M. Alvarado Resendiz1,2, R. Cheddadi1,2, V. Yeramilli1,2, R. Cabral1,2, C. Martin1,2 1The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Birmingham, AL, USA 2The University Of Alabama at Birmingham, Department Of Surgery, Birmingham, AL, USA 3The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Division Of Pediatric Surgery, Birmingham, AL, USA
Introduction: Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) is a life-threatening illness that affects the developing gastrointestinal system via an inflammatory response of their premature gut. Despite a large body of work, the etiology of NEC is not understood. Our lab and others have established that maternal stress alters neonatal gut development, however experimental models are lacking. The nematode C. Elegans is an ideal model organism for gut development and is responsive to environmental stress. The effect of
multiple environmental stressors on C. Elegans development is not known. The aim of the present study is to determine the effect of heat stress and the stress hormone cortisol exposure on C. Elegans development.
Methods: N2 (Wild type) C. Elegans were grown and maintained under standard conditions and synchronized to a starting juvenile (L2) stage. 30 worms were then transferred and maintained at either 20°C, 25°C, and 35°C and were either treated with the stress hormone cortisol or vehicle. Survival was then measured by daily worm counts for 7 days. Death was determined by gently touching immobile worms with a sterilized wire to see if they reacted. Locomotion was also measured by counting the density of worm tracts in the agar plates among groups.
Results:We found that a statistically significant number of worms (p < .05) survived that were treated with both heat stress and cortisol in comparison to the group that was just subjected to heat stress in the 25°C group. This suggests that cortisol protects the nematodes from heat stress. However, all worms in the 35°C experiment were deemed to be deceased. While analyzing pictures taken from the center of the worm plates in the 35°C group, it was found that there was a significant difference in the number of worm tracks counted on each plate. With 13 tracks on the 35°C and cortisol group, 69 tracks on the 35°C, and 233 tracks for the control group at 20°C. This suggests that both heat and cortisol had an effect on worm locomotion and caused the worms to move less, (p < .05).
Conclusion:This study investigated the relationship between multiple environmental stressors and the impact it has on the model animal organism, C. elegans. It was found that cortisol offers C. elegans a protective effect when subjected to temperatures outside of their normal living conditions. These results provide evidence that C. Elegans is responsive to multiple environmental stressors. Future studies will seek to understand the mechanism responsible for this phenotype and the effect on gut development.