Understanding the Angiogenesis during Regeneration of Earthworms

Abstract

xi newlineABSTRACT newlineEarthworms constitute the most prevalent soil animal worldwide, occurring in a wide range of newlineecosystems that support the sustainability of agroecosystems. There are approximately 4500 newlineearthworm species in the world. The geographic diversity of various species in soil led to the newlineattention of epigeic earthworms, since they provide a great supply for vermicomposting. newlineFurthermore, earthworms exhibit a remarkable capacity for regeneration that differs among newlinespecies. Here, the epigeic earthworm Eudrilus eugeniae, indigenous to Africa were taken for the newlinestudy as they are environmentally and economically important. newlineIn recent times, there has been extensive research on the natural monoterpene geraniol as a newlinepossible treatment for several malignancies and disorders associated to inflammation. In newlineparticular, geraniol exhibits strong antiangiogenic activity, which is beneficial in cancer newlinetreatments as it inhibits the formation of blood vessels in primary malignancies and their newlineexpansions. Further, the present study aims to provide anti-angiogenic property of geraniol in newlineregenerating earthworms. Blood vessel development is one of the most prominent steps in newlineregenerative medicine. Developing blood vessels from the preexisting blood vessels is vital for newlinethe growth of the organism and for the methodical process of wound healing and repair. newlineIn this study, we examined the function of angiogenesis during the regeneration process utilizing newlinethe earthworm, Eudrilus eugeniae as an animal model. Concisely, the morphological analysis of newlineblood vessels in juvenile and mature earthworms, as well as the development of new blood newlinevessels in regenerating blastema, were documented. However, juvenile earthworms are very newlinedifficult to examine morphologically due to their smaller size. Here, we employed a foldscope (a newlinexii newlinepaper-microscope) which was a perfect tool for studying angiogenesis and regeneration ability in newlineearthworms precisely.