Boyds in vitro experiment and other related experiments

Boyd s in vitro experiment and other related experiments 

We repeated and extended a part of Boyd s experiments using modem techniques and instrumentation facilities. We used two different potentized drugs, namely Mercuric chloride 30 and Mercuric iodide 30, and prepared them both in double distilled water and the usual medium of 90% ethanol. The purpose was to see whether the metal ion or the halide ion could play any individual role in altering the enzyme activity. The efficacy of the two media, water and aqueous ethanol, was also tested by these experiments. It is the experience of homeopathic physicians and pharmacists that potentized homeopathic drags prepared in aqueous ethanol keep their activity for a pretty long time. We wanted to test whether the pure aqueous preparation of a homeopathic potency could keep its activity as long as the hydrated 

Based on previous works on Homeopathy we have hypothesized that the primary target of a homeopathic potency in an organism is the water-channel protein or aquaporin (Sukul and Sukul, 2001). Aquaporins occur in all life forms and facilitate permeation of water across biological membranes. We have discussed in details about the structure and function of aquaporins and their relation to health and disease in chapter IV. There are several types of aquaporins (AQP) and one type AQP1 occurs abundantly in red blood cells of vertebrates. If the primary target of a homeopathic potency is aquaporin, application of a homeopathic potency on cell membranes would affect water flow into the cells. In order to test this hypothesis we treated red blood cells of a fresh water fish (Clarius batrachus) with Mercuric chloride 30 (Merc cor 30) and Nux vomica 30 (Nux vom 30) separately in a hypotonic medium. In the control red cells were treated with Ethanol 30. The diluent medium in all the three potencies consisted of 90% ethanol and 10% distilled water. 

Erythrocytes from ethanol-injected fish permeated more water than those from normal fish. Water permeation was significantly enhanced with Merc cor 30 and Nux vom 30 as compared to the control. RBCs from fish pretreated with Nux vom 30 inbibed more water in in vitro treatments than those from fish pre-treated with Ethanol 30. Since aquaporins are mainly responsible for water transport through the plasma membrane of red blood cells it is thought that potentized drugs such as Merc cor 30 and Nux vom 30 acted upon these proteins and facilitated water influx into the cells (Sukul et al., 2003). 

High dilutions of drugs have been used on human patients for a couple of centuries, and animal experimentation has been done only to confirm their therapeutic effects and study their mode of action. High dilutions have been found to produce effects on such animals as rats, mice, birds, toads and fishes. The basic principle is to create a disease in the animals and test appropriate remedies on them. Some models like catalepsy and righting reflex ones are non-sacrifice animal models which can be easily used to test the biological effects of potentized drugs. Potentized Nux vomica significantly reduced alcohol intake in rats and reversed to some extent 

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