The effects of cocaine on sialyltranaferase levels in rat skeletal muscle
Start Date
August 2025
End Date
August 2025
Location
ALT 302
Abstract
Cocaine is a highly addictive drug that is rapidly becoming more popular and has been shown to cause skeletal muscle damage with no treatment. There is currently no research about the effects cocaine has on sialic acid, a sugar that is found on the terminal end of sugar chains and is attached to skeletal muscle cells. Sialic acid has been linked to muscle degeneration because of its crucial role in stability, regeneration, and cell-to-cell recognition in skeletal muscles. This study aimed to investigate the effects cocaine has on sialylation by investigating the enzyme sialyltransferase, which is responsible for adding sialic acid to skeletal muscle. We compared rats that self-administered cocaine to rats that self-administered saline. The rats' soleus and gastrocnemius were then used to perform a Western Blot to study the protein sialyltransferase levels. The primary antibody, ST6GALNAC4, was used to bind to the sialyltransferase enzyme, and the Goat Anti-Rabbit, a secondary antibody, was used to fluorescently tag the primary. The membrane with the antibodies was then imaged and quantified using ImageJ. Although the fluorescent intensity was slightly higher in the rats who had been administered cocaine, there was no significant difference between the sialyltransferase concentration in cocaine and saline rats. This study shows that more research needs to be done involving the effects of cocaine and its negative impacts on skeletal muscle.
The effects of cocaine on sialyltranaferase levels in rat skeletal muscle
ALT 302
Cocaine is a highly addictive drug that is rapidly becoming more popular and has been shown to cause skeletal muscle damage with no treatment. There is currently no research about the effects cocaine has on sialic acid, a sugar that is found on the terminal end of sugar chains and is attached to skeletal muscle cells. Sialic acid has been linked to muscle degeneration because of its crucial role in stability, regeneration, and cell-to-cell recognition in skeletal muscles. This study aimed to investigate the effects cocaine has on sialylation by investigating the enzyme sialyltransferase, which is responsible for adding sialic acid to skeletal muscle. We compared rats that self-administered cocaine to rats that self-administered saline. The rats' soleus and gastrocnemius were then used to perform a Western Blot to study the protein sialyltransferase levels. The primary antibody, ST6GALNAC4, was used to bind to the sialyltransferase enzyme, and the Goat Anti-Rabbit, a secondary antibody, was used to fluorescently tag the primary. The membrane with the antibodies was then imaged and quantified using ImageJ. Although the fluorescent intensity was slightly higher in the rats who had been administered cocaine, there was no significant difference between the sialyltransferase concentration in cocaine and saline rats. This study shows that more research needs to be done involving the effects of cocaine and its negative impacts on skeletal muscle.
