Pre- and Post-treatment Impact of Antioxidants on Astrocytic Reactive Oxygen SpeciesAn Undergraduate Classroom Research Project

TL;DR

This project explores how antioxidants affect oxidative stress in brain cells after injury, using it as a hands-on learning tool for undergraduates.

Contribution

The study introduces an educational undergraduate research model focused on antioxidant therapies for traumatic brain injury.

Findings

GCEE showed a statistically significant effect in reducing oxidative stress in astrocytes.

The project was expanded into a classroom research experience, engaging students in real scientific inquiry.

Student-led experiments with additional antioxidants showed varied results, highlighting the learning process.

Abstract

Undergraduate research
is a method to enhance student engagement
in science courses as well as expand scientific curiosity. One method
in doing so is performing course undergraduate research experiences.
This project started as an undergraduate research project and expanded
into a six-week in-class honor’s research experience. The field
of traumatic brain injury (TBI) evokes instant name recognition and
interest among undergraduate students based on their previous knowledge
of sports and related concussion consequences in the news and on social
media platforms. Currently, there is no clear treatment for traumatic
brain injury. The rise of TBI-related deaths and debilitation has
driven research efforts. Secondary effects of TBI are a current focus
for research efforts including the regulation of oxidative stress
within mitochondrial pathways. This work aims to investigate antioxidant
therapies in preventing oxidative stress, a consequence of traumatic
brain injury. Oxidative stress was stimulated by hydrogen peroxide
(H2O2) and tert-butyl hydrogen
peroxide (t-BHP) in primary cortical rat astrocytes. Astrocytes received
an antioxidant pretreatment or post-treatment by administering gamma-glutamylcysteine
ethyl ester (GCEE), a glutathione precursor, in an effort to combat
oxidative stress that triggers apoptosis. The results showed that
GCEE had a statistically significant therapeutic effect as both a
post-treatment and a pretreatment, but to a lesser extent. “After
these positive initial results with GCEE, this project was expanded
into an undergraduate honors course, where students selected additional
antioxidant molecules to test. Although results varied from this student
experience, it should be noted that this was the first research endeavor
for 100% of the students involved, broadening their participation
in research and bridging the gap between basic classroom concepts
and translational research that could potentially add to our knowledge
base of TBI therapeutic strategies.

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