Date of Award
2020
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Natural Sciences
First Advisor
Walstrom, Katherine
Area of Concentration
Biochemistry
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease where therapeutic research has included plant derived treatments of the disease. When examining the chemical components of these medicinal herbs, Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflora was chosen for examination. Within the study, plant material was gathered and separated into two different aerial components: stems and leaves. Plant extracts were then yielded through steam distillation and dissolved in hexane. The extracts were placed on a rotary evaporator to concentrate the sample. Initial UV-Vis spectroscopy tests were done to form a calibration curve for acetylcholinesterase (AchE) in order to determine the enzyme’s optimum substrate concentration for later measurements. The AchE activity was then measured with additions of pure hexane. UV-Vis measurements were then performed to examine the inhibitory effect of the extracts on AchE enzymatic activity. The leaf extracts were determined to have a higher, and statistically significant, inhibitory effect compared to the stem extracts. It was concluded that the inhibitory compounds of the enzyme were likely to be present within the leaves at higher concentrations compared to the stem components. Future research should look towards identifying specific chemical compounds within the extracts using gas chromatography mass spectrometry.
Recommended Citation
Phan, Philana, "AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE INHIBITORY BEHAVIOR OF EXTRACTS FROM OCIMUM BASILICUM VAR. THYRSIFLORA ON ACETYLCHOLINESTERASE ENZYMATIC ACTIVITY" (2020). Theses & ETDs. 5980.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/5980