Ibuprofen :: essays research papers

Ibuprofen Abstract The project that I chose to research was the effect of Ibuprofen on the heart rate of the daphnia. The reason that I chose to do this was because many people in society use over the counter pain killers without really understanding any of the long term effects of this medicine other than clearing their aches pains, and swelling. One of the leading drugs on the market today is Ibuprofen which you may know as Motrin or Advil. Both drugs are identical except for quantity and price, and even there it might be the same. The organism I chose to work with is a crustacean called the Daphnia. Later in this report I will attempt to explain the significance of that organism and why I chose to conduct tests on it. I then, with the information at my disposal, conjured a hypothesis which I would test. Using the materials at hand I, to the best of my ability tested my hypothesis. In conducting the tests I created graphs and tables of my work. At the conclusion of my experiment I came up with an answer that was almost unpredictable with the information that I was using. Although this was a crude experiment, I believe that I did gain a lot from it. Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The drug that I chose, Ibuprofen, is an anti-inflammatory analgesic. It is propionic acid that is white and powdery, and soluble in water, and organic solvents such as ethanol and acetone. (1) Its structural formula is: (CH3)2CHCH2 CH(CH3)COOH   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Its role of action as a drug is not completely clear to the sciences, but that with time will change. One thing we do know is that people who have allergies to Aspirin should not take this medicine. (2)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As of now we know that it may play a role in prostaglandin synthesis inhibition. (1) Prostaglandin are hormonal like substances that form in animal tissue from polly unsaturated fatty-acids. (3) They do affect several body systems including the central nervous, gastrointestinal, urinary, and endocrine systems. It has been shown to have very minor effects on smooth muscle contraction and the clotting ability of blood which we are concerned with.(4) Excesses of these substances may cause pain, inflammation, and fever.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is also an analgesic which is used to reduce or eliminate pain without causing a loss of consciousness. (4) Another name for these substances which we all know of is a painkiller.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A water flea or Daphnia, is a member of the subclass Brachiopod, in the order Cladocera. They are found in the plankton of open water. (5) What I was