Studying the Effect of Pesticides on Caenorhabditis elegans Neurons

Begin with an agar plate containing transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans expressing green fluorescent proteins or GFPs in their neurons.

Add sterile water to the plate, swirl it to lift the worms, and transfer them to a tube.

Allow the worms to settle, then remove the excess water and resuspend them.

Transfer the resuspended worms to a pesticide-coated plate and a control plate without pesticide, then incubate.

Based on their actions, the pesticide specifically damages certain neurons and causes neuronal swelling, decreasing GFP expression.

Transfer the worms onto an agarose pad that contains an anesthetic agent, then place a coverslip.

Mount the slide on a fluorescent microscope. First, visualize the worms using phase-contrast mode, then switch to fluorescence mode.

In pesticide-treated worms, neurons exhibit reduced fluorescence, swollen somas, and gaps in neuronal processes, indicating neurodegenerative effects.

While in control, healthy neurons show intact soma with bright fluorescence.