Cell Membrane Permeability Lab Report Essay Example
The Membrane Permeability lab is a conducted experiment in which the damage of ethanol (largely used in alcoholic beverages), is observed by the leakage of betanin within a beetroot cell, testing the effect on the bilayers of an individual cell when coming in contact with the chemical compound.
Ethanol has high effectiveness in alcoholic beverages, as the ethanol consumed will act as a depressant, slowing down the brain and bodily functions in humans. (Hemkin 2018). It does such by affecting two essential chemicals within the brain, glutamate and GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid) (Hemkin 2018). Excessive drinking of alcohol allows ethanol to both: limit the ability of glutamate which excites the brain, and slows GABA productivity to a lower rate than normal (Hemkin 2018). Excessive drinking of alcoholic beverages can eventually lead to an excessive delay in messages sent to the brain, leading to failure in breathing, and eventual death. (Hemkin 2018). The bodily functions mainly affected by ethanol consumption besides the human brain is also the liver. The liver is unable to remove large masses of ethanol within its confines, and the excessive consumption of liquor can result in a multitude of problems. (Hemkin 2018). As ethanol enters the liver, it then becomes deconstructed into a toxic chemical known as acetaldehyde (Hemkin 2018). Acetaldehyde’s toxicity can result in many problems after the process of drinking alcohol is completed, such as vomit, headaches, and the sick feeling more commonly known as a “hangover.” (Hemkin 2018). Along with minor inconveniences, if the concentration of alcohol within the bloodstream reaches alarming rates, outcomes such as a coma and complete liver failure are possible to occur (Hemkin 2018).
Ethanol entirely affects most parts of the body as discussed earlier, but one of its most notable effects on the infant human has been noted in the function of the human brain. When presented with alcohol at infancy, consumers of the beverage have resulted with effects such as cell apoptosis and the destruction of millions of neurons within the brain of a growing child (Ikonomidou et al. 2000). Ethanol has an extremely strong correlation with the reduced brain mass and neurobehavioral disturbances caused by human fetal alcohol syndrome (Ikonomidou et al. 2000).
Becoming aware of the effects ethanol has on the human body, such as complete cell apoptosis and complete neural destruction within the brain (Ikonomidou et al. 2000), along with excessive alcohol concentration leading to eventual liver failure (Hemkin 2018), is essential. In order to seek the effectiveness an organic substance such as ethanol would affect organisms cells, I would obtain cells of the beetroot as its content of betanin would prove effective in studies. In this experiment, each tube, containing an equal amount of beetroot cells, would be separated by its ethanol concentration. Each tube contained separate ratios of ethanol to water, as the first tube contained no ethanol, acting as a negative control, but the remaining tubes would each progressively include 20% more ethanol in each tube. As the lab progressed, I would evaluate each tube’s leakage of betanin.
The cell membrane is the most notable part of our experiment, as we are attempting to see its permeability through multiple concentrations of ethanol. The cell membrane is considered “selectively permeable”, as it is selective as to what materials are allowed into the cell. Betanin, a red-colored pigment located within the central vacuole of the cell, would display its color after the ethanol had destroyed the tonoplast’s protection, so we are observing ethanol’s damage on the tonoplast. The tonoplast is considered the plasma membrane of the central vacuole, and if damaged, it would leak betanin, allowing it to flow out of the cell and allowing us to observe ethanol’s effectiveness on the beetroot cell.
Through my research accumulated and evaluated, I hypothesize that as the ratio of ethanol increases in each test tube, the tonoplast would become further destructed and a darker red coloration would be most apparent in the 100% ethanol solution.
