Home - johndempster/OBSIM GitHub Wiki

The OBSIM program simulates a classical, in vitro, pharmacological experiment using one of four different types of tissue: guinea pig ileum, rabbit jejunum, chick biventer cervisis, rat artery.

In vitro, pharmacological experiments on isolated organs or tissues provide a means of discovering or quantifying the effects of drugs on specific tissues before their application in humans or in living animals. The properties of most drugs currently in use were elucidated using this method and, in vitro, experiments continue to be an essential stage in the drug discovery process.

Tissues Types

Four types of tissue are available for study:

Guinea pig ileum: The guinea pig ileum is a section cut from the ileum region of a guinea pig’s gastrointestinal tract. The smooth muscle within the ileum contracts in response to the application of a variety of agonists. It also has nerves within it which can be electrically stimulated to produce contraction.

Chick biventer cervicis: The chick biventer cervicis is a skeletal muscle from the neck of a young chicken. It is dissected out with the nerve which innervates it intact. It can be made to contract by the application of agonists or by electrical stimulation of its nerve.

Rabbit arterial ring: The rabbit arterial ring is a section cut from a rabbit artery and attached to a force transducer. It can be made to contract by the application of either KCL or the agonist noradrenaline. The artery can be made to relax again by applying a number of antagonists.

Rabbit jejunum: The rabbit jejunum (Finkleman's preparation) is a section cut from the jejunum region of a rabbit’s gastrointestinal tract. It contracts spontaneously and these contractions can be inhibited by the application of adrenergic agonists or by stimulation of the sympathetic nerve supply.