Psoralen, a toxin produced by celery plants to defend itself against attack, is mentioned by Dr. Moalem on pages 86-87. When ingested, it causes extreme light sensitivity in humans and possible DNA and tissue damage. One of psoralen's notable properties is that it is only reactive when exposed to sunlight, which is the reason why some insects roll themselves up in a leaf and eat the celery plant from the inside out; no sunlight reaches the place that they eat so no harmful reactions take place. Although Dr. Moalem notes that normal celery isn't very harmful when eaten by humans, psoralen's light-reactivity is an interesting property worth looking at. This relates to Big Idea 4 (Biological systems interact, and these systems and their interactions possess complex properties) because the consumption of plants such as celery by other organisms, including insects and humans, is an example of biological systems interacting. This may or may not be harmful to the other organism, depending on the presence of light, which is an example of a complex property.
Using your knowledge from the biochemistry unit and any other knowledge, what is the reason why sunlight makes psoralen so reactive? Find out how exactly psoralen is able to damage DNA and tissues. Then, find an example of another chemical that exhibits light-reactivity. Psoralen isn't just known for being a toxin. It's also used in processes such as treatment of skin problems in conjunction with UV radiation and as a tanning activator in sunscreens. Brainstorm another possible beneficial use of a light-reactive chemical such as psoralen.
Austin Hua (auhua4@students.d125.org)
ReplyDeletePsoralen causes light sensitivity because is able to produce singlet oxygen when exposed to sunlight. (Photosynthesis also produces singlet oxygen.) Singlet oxygen is an excited O2 molecule with electrons on higher energy levels than usual, so it is very reactive. This is harmful because the energized molecules will oxidize any other atom it can find, causing damage to tissue and DNA as well. Because of this, singlet oxygen not only causes cancer but is used to treat it by destroying the cancerous cells.
Psoralen is also used as a tanning agent and to treat skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema. For both of these uses, psoralen is either applied or ingested and then the patient's skin is exposed to UVA light. This is called PUVA therapy. Because of the increased absorption of photons (which psoralen uses to excite O2 and create singlet oxygen), skin absorbs more light and so less light is needed to provide the same effects. (It is unknown why UVA light helps the skin conditions.)
If psoralen is very good at absorbing energy from sunlight, it may have the potential to be used in solar cells. The singlet oxygen could create energy by reacting easily with a substance that allows for an exothermic reaction, producing heat energy that can be converted to electricity. Since psoralen can be taken from plants or created synthetically, it could provide an inexpensive green source of energy.
I was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in August of 2010. A precious friend told me about Dr Itua Herbal Center in West Africa,She gave me his contact number and email address,I contacted him quickly so he give me guaranty that his herbal medicine will cure my cancer and i will be heal forever I said Okay.I ask him about the process for the cure,he ask me to pay for the fees which i did and within 7 working days he sent me the herbal medicine then he instructed me on how to drink it for two weeks to cure.I told Gomez my friend about the herbal medicine so he gave me go ahead to drink it.So after drinking it for two weeks i was cured I'm so grateful and i promise i will recommend anyone with cancer to him and that what i'm doing.Dr Itua Herbal Medicine makes me believes there is a hope for people suffering from,Parkinson's disease,Schizophrenia,Cancer,Scoliosis,Bladder Cancer,Colorectal Cancer,Tach Disease,Ovarian Cancer,Pancreatic Cancer,Breast Cancer,Kidney Cancer,Leukemia,Lung Cancer,Skin Cancer,
ReplyDeleteGlaucoma., Cataracts,Macular degeneration,Cardiovascular disease,Lung disease.Enlarged prostate,Osteoporosis.Alzheimer's disease,
Dementia.Uterine Cancer,Prostate Cancer,Fibromyalgia,a
Syndrome Fibrodysplasia ,Parkinson's disease,Epilepsy Dupuytren's disease,
Diabetes ,Coeliac disease, Angiopathy, Ataxia,Arthritis,Tach Disease,Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis,Alzheimer's disease,Adrenocortical carcinoma.Asthma,Allergic diseases.Hiv_ Aids,Herpes,Inflammatory bowel disease ,Copd,Diabetes.
Here Is His Contact Info......[Email...drituaherbalcenter@gmail.com/ info@drituaherbalcenter.com. Whatsapp...+2348149277967]