https://sputnikglobe.com/20230423/scientists-discover-junkie-worms-crave-in-similar-way-to-humans-1109773523.html
Scientists Discover Junkie Worms Crave in Similar Way to Humans
Scientists Discover Junkie Worms Crave in Similar Way to Humans
Sputnik International
The research, however strange it may seem, has important implications for human health as the worms' reaction replicates that of humans. Worms may now be used for drug testing – and that’s what it is all about.
2023-04-23T12:00+0000
2023-04-23T12:00+0000
2023-04-23T12:00+0000
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Worms (C. elegans type) become eager to eat high-calorie food after consuming cannabis, replicating the same behavioral pattern observed in humans, research published in the peer-reviewed journal Current Biology has revealed.Cannabinoids do their job by interacting with so-called receptors – the proteins in the brain and nervous system. Some cannabinoids are naturally present in the body – that’s why these receptors exist - and they play an important role, including appetite regulation and even reproduction.For the sake of science, researchers bathed worms in anandamide – a biological fluid that is considered to be a bodily-produced cannabinoid. After that, scientists observed the feeding of these worms and were able to document a stronger preference for high-calorie food. Shawn Lockery, co-author of the study and a professor of biology and neuroscience at the University of Oregon, told British media: “this increase in existing preference is analogous to eating more of the foods you would crave anyway. It’s like choosing pizza versus oatmeal.”However, the research was carried out not only to satiate scientists’ curiosity about the behavior of drugged worms. The paper alleges that this similarity between humans and worms can be used for medical purposes – the tiny mindless creatures will become a part of human drug testing.As Lockery stated, “the fact that the human cannabinoid receptor gene is functional in C. elegans food-choice experiments sets the stage for rapid and inexpensive screening for drugs that target a wide variety of proteins involved in cannabinoid signaling and metabolism, with profound implications for human health.”
https://sputnikglobe.com/20221124/rodent-munchies-rats-blamed-for-missing-cannabis-in-indian-police-warehouse-1104662876.html
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scientific research, humans, worms, cannabis, junk food
scientific research, humans, worms, cannabis, junk food
Scientists Discover Junkie Worms Crave in Similar Way to Humans
The research, however strange it may seem, has important implications for human health as the worms' reaction replicates that of humans. Worms may now be used for drug testing – and that’s what it is all about.
Worms (
C. elegans type) become eager to eat high-calorie food after consuming cannabis, replicating the same behavioral pattern observed in humans, research
published in the peer-reviewed journal Current Biology has revealed.
Cannabinoids do their job by interacting with so-called receptors – the proteins in the brain and nervous system. Some cannabinoids are naturally present in the body – that’s why these receptors exist - and they play an important role, including appetite regulation and even reproduction.
For the sake of science, researchers bathed worms in anandamide – a biological fluid that is considered to be a bodily-produced cannabinoid. After that, scientists observed the feeding of these worms and were able to document a stronger preference for high-calorie food.
24 November 2022, 16:22 GMT
Shawn Lockery, co-author of the study and a professor of biology and neuroscience at the University of Oregon, told British media: “this increase in existing preference is analogous to eating more of the foods you would crave anyway. It’s like choosing pizza versus oatmeal.”
However, the research was carried out not only to satiate scientists’ curiosity about the behavior of drugged worms. The paper alleges that this similarity between humans and worms can be used for medical purposes – the tiny mindless creatures will become a part of human drug testing.
As Lockery stated, “the fact that the human cannabinoid receptor gene is functional in C. elegans food-choice experiments sets the stage for rapid and inexpensive screening for drugs that target a wide variety of proteins involved in cannabinoid signaling and metabolism, with profound implications for human health.”
