The Effects of Nicotine and Ethanol on Heart Rate of Daphnia Magna

Abstract

The importance of understanding how different factors may affect the cardiac muscle cells as well as heart disease has been a topic of investigation among scientists in the medical field for many years. We suggested that using a stimulant, nicotine, and a depressant, ethanol, would help us determine how heart rates may differ amongst drug type. We conducted five trials placing the Daphnia magna in a nicotine solution and then an ethanol solution, calculating BPM (beats per minute) both before solution is added and after solution is added to the Daphnia and aquatic water. After comparing the two groups, our findings showed that the ethanol decreased heart rate while nicotine varied, having no significant effect on the Daphnia heart rate. We believe that our research will catch the interest of people who are studying heart disease and the effects of drugs on the human heart because it offers new information that can assist in the creation of cardiac muscle implants, due to the Daphnia magna having a heart similar to that of humans.