Establishing C. elegans as a Model for Studying the Bioeffects of Therapeutic Ultrasound

Ultrasound is widely used in diagnostic and therapeutic medical procedures and it is becoming an important tool in biomedical research. During exposure, as an ultrasound beam interacts with the tissues in its path, changes known as “bioeffects” can result. Animal studies have suggested that these changes can alter survival, movement, reproduction, development and learning in various species. Additional studies in animals could provide valuable information about the mechanisms of therapeutic ultrasound and may contribute to the development of additional exciting laboratory techniques. Therefore, we developed methods for exposing C. elegans nematode worms to ultrasound and observed that they exhibited exposure-dependent reductions in movement, fecundity and survival. These effects were prevented by polyvinyl alcohol, which suggested that cavitation was the main mechanism of damage. This work provides a foundation for capitalizing on the advantages of C. elegans as a model to thoroughly characterize ultrasound's bioeffects at the cellular and molecular levels.