Author(s): Tia Dudley, Ty Erickson
Mentor(s): Matthew Weeg, Mary Jo Tufte
Institution SUU
MS-222, also known as tricaine methanesulfonate, is the one of the most commonly used anesthetics and euthanasia agents in aquaculture and within the research community. Previous studies conducted on fish have indicated that MS-222 may have a potential impact on the cardiac functioning of various organisms. These documented effects highlight MS-222 as a potential confounding factor in studies of the cardiovascular system in organisms to which it is applied. Little evidence exists about the effects of MS-222 on the cardiac function of amphibians, including leopard frogs (Rana pipiens). This study aimed to investigate the effect of MS-222 on the cardiovascular system in leopard frogs. It examined how various doses of MS-222 affect the vascular response to epinephrine, a well studied compound that causes vasoconstriction. The leopard frogs were anesthetized with varying concentrations of MS-222. After anesthetized frogs had epinephrine applied to exposed blood vessels, the vessels were measured using ImageJ software. This program was used to monitor the changes in blood vessel diameter at one-minute intervals after application of epinephrine. Preliminary results suggest that MS-222 may depress cardiac function and vascular reactivity. Specifically, the vasoconstrictive effect of the epinephrine was reduced in the frogs who were anesthetized with higher concentrations of MS-222. These findings have important implications and highlight the potential for MS-222 to influence the effectiveness of the cardiovascular system and the future use of MS-222 in studies involving cardiovascular physiology. Further studies are needed to better understand the underlying mechanism by which MS-222 affects cardiovascular activity and its implications in research with amphibians.