LITE-1 Photoreceptor Mediates Light-Induced Reversal of Ivermectin Paralysis in Caenorhabditis elegans

Ivermectin (IVM), a widely used anthelmintic and chemotherapeutic agent in both human and veterinary medicine, targets glutamate-gated chloride channels to induce paralysis in nematodes such as  Caenorhabditis elegans . Traditionally, IVM-induced paralysis is assessed under brightfield microscopy. Here, we report that exposure to UV or blue wavelengths can induce spontaneous arousal from the IVM-paralyzed state, initiating with twitching and progressing to full swimming motion during light stimulation. This light-induced arousal response is absent in  lite-1  null mutants, implicating LITE-1 photoreceptors in mediating this effect.                      .