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A Zoological Example on Ultra High Dilution Research. Energetic Coupling Between the Dilution and the Organism in a Model of Amphibia

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Ultra High Dilution

Summary

The present studies investigate the influence of extremely dilute thyroxine on the climbing activity of juvenile highland frogs and on two transitions in the metamorphosis of these animals.

The highly diluted thyroxine (10-30, 1.125 × 10-30M, “D30”) to a small but statistically significant extent slows down the climbing activity of juvenile frogs, when once added dropwise to the aquaria water at the juvenile stage. It is also demonstrated that this dilution slows down climbing activity, when sealed in hardglass vials that were hung into the aquaria, without direct contact between the dilution and the organisms. In the experiments, water, analogously prepared and applied, was used as control.

It was further shown that preclimax metamorphosis (the transition from the two-legged to the four-legged tadpole) can be influenced by the test dilution in two typical ways: if the dilution was added at intervals of 48 hours from the two-legged stage on, it caused an inhibition of the observed transition. If the same dilution was added at intervals of only 8 hours from the two-legged stage on, it caused an acceleration of the very transition.

Further, when the dilution was added during and after preclimax metamorphosis at intervals of 48 hours, it also slowed down postclimax metamorphosis (the transition from the four-legged, tailed tadpole to the juvenile frog), expressed in terms of climbing activity; and when it was added at intervals of 8 hours, it also accelerated postclimax metamorphosis.

The method of constant indirect application, where the dilution was sealed in glass vials, showed an intermediate effect between the dropwise application at intervals of 48 hours and dropwise application at intervals of 8 hours: when constant indirect application was used, preclimax metamorphosis was slowed down and postclimax metamorphosis was accelerated.

Although the different protocols were applied in different experiments, the reproducability of several protocols by different researchers, even in different laboratories, suggests that the effect of extremely diluted thyroxine depends (1) on the stage of development where the first addition takes place, (2) on the frequency of application and (3) on the type of application.

Zusammenfassung

Die hier vorgestellten Studien untersuchen den Einfluß von extrem verdünntem Thyroxin auf die Kletteraktivität juveniler Hochlandfrösche und auf zwei Übergänge in der Metamorphose dieser Tiere.

Das hochverdünnte Hormon Thyroxin (10-30, 1.125 × 10-30 M, “D30”) verlangsamt die Kletteraktivität juveniler Frösche zu einem geringen, aber statistisch signifikanten Grad wenn es im Juvenilstadium einmalig tropfenweise dem Aquarienwasser zugesetzt wird. Es wird auch gezeigt, daß diese Verdünnung die Kletteraktivität verlangsamt, wenn sie in Hartglas-Phiolen versiegelt ist, die, ohne direkten Kontakt zwischen der Verdünnung und den Organismen, ins Aquarienwasser gehängt wurden. In den Experimenten wurde analog zubereitetes und zugegebenes Wasser als Kontrolle verwendet.

Weiters wurde gezeigt, daß die Präklimax-Metamorphose (der Übergang von der zwei beinigen zur vierbeinigen Kaulquappe) durch die Testverdünnung auf zwei typische Arten beeinflußt werden kann: wenn die Verdünnung vom Zweibeinstadium an in Abstän den von 48 Stunden zugegeben wurde, bewirkte sie eine Hemmung des beobachteten Überganges. Wenn diese Verdünnung vom Zweibeinstadium an in Abständen von nur 8 Stunden zugegeben wurde, bewirkte sie eine Beschleunigung ebendieses Überganges.

Wenn, weiters, die Verdünnung während und nach der Präklimax-Metamorphose zugege ben wurde, verlangsamte sie auch die Postklimax-Metamorphose (den Übergang von der vierbeinigen, geschwänzten Kaulquappe zum juvenilen Frosch), wie sie sich durch die Kletteraktivität ausdrückt; und wenn sie in Abständen von 8 Stunden zugegeben wird, be schleunigt sie auch die Postklimax-Metamorphose.

Die Methode der konstanten indirekten Applikation, bei der die Verdünnung in Glas phiolen versiegelt war, ergab einen zwischen den Wirkungen von tropfenweiser Zugabe in Abständen von 48 Stunden und tropfenweiser Zugabe in Abständen von 8 Stunden liegen den Effekt: wurde die konstante indirekte Applikation verwendet, wurde die Präklimax-Metamorphose verlangsamt und die Postklimax-Metamorphose beschleunigt.

Obwohl die verschiedenen Protokolle in unterschiedlichen Experimenten angewendet wurden, deutet die Reproduzierbarkeit einzelner Protokolle durch mehrere unabhängige Forscher, ja sogar in verschiedenen Labors, darauf hin, daß die Wirkung von extrem ver dünntem Thyroxin (1) vom Entwicklungsstadium, in dem die erste Zugabe erfolgt, (2) von der Häufigkeit der Zugabe und (3) vom Typ der Zugabe abhängt.

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Endler, P.C. et al. (1994). A Zoological Example on Ultra High Dilution Research. Energetic Coupling Between the Dilution and the Organism in a Model of Amphibia. In: Endler, P.C., Schulte, J. (eds) Ultra High Dilution. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-8342-8_6

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