Influence of clinorotation and fettering stress on tail regeneration of triturus vulgaris (urodela)

• Published in: Advances in space research 1998-01, Vol.21 (8), p.1159-1162
• Main Authors: Anton, H.J., Grigoryan, E.N., Krupp-Beyerlein, K., Pitzer, H., Mitashov, V.I.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amputation; Animals; Gravitation; Immobilization - physiology; Regeneration; Rotation; Space life sciences; Stress, Physiological; Tail - physiology; Triturus; Weightlessness Simulation
• ISSN: 0273-1177; 1879-1948
• DOI: 10.1016/S0273-1177(97)00206-8

Tail-amputated adult Triturus vulgaris, fettered in cuvettes of a fast-rotating clinostat were exposed to simulated weightlessness (60 rpm; equiv. to 10 −3–10 −4g), during a 14-day period. To feed and clean the animals rotation was stopped once a day for approx. 10 min. To test the influence of the fettering stress, a second series of animals was kept separately under normal earth conditions without rotation. A further control series was kept in a dark container without any handicap. While tail regeneration of the rotated animals was markedly accelerated, the fettered-only animals showed a considerably less marked acceleration effect. At the end of the 14-day period, all regenerates were reamputated together with an additional 5 mm of the tail stump. Although this second level of amputation was distant from the first, the regenerative growth rate of the rotated series was accelerated 123% in contrast to both the control and the fettered-only series. Our results demonstrate that the growth acceleration is induced by clinorotation. Fettering stress has no comparable influence. The growth promoting effect is not limited to the regenerating area.