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THE EFFECT OF ARACHIDONIC ACID ON THE PROLIFERATION OF DUGESIA TIGRINA NEOBLAST CELLS
by Kellyn Amador Hernandez

August 11, 2023

 

Abstract

In 2022, 148.65 billion dollars were spent on wound care in the US. Wound healing is facilitated by cell regeneration and proliferation. Scientists use planaria to study regeneration. Planaria is a flatworm with the ability to grow its body back from small body parts. Arachidonic acid (AA) is a polyunsaturated fatty acid known to stimulate the Wnt pathway, which controls cell proliferation. This study aims to assess the impact of arachidonic acid on the regeneration rate of planaria. 3 planaria heads and 3 planaria tails were placed in regular spring water after bisecting, while 3 planaria heads and 3 planaria tails were placed in an AA solution after bisecting. The planaria were measured daily for 10 days. The data demonstrated that the planaria in the AA solution had a faster regeneration rate, however, they also had a high mortality rate. The higher mortality rate suggested that AA may be toxic to planaria. The planaria with a higher regeneration rate might have needed more energy and nutrients than they had, which could have led to their deaths. The data presented supported the hypothesis that AA increases the regeneration rate of planaria. This research is crucial to understanding how the rate of wound healing can be increased, which can decrease the amount of money spent on wound care in the U.S.

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