The Effect of Green Tea Powder, Ramipril, and Digoxin on the Heart Rate of Daphnia Magna
This experiment was conducted in order to test the effect of two common blood pressure medications, Ramipril and Digoxin, as well as green tea powder, a common treatment for high blood pressure, on the heart rate of Daphnia Magna. The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether or not green tea powder had a comparable effect on heart rate to actual blood pressure medications. The reason for this was to find out whether or not green tea powder could be used as a substitute for blood pressure medication, as there is a direct relationship between heart rate and blood pressure.
In order to collect data for this research, solutions of each treatment were made that were assumed to be approximately equivalent to that of a standard dosage. One drop of each treatment was then applied to a daphnia sample after being placed on a slide. After 10 minutes, the sample was then observed under a microscope. To determine the heart rate in beats per minute, an online bpm calculator was used. By pressing the space key each time the heart contracted, the heart rate in beats per minute was calculated.
The result of an ANOVA test showed that there was no significant difference between the means of the three treatments in addition to the standard of no treatment. While the blood pressure medications lowered heart rate an insignificant amount, green tea powder was found to have raised it. None of the treatments were shown to have a significant effect on heart rate, however. These results suggest that, in further experiments, more research could be done in order to determine the proper dosages of the medicine applied.
Research Conducted By:
Noah Houth
Lakeshore High School
Heidi Russo
Cousino High School
Warren Consolidated Schools