pharmacy, 03(03), 364–367. https://doi.org/10.4236/pp.2012.33049
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