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Differential Effects of Plant-Derived Antioxidants on Reactive Oxygen Species-Induced Mortality in Artemia salina

CSEF · 2026 Biochemistry/ Molecular Biology (Junior Division)

Silvine Raza, Mason Raza

Overview

Oxidative stress is linked to many human diseases, including aging, cancer, heart disease, and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. It occurs when too many reactive oxygen species (ROS) build up and overwhelm cellular defenses, causing damage to membranes, proteins and mitochondria that can reduce survival. This study investigated whether plant-derived antioxidants improve survival of Artemia salina (brine shrimp) nauplii exposed to hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress. Nauplii were hatched in ~35 ppt artificial seawater at 26-28 °C and distributed into 50 ml beakers (30 nauplii per beaker). Five experimental groups were tested: seawater control, seawater+ ethanol solvent control, resveratrol, green tea extract (EGCG), and curcumin (3 replicates per group; n=90/group). On Day 4, oxidative stress was induced by adding dilute 3% hydrogen peroxide to each beaker (final ~0.01%v/v). Survival was recorded daily from Day 0 through Day 6. Resveratrol produced the greatest protective effect with 34/90 survivors at Day 6 (37.8%). EGCG showed limited benefit with 15/90 survivors (16.7%) and visible precipitate formation, suggesting reduced bioavailability. Curcumin caused complete mortality by Day 6 (0/90), indicating toxicity under the conditions tested. Overall, results demonstrate that antioxidant effects are compound-dependent in this invertebrate oxidative stress model, with resveratrol providing the strongest improvement in survival. Real-world implications include improving the screening of antioxidant compounds for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical development, informing safer supplement use, and supporting early-stage evaluation of oxidative-stress modulating therapies for diseases associated with ROS imbalance. Additionally, this model provides a rapid, low-cost platform for identifying beneficial versus harmful compounds before advancing to vertebrate or clinical studies.

Competition history

  • CSEF 2026 Biochemistry/ Molecular Biology (Junior Division) · Entry J-04-03

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