Effects of Immunity Boosting Herbal Supplements on Heart Rate of Danio Rerio

Overview

Herbal supplements have been used in medical practices around the world for centuries. In many countries they are considered trusted therapeutic treatments, however, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates them as food and not drugs, therefore they are less trusted as a medicinal option in the United States. This project looked at the effect of varying concentrations of immunity boosting herbal supplements on the heart rate of Danio rerio, otherwise known as zebrafish. To do so, zebrafish at 3-days post fertilization (dpf) were exposed to one high concentration and one lower concentration of three different herbal extracts promoted to have immunity boosting components. Then under a microscope, the heart rate of each fish was recorded and observed for beats per minute (bpm) and any irregular palpitations. My hypothesis was that if heart rate is related to the intake of immunity boosting herbal supplements, then the rate of pulsations will increase as concentration increases. Experimental results showed a difference in heart beats per minute from the group of fish exposed to the lower concentration of each supplement compared to those exposed to the higher concentrations, however, most differences recorded were not contrastive enough to be determined statistically significant. From my project I also learned that not only can herbal supplements influence the rate at which the heart beats, but they can affect the pattern in which the heart palpitates, creating an unusual arrangement of heart beats.

Competition history

• AJAS 2024 Category not listed

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