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A semi‐lunar periodicity of neurotransmitter‐like substances from plants
Physiologia Plantarum
Abstract
Cardioacceleratory activity was found in ethanolic extracts of the leaves of Coleus blumei (Benth, var. verschaffeltii), Phaseolus vulgaris L., and Philodendron (Schott) sagittifolium. The cardioacceleratory activity fluctuated considerably from day to day and from sample to sample but displayed a consistent tendency to drop to very low levels shortly after full moon and new moon. The tendency to fall to low levels at semi-lunar intervals is compared with similar findings in cockroach, mouse and human blood and complementary findings in cockroach nervous tissue.
... 21). Rounds (22) reported on a semilunar rhythm in the concentration of a neurotransmitter-like substance in plants grown in the laboratory, while Abrami (1) mentioned a correlation between lunar phases and plants grown in the field. Graviou (15) proposed a lunar modulation of plant function and Brown et al. (8) reported on monthly cycles in an organism held in constant conditions. ...
Water uptake of seeds of Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv Limburg was monitored in a controlled atmosphere every day at solar noon for a period of 2 years. The imbibition rate, determined as the mean of five replicas, was related to the lunar cycle, maximal water uptake occurring between the new phases of the cycle. The monthly mean value of imbibition rate, calculated from the daily measurements, displayed a circannual rhythm reaching maximal values in August-September and minimal values in February-March. These monthly values were positively correlated with the mean of the maximal temperatures recorded daily outside.
The ‘hormone’ idea is based on a peculiarly chemical notion of substance and time. Although the chemical view of substance is advanced, its view of time is primitive compared to that of physics. This leads to considerable difficulties when applied to oscillatory systems, such as the nutating hypocotyl. There is evidence of involvement of a wide range of oscillatory systems in plants. In considering the properties of such systems, the possibility of physiological signals based on frequency becomes apparent. Some implications of this possibility for both theory and experimental programmes are discussed.
1. Rate of water uptake by bean seeds during the initial four hours displays a significant quarterly lunar variation.2. Under what appear to be minimally distrubed environmental conditions relative to environmental electromagnetic fields, maximum rates tend to occur close to new and full moon and the moon's quarters.3. One or more of the quarterly cycles may undergo periods of inversion either apparently "spontaneously" or in response to such experimentally altered environmental conditions as those found within a walk-in constant-temperature chamber, or effected by very slow uniform rotation.4. The character of an interaction between vessels of beans located close to one another displays a synodic monthly variation. A maximum in interaction-induced negative correlation between two samples occurs 4 to 5 days after full moon, and in positive, 4 to 5 days after new moon.5. These results give further support for the hypothesis that living systems can exist in either of two states, + and - with respect to thei...
1. The ionic composition of the blood of insects, unlike that of vertebrates and most other invertebrates, shows a wide range of values, especially in regard to the physiologically important ions of sodium and potassium.
2. Preparations are described in which the effect of potassium on the active nerve and muscle properties of Locusta migratoria have been investigated.
3. The nerve axons are depolarized by high concentrations of potassium ions in the same way as vertebrate and crustacean axons.
4. The whole nervous system is surrounded by a sheath which is an effective barrier to the diffusion of potassium ions.
5. The muscle-fibre membrane is also depolarized by high concentrations of potassium ions in a similar way to muscle-fibre membranes of other animals which have been previously investigated.
6. The tracheolated membranes surrounding the muscles, and the close arrangement of the constituent fibres, delay the passage of potassium ions through the muscles.
7. It is predicted that the mechanical properties of the muscles of a herbivorous insect will be found to be subject to fairly marked changes if the blood potassium rises or falls to an appreciable extent.
1.1. Midday ethanol extracts of cockroach nervous tissues were made and assayed for cardio-acceleratory activity.2.2. Extracts were made of supraesophageal, subesophageal, first thoracic and the last four abdominal ganglia.3.3. Extract activity appeared to reach peak levels in relation to full and new moon with the subesophageal ganglion extracts showing the most pronounced relationship.4.4. These lunar-related highs of activity extractable from nervous tissue seem to correspond to lunar-related haemolymph (and blood) lows reported earlier for cockroaches (and mice and humans).
1.1. Saline extracts of various portions of the cockroach nerve cord were assayed on the isolated heart which had been pretreated with either atropine, eserine or picrotoxin.2.2. The activities of extracts of the supraesophageal, subesophageal and thoracic ganglia were reduced by atropine pretreatment of the heart, while they were potentiated by eserine pretreatment.3.3. The activities of extracts of the abdominal ganglia, however, were potentiated by atropine pretreatment of the heart and reduced by eserine pretreatment.4.4. The results of pretreatment with picrotoxin were qualitatively similar to those obtained with atropine.5.5. The results seem to indicate the presence in the extracts of cholinergic and non-cholinergic cardioacceleratory substances as well as a cholinergic inhibitory substance.
1.1. Nervous tissue extracts were assayed on dibenamine and dichloroisopropylnoradrenaline blocked hearts.2.2. The cardio-acceleratory activity of all extracts was reduced to a similar extent by both of these agents.3.3. Nervous tissue extracts of both active and inactive cockroaches were assayed on dibenamine and atropine blocked hearts.4.4. The cardio-acceleratory activity of unblocked extracts of supra-oesophageal and thoracic ganglia from active animals varied significantly from that of inactive animals. Atropine blocked extracts from supra-oesophageal and suboesophageal ganglia, and dibenamine blocked extracts of all ganglia from active animals, varied significantly from those of inactive animals.5.5. The results seem to implicate both cholinergic and adrenergic substances in the mediation of motor activity.
An effort has been made here to devise criteria allowing discrimination between neurotransmitters, modulators and mediators. However, after consideration of several technical pitfalls in studies of these criteria, and examination of the properties of two examples of neuroactive agents (norepinephrine and endorphins) often referred to as "modulators", it is still difficult to classify these agents in all cases. Thus, in most central targets where NE-fibers are known to terminate, the synaptic actions of NE appear to have properties of both a neuromodulator and a neurotransmitter. Although much more research needs to be pursued, the opioid peptides may be neuromodulators for some neurons (spinal cord neurons) and neurotransmitters for others (myenteric plexus and spinal cord neurons). It may be that classification of such peptide agonists will need to be done on a cell-by-cell basis, with the endogenous peptides subserving a multi-faceted role in central and peripheral neuronal communication. As more and more endogenous ligands and transmitter-like substances are extracted from brain, it begins to appear that the language of neuronal communication is much richer than originally imagined from responses of spinal neurons to the fast-acting classical neurotransmitters. Indeed, it may evolve that the "deviant" forms of communication or transmission are more the rule than the exception. In the final analysis, each neurotransmitter may possess its own "fingerprint" of holistic actions attesting to the unique individuality of neuron types and their neurotransmitters. Such individualities might be expected to accomplish more sophisticated integrative operations, and hence behaviors, than could simple rapid "yes" or "no" messages.
Midday ethanol extracts of the blood of stressed and unstressed adult male American cockroaches, laboratory mice and humans were assayed for cardioacceleratory activity. The cardioacceleratory activity detected varied in a manner which could be related to the phases of the Moon. The cardioacceleratory activity in the blood of unstressed animals dropped to zero approximately 2 days after full and new moons. The cardioacceleratory activity in the blood of stressed animals rose to very high levels 2 days after full and new moons. In both cases, cardioacceleratory activity returned to normal levels the following day. Cardioacceleratory activity was also found at night. The cardioacceleratory activity present in the blood from unstressed animals during their inactive period was blocked by the serotonin blocking agent parachlorophenylalanine. The cardioacceleratory activity present in the blood of unstressed animals during their active period was blocked by the cholinergic blocking agent atropine. The cardioacceleratory activity present in the blood of stressed animals during active and inactive periods was blocked by the adrenergic blocking agent dibenamine.
Excerpt
A biological rhythm may be defined as lunar periodicity if the maxima and minima of the rhythmical process appear once or twice in every lunar month at the same time, that is, at the time of a certain moon-phase, or, in other words, if they follow each other periodically in distances of about 30 (precisely 29.53) or 15 (precisely 14.77) days.
Up to now many cases have been found in field studies, as well by occasional observations as by statistical treatment of repeated observations. Many lunar periodic processes are connected with reproduction. Some examples may be given here: In the Pacific and the Atlantic Palolo-worm (Eunice viridis and E. fucata) the mature epitoc parts swarm, according to observations of many years, almost exclusively during a few nights while the moon is in its last quarter [1, 2]. In the Chironomid Clunio marinus hatching of the imago takes place only within...
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