• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
• /
• v.20 no.11
• /
• pp.1914-1919
• /
• 2006

Recently, the microrobots powered by biological muscle actuators were proposed. Among the biological muscle actuators, frog muscle is well known as a good muscle actuator and has a large displacement, actuation forces and piezoelectric properties. Therefore, for the application of the biomimetic microrobot, this paper reports the electromechanical properties of frog muscle. First of all, the experimental setup has been established for measuring generative force of the frog muscle. Through the various electrical stimulating inputs to the frog muscle, we measured the contractile force of the frog muscle. From the measuring results, we found that the actuating contractile force responses of the frog muscle are determined by the amplitude, frequency, duty ratio, and wave form of the stimulation signal. This study will be beneficial for the development of the microrobot actuated by frog muscle.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.3-8
• /
• 1981

Studies have been conducted to test the effect of Ginseng alcohol extract on the membrane potentials of frog skeletal muscle. The gastrocnemius muscle was isolated and placed in a chamber containing the Clark-frog Ringer solution. Membrane potentials were recorded using microelectrodes filled with 3 M KCI and muscle was electrically stimulated to obtain action potential. Changes in both the action potential and the resting membrane potential were observed after adding an appropriate amount of Ginseng alcohol extract in the perfusing Ringer solution. The results obtained from 346 muscle cells are summarized as follows : 1) The average resting membrane potential of the normal frog gastrocnemius muscle cell was -92.8 mV and the peak of the action potential reached at 29.8 mV. 2) Both the resting membrane potential and the peak of the action potential decreased by Ginseng alcohol extract, the effect being proportional to the dose of Ginseng alcohol extract. 3) The resting membrane potential and the peak of the action potential continuously decreased until about 40 min after Ginseng addition and leveled off thereafter. The potentials recovered to its original value after Ginseng was washed out. 4) The resting membrane potential was more sensitive to the Ginseng alcohol extract than was the action potential. These results strongly suggest that Ginseng alcohol extract increases both the $Na^+$ and $K^+$ permeability in the skeletal muscle cell membrane.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.99-108
• /
• 1991

The effect of racemic Ketamine HCl was observed on excitable membranes of sciatic nerve fibres and toe muscles from frog. Ketamine significantly depressed the amplitude of the action potential, maximum rate of rise and that of fall of action potentials of sciatic nerve by dose-dependent and time-course manner, and also it produced the inhibition of $K^+-contracture$ in toe muscle. We used two different ways of sucrose gap method to to obtain the better results from sciatic nerve. We observed and compared the effect of ketamine on sciatic nerve with naloxone, 4-AP (4-aminopyridine) and TEA (Tetraethylammonium). Naloxone significantly but not totally blocked the effect of ketamine both on nerve and on skeletal muscle. 4-AP or TEA by itself had a significant depressant effect on the action potentials on nerve by central perfusion (extracellular perfusion), but both of these drugs did not much affect the action of Ketamine on nerve. The reversibility of effect of Ketamine (10 mM) was observed both on nerve and on skeletal muscles when exposed to drug for short duration. The effects of racemic ketamine described may provide to support that one of the mechanisms of the action of Ketamine on nerve and on muscles of frog might be related to non-specifically effect on receptors within the ion channels $(K^+-channel,\;Na^+-channel\;or\;slow\;Ca^{++}\;channel)$ at higher dose which produces anesthetic effect and also it interacts specifically with one of the opioid receptors or subtype of these receptors which is sensitive to Naloxone at lower dose which produces analgesia.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.1-7
• /
• 1977

The activity of the $Ca^{++}$ activated adenosinetriphosphatase (Ca-ATPase) of actomyosin systeme of rabbit and frog skeletal muscle has been studied at varying pH and temperature. The PH optima of the Ca-ATPase activity of the rabbit actomyosin was rather broad. Over the temperature range of $16-36^{\circ}C$ activity of the enzyme was not appreciably changed between pH 6.4-8.5; below and above which it rapidly reduced. The pH at the inflection point of the enzyme activity increased as temperature decreased, showing the ${\bigtriangleup}pH\;inflection/{\bigtriangleup}T$ of approximately $-0.018\;unit/^{\circ}C$. Consequently, $(OH^-)/(H^+)$ ratio at the inflection point was constant regardless of assay temperature. In the frog actomyosin systems the Ca-ATPase activity was not apparently altered between PH 6.4-7.0 when the incubation temperature was $15{\sim}30^{\circ}C$. Outside of this range of pH, however, the enzyme activity was dramatically decreased. The pH of the inflection point changed inversely with temperature. ${\bigtriangleup}pH\;inflection/{\bigtriangleup}T$ at the acidic side was approximately $-0.018\;unit/^{\circ}C$, whereas that at the alkaline side it was about $-0.037\;unit/^{\circ}C$. The Arrhenius Plot on the Ca-ATPase activity at constant $(OH^-)/(H^+)$ ratio of 1.0 was not linear, but showed break at arround $20^{\circ}C$ for both rabbit and frog actomyosin Preparations. From these results it was speculated that pH dependence of Ca-ATPase activity of rabbit actomyosin systems might reflect titrations of histidine-imidazole and -SH groups, and that of the frog actomyosin represents titrations of histidine-imidazole and lysyllysine ${\alpha}-NH_2$ groups.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.19 no.8
• /
• pp.1001-1012
• /
• 2010

We investigated the toxic effects of tebuconazole on development in the African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis. To test the toxic effects, frog embryo teratogenesis assays using Xenopus were performed. Embryos were exposed to various concentrations of tebuconazole($0-100\;{\mu}M$). $LC_{100}$ for tebuconazole was $100\;{\mu}M$, and the $LC_{50}$ determined by probit analysis was $82.35\;{\mu}M$. The exposure to tebuconazole concentrations ${\geq}40\;{\mu}M$ resulted in 11 different types of severe external malformations including gut dysplasia. Histological examinations revealed various dysplasia in the eye, heart, liver, intestine, somatic muscle, and in the pronephric ducts. The tissue-specific toxic effects were investigated with an animal cap assay. Blood cells are generally induced at a high frequency by the combination of mSCF and activin A, however, the induction of blood cells was strongly inhibited by the addition of tebuconazole. Electron micrographs of tested embryos showed many of multivesicular bodies and dysplasia of photo-receptive cell, however, the somatic muscle degeneration was not severe. The gene expression of cultivated animal cap explants was investigated by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and revealed that expression of the blood-specific marker, $\beta$ globin II and muscle-specific marker, muscle actin were more strongly inhibited than the neural-specific marker, XEn2.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
• /
• v.12 no.6
• /
• pp.419-423
• /
• 1974

The authors have investigated the roles of cortisone and calcium on the depressive effects of local anesthetics on the acetylcholine-induced skeletal muscle contraction in frog. The results are as follows. 1. Tetracaine, cocaine, lidocaine and procaine decreased the acetylcholine-induced skeletal muscle contraction. 2. Cortisone increased the depressive effects of local anesthetics on the acetyl-choline-induced skeletal muscle contraction. 3. There was a tendency that in high calcium concentration, the depressive effects of cocaine and lidocaine on acetylcholine-induced skeletal muscle contraction were increased.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
• /
• v.20 no.1
• /
• pp.31-41
• /
• 1986

The sufficient myoplasmic $Ca^{++}$ to react with the contractile proteins is necessary to induce contraction of a cardiac muscle. These $Ca^{++}$ for the production of muscle contraction are supplied from the three recognized $Ca^{++}$ sources; internal $Ca^{++}$ release via the sarcoplasmic reticulum(SR), $Ca^{++}$ influx through a gated Ca-channel in the membrane as a Isi, and $Ca^{++}$ transport by the mechanism of Na/ca exchange. However, it is still controversial which $Ca^{++}$ sources act as a main contributor for myoplasmic $Ca^{++}$, Therefore, this study was undertaken in order to examine the $Ca^{++}$ sources for the contraction of frog ventricle. There is evidence that the SR is sparse in frog ventricular fibers, and that T-tubules are absent. Isolated ventricular strips of frog, Rana nigromaculata, were used in this experiment. Isometric tension was recorded by force transducer, and membrane potentials of ventricular muscles were measured through the intracellular glass microelectrodes, which were filled with 3M KCI and had resistance of $30{\pm}50M{\Omega}$. All experiments were performed at room temperature in a tris·buffered Ringer solution which was aerated with 100% $O_2$. Isotonic high K, low Na solution was used to induce K-contracture, K-contracture appeared at the concentration of 20 to 30mM-KCI and was potentiated in parallel with the increase in KCI concentration. The contracture had two components: an initial rapid phasic and a subsequent slow tonic contractile responses. Membrane Potentials measured at normal Ringer solution(2.5mM KCI) was -90 to -100 mV, and decreased linearly as the KCI concentration increased; -55mV at 20mM.KCI, -45mV at 30 mM.KCI, -30 mY at 50 mM.KCI, and -12 mV at 100 mM.KCI. K-contracture was evoked firstly at the membrane potential of -45 mV. The contracture was potentiated by the increase of bathing extracellular $Ca^{++}$ concentration. However, in the absence of $Ca^{++}$ the contracture was almost not induced by 50 mM.KCI solution. Caffeine(20mM) in normal Ringer solution, which is known to release $Ca^{++}$ from SR without substantial effects on the $Ca^{++}$ fluxes across the surface membrane, did not affect membrane potential and also not initiate contracture, but the caffeine in 20 mM-KCI Ringer solution produced a contracture. Above results suggest that the main $Ca^{++}$ source for the K·contracture of frog ventricle is $Ca^{++}$ influx through the voltage-dependent Ca-channel, and that in the K-contracture at the concentration of 100 mM-KCI, the mechanism of Na/ca exchange also partly contributs, in addition to the $Ca^{++}$ influx.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.20 no.10
• /
• pp.1221-1232
• /
• 2011

We investigated the toxic effects of difenoconazole on the development in the African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis. To test the toxic effects, frog embryo teratogenesis assays using Xenopus were performed. Embryos were exposed to various concentrations of difenoconazole (0-30 ${\mu}M$). $LC_{100}$ for difenoconazole was 30 ${\mu}M$, and the $LC_{50}$ determined by probit analysis was 27.19 ${\mu}M$. Exposure to difenoconazole concentrations ${\geq}$5 ${\mu}M$ resulted in 10 different types of severe external malformation. Histological examinations revealed dysplasia of the eye, heart, liver, somatic muscle, and swelling of the pronephric ducts. The tissue-specific toxic effects were investigated with an animal cap assay. Blood cells were normally induced at a high frequency by mSCF and activin A. However, the induction of blood cells was strongly inhibited by the addition of difenoconazole. Electron micrographs of tested embryos showed the degeneration of somatic muscle and the shrinkage of microvilli on pronephric duct. The gene expression of cultivated animal cap explants was investigated by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). It revealed that the expression of the blood-specific marker(${\beta}$-globin II) and muscle-specific marker (XMA) were more strongly inhibited than the neural-specific marker(XEn2) by the addition of difenoconazole.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.18 no.11
• /
• pp.1247-1259
• /
• 2009

We investigated the toxic effects of carbaryl on early embryo development in the African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis. To test the toxic effects, frog embryo teratogenesis assays using Xenopus were performed. Embryos were exposed to various concentrations of carbaryl ($5{\sim}320\;{\mu}M$). $LC_{100}$ for carbaryl was $320\;{\mu}M$, and the $LC_{50}$ determined by probit analysis was the concentration of $235.68\;{\mu}M$. Exposure to $160\;{\mu}M$ of carbaryl resulted in 10 different types of severe external malformations. Histological examination revealed dysplasia of the eyes, heart, guts, somatic muscle, dorsal, liver, blood vessel and swelling of the pronephric ducts. Malformation of neural tissue and brain was not severe even in the high dose of carbaryl. Benzidine blood stain showed distinct inhibition of inducing erythrocytes in embryos and animal cap explants. Electron micrographs of embryo revealed retinal detachment, loose photoreceptor lamella and the degeneration of sarcomeres in the carbaryl-treated group. The mitochondrial degeneration was also observed in the test group.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
• /
• v.7 no.4
• /
• pp.86-91
• /
• 1963

Crystal A and B were isolated from L. pseudo-leave Nakai and their pharmacological action was observed. Crystal A, in dose of 5 * $10^{-4}$ - 5 * $10^{-5}g/ml$, stimulated excised frog heat but at 2.5 * $10^{-6}$ - 0.5 * $10^{-5}g/ml$ of crystal B, depressant effect was observed. Mild stimulation of rhythmicity of exercised rabbit intestine was produced by 1 * $10^{-4}$ g/ml of crystal A and 2 * $10^{-4}g/ml$ of crystal B. Marked depression of tone was produced by 2 * $10^{-4}g/ml$ of crystal A, antagonizing by pilocarpine. Crystal B(4 * $10^{-4}gm/l)produced$ mild stimulation, followed by depression of tone. No curare-like action on excised frog abdominal muscle was elicited with both substances.