SAPONIN HOW SAPONIN COULD BE USED TO REDUCE THE OCCURRENCE OF ASTHMA AND AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH IN THE TREATMENT OF ASTHMA

Quick Review My hypothesis Sources of saponin Mechanism of saponin Methods and vivo model

Structural Formula of Saponin (Reminder)

Hypothesis Saponin can help in the reduction of the occurrence of asthma

Aim To examine the design of my experiment To examine the model I would use in my experiment To examine the mechanism of saponin in lung tissues of a rabbit system in more detail Expected results Alternative approach in the treatment of Asthma

Design

Expected Result

Mechanism

Lung Tissues Of Two Vivo Models Fig. A: Tissue of a healthy lung of a rabbit Fig. B: Tissue of a smoked lung of a rabbit

Potential Problems of Saponin it increases the latent period of asthma another serious problem caused by saponin is the fact that when it is induced into the human body, it moves directly to the blood cells and causes haemolysis of the red blood cells.

Notes and Definition of Terms The ability of saponin to increase the latent period of asthma depends on the dose of the saponin that is taken. Researchers have proven that if a dose of 20mg/kg is taken, it increases the latent period by about 29% and if a dose 40mg/kg is taken, it increases the latent period by about 49%. Haemolysis: Breakdown or destruction of red blood cells so that the contained haemoglobin is freed into the surrounding medium latency period is a period in which someone is infected with a disease, but no symptoms are observable Free radicals are molecules produced when your body breaks down food, or by environmental exposures like tobacco smoke and radiation. Free radicals can damage cells, and may play a role in heart disease, cancer and other diseases.

Alternative Approach Garlic can be an alternative approach to curing asthma. One nutrient that plays a key role in the ability of garlic to fight asthma is vitamin C Vitamin C helps neutralize free radicals, unstable molecules that cause contraction of airway smooth muscles in asthma sufferers Vitamin C is an antioxidant Antioxidants terminate chain reactions of free radicals by removing free radical intermediates, and inhibit other oxidation reactions. They do this by being oxidized themselves, so antioxidants are often reducing agents.

Anti-Oxidants Vs. Free Radicals

Conclusion Saponin is used in the treatment of asthma, but it also has some setbacks like its level of toxicity making Garlics the best alternative in the treatment of asthma due to the fact that they are less toxic and very effective irrespective of the dose taken. Garlic is now used in the treatment of asthma for several years now and have proven to be very effective.

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