A hacked kitchen scale-based system for quantification of grip strength in rodents

Homolak, Jan; Virag, Davor; Kodvanj, Ivan; Matak, Ivica; Perhoč, Ana Babić; Knezović, Ana; Barilar, Jelena Osmanović; Trkulja, Vladimir; Šalković‐Petrišić, Melita

doi:10.1016/j.compbiomed.2022.105391

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Lubrication capacity was assessed with a quantitative tribometric assay described in detail in ref . Briefly, a custom-made multifunctional adapter for screening tribometry (mastPASTA) was connected to the PASTA platform , to enable the acquisition of time series data of the vertical pulling force applied to the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tubing pre-treated with collected mucus. The mucus (10 μL) was administered at the concave surface of the outer tubing and spread over the proximal ∼188.5 mm 2 with repeated ( n = 10) rotating insertions.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Altered Secretion, Constitution, and Functional Properties of the Gastrointestinal Mucus in a Rat Model of Sporadic Alzheimer’s Disease

Homolak

Busscher

Zambrano-Lucio

et al. 2023

ACS Chem. Neurosci.

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The gastrointestinal (GI) system is affected in Alzheimer's disease (AD); however, it is currently unknown whether GI alterations arise as a consequence of central nervous system (CNS) pathology or play a causal role in the pathogenesis. GI mucus is a possible mediator of GI dyshomeostasis in neurological disorders as the CNS controls mucus production and secretion via the efferent arm of the brain−gut axis. The aim was to use a brain-first model of sporadic AD induced by intracerebroventricular streptozotocin (STZ-icv; 3 mg/kg) to dissect the efferent (i.e., brain-to-gut) effects of isolated central neuropathology on the GI mucus. Morphometric analysis of goblet cell mucigen granules revealed altered GI mucus secretion in the AD model, possibly mediated by the insensitivity of AD goblet cells to neurally evoked mucosal secretion confirmed by ex vivo cholinergic stimulation of isolated duodenal rings. The dysfunctional efferent control of the GI mucus secretion results in altered biochemical composition of the mucus associated with reduced mucin glycoprotein content, aggregation, and binding capacity in vitro. Finally, functional consequences of the reduced barrier-forming capacity of the mucin-deficient AD mucus are demonstrated using the in vitro two-compartment caffeine diffusion interference model. Isolated central AD-like neuropathology results in the loss of efferent control of GI homeostasis via the brain−gut axis and is characterized by the insensitivity to neurally evoked mucosal secretion, altered mucus constitution with reduced mucin content, and reduced barrier-forming capacity, potentially increasing the susceptibility of the STZ-icv rat model of AD to GI and systemic inflammation induced by intraluminal toxins, microorganisms, and drugs.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Altered Secretion, Constitution, and Functional Properties of the Gastrointestinal Mucus in a Rat Model of Sporadic Alzheimer’s Disease

Homolak

Busscher

Zambrano-Lucio

et al. 2023

ACS Chem. Neurosci.

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“…The copyright holder for this preprint (which this version posted July 29, 2022. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.07.27.501731 doi: bioRxiv preprint sensorimotor gating in rodents [14] and later adapted for the quantification of grip strength [15] , can also be used for the assessment of tribological properties. To record forces made by friction between the concave and the convex surface of two complementary PCV tubes, the platform has to be adapted to enable a hollow PVC tube holder to be tightly attached to the bottom of the kitchen scale in a way that makes the tubes freely accessible for the administration of the dynamic and/or static tension.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The platform for acoustic startle (PASTA) is an open-source device originally developed for measuring acoustic startle and prepulse inhibition sensorimotor gating by Virag et al [14] and later repurposed for quantification of grip strength [15] . The platform consists of a hacked kitchen scale connected to a readily-available affordable controller circuit board relying on the modified HX711 integrated circuit interfaced with a microcontroller (NodeMCU ESP-32S board) that acts as a communication bridge and enables real-time data processing, visualization, and long-term storage on the computer.…”

Section: A Tribometric Adaper For Pastamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A general-purpose PASTA script (PASTAgp) [30] was used for data acquisition. For detailed instructions on how to make PASTA please see [14,15,31] .…”

Section: A Tribometric Adaper For Pastamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recently, an increase in the availability of low-cost electronics and the growing accessibility of educational material and literature on the topic encouraged many scientists to join the open-science community and work together on the development of open-source scientific instruments [11][12][13][14][15][16][17] . The open-source tools offer many advantages in comparison with the commercial instruments: i) they can usually be made with easily available equipment and on the cheap; ii) they are characterized by a flexible and modular design at the level of both software and hardware which makes them easily adaptable to a wide variety of specific usecase scenarios; iii) they are supported by a growing community of researchers passionate about what they are doing.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Proposal of a simple open-source quantitative tribometric assay and its implementation for the assessment of the effects of redox-related alterations on the lubrication capacity of a commercial water-based lubricant gel

Homolak

2022

Preprint

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Background: Understanding molecular and biochemical mechanisms affecting biotribological properties of tissues, biological fluids, and drugs may accelerate the invention of novel drug formulations and targets and facilitate the discovery of etiopathogenetic mechanisms. Unfortunately, biotribometric equipment is expensive and unaffordable. The first aim was to assess whether PASTA, an open-source platform based on a hacked kitchen scale, can be adapted for the analysis of biotribometric properties. The second aim was to demonstrate the use of PASTA by studying the effects of oxidation on the lubricating properties of the commercial water-based lubricant. Methods: The PASTA platform was adapted using a custom-made tribometric adapter attached to the bottom of the hacked kitchen scale connected to a computer via the NodeMCU ESP-32S. A commercial water-based lubricant was oxidized with 2,2'-azobis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride and/or protected against oxidation with glutathione. The samples were analyzed using a simple tribometric assay with the PASTA platform and the ORP-146S redox microsensor. Results: A mastPASTA custom-made adapter enables the use of PASTA for reliable quantitative tribometric studies. Oxidation of the commercial water-based lubricant does not reduce its lubrication capacity, however, the addition of the antioxidant glutathione protects against the loss of its lubrication capacity upon exposure to air by a redox-unrelated mechanism. Conclusion: PASTA can easily be adapted for studying tribological properties. The effects of the addition of antioxidants to water-based vaginal lubricants should be explored as a possible way to enhance durability and efficacy and increase their health benefits.

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The Absence of Gastrointestinal Redox Dyshomeostasis in the Brain-First Rat Model of Parkinson’s Disease Induced by Bilateral Intrastriatal 6-Hydroxydopamine

Homolak,

Joja,

Grabaric

et al. 2024

Mol Neurobiol

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The gut-brain axis plays an important role in Parkinson’s disease (PD) by acting as a route for vagal propagation of aggregated α-synuclein in the gut-first endophenotype and as a mediator of gastrointestinal dyshomeostasis via the nigro-vagal pathway in the brain-first endophenotype of the disease. One important mechanism by which the gut-brain axis may promote PD is by regulating gastrointestinal redox homeostasis as overwhelming evidence suggests that oxidative stress plays a key role in the etiopathogenesis and progression of PD and the gastrointestinal tract maintains redox homeostasis of the organism by acting as a critical barrier to environmental and microbiological electrophilic challenges. The present aim was to utilize the bilateral intrastriatal 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) brain-first PD model to study the effects of isolated central pathology on redox homeostasis of the gastrointestinal tract. Three-month-old male Wistar rats were either not treated (intact controls; CTR) or treated bilaterally intrastriatally with vehicle (CIS) or 6-OHDA (6-OHDA). Motor deficits were assessed with the rotarod performance test, and the duodenum, ileum, and colon were dissected for biochemical analyses 12 weeks after the treatment. Lipid peroxidation, total antioxidant capacity, low-molecular-weight thiols, and protein sulfhydryls, the activity of total and Mn/Fe superoxide dismutases, and total and azide-insensitive catalase/peroxidase were measured. Both univariate and multivariate models analyzing redox biomarkers indicate that significant disturbances in gastrointestinal redox balance are not present. The findings demonstrate that motor impairment observed in the brain-first 6-OHDA model of PD can occur without concurrent redox imbalances in the gastrointestinal system.

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A hacked kitchen scale-based system for quantification of grip strength in rodents

Cited by 7 publications

References 29 publications

Altered Secretion, Constitution, and Functional Properties of the Gastrointestinal Mucus in a Rat Model of Sporadic Alzheimer’s Disease

Altered Secretion, Constitution, and Functional Properties of the Gastrointestinal Mucus in a Rat Model of Sporadic Alzheimer’s Disease

Proposal of a simple open-source quantitative tribometric assay and its implementation for the assessment of the effects of redox-related alterations on the lubrication capacity of a commercial water-based lubricant gel

The Absence of Gastrointestinal Redox Dyshomeostasis in the Brain-First Rat Model of Parkinson’s Disease Induced by Bilateral Intrastriatal 6-Hydroxydopamine

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