Tadpoles that can survive without breathing. This has been the result of the experiment after injecting green algae and cyanobacteria into the brains of African clawed frog ( Xenopus laevis ) tadpoles. Scientists at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich found that this combination brought the oxygen-starved neurons of the tadpoles back to life, almost as if it were an internal cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
With each heartbeat, the algae moved through the blood vessels to the brain, turning the translucent tadpole a brilliant green. When exposed to light, the algae pumped oxygen into nearby cells, similar to the process of photosynthesis.
“The algae actually produced so much oxygen that it could bring nerve cells back to life, so to speak. For many people, it sounds like science fiction, but after all, it is the perfect combination of biological schematics and biological principles, ”explains Hans Straka, leader of the study that publishes the journal iScience.
Breathing with algae in the bloodstream
Analysis of the creatures showed that the tadpoles’ brains exhibited an increase in local oxygen when green algae or cyanobacteria were present and photosynthesized under the light. The most surprising came when the tadpoles were deprived of oxygen until their neurons were silenced and the microorganisms in their brains were able to restart the system and rescue neuronal activity, surviving in conditions of lack of oxygen; that is, they did not need to breathe to live.
Specifically, lighting the tadpole’s head restarted neural activity in 15 to 20 minutes. The revived nerves also performed as well or even better than before oxygen depletion, showing that the researchers’ method was quick and efficient.
“In the future, phototrophic microorganisms could provide a novel means of directly increasing oxygen levels in the brain in a controlled manner under particular ecophysiological conditions or after pathological deficiencies,” the authors write.
“We were able to show the proof-of-principle experiment with this method. It was incredibly reliable and robust, and in my opinion, a beautiful approach , ”says Straka. Achieving this does not really mean that you can apply it, but it is the first step to start other studies .
This proof of concept could, in the future, save the lives of stroke patients or in oxygen-deficient environments, such as underwater and at high altitudes.
Straka also anticipates that his research will benefit other laboratories working with isolated tissues or organoids. The introduction of oxygen-producing algae could help these tissues thrive and increase their survival rates , potentially reducing the need for live animals for experiments.
The next step will be to see if the injected algae can survive inside the live tadpoles and continue oxygen production without causing an immune response that wreaks havoc on the animals.
Referencia: Green oxygen power plants in the brain rescue neuronal activity. Green oxygen power plants in the brain rescue neuronal activity. iScience, 2021 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103158
