Booth Id:
BMED096I
Category:
Biomedical Engineering
Year:
2015
Finalist Names:
Quinones Gonzalez, Jan
Abstract:
People commonly use the leaves extracts of MSN plants as a topical gel to cure "Herpes zoster", a viral disease. They say that this plant can inhibit the growth of this virus. The purpose of this research is to determine if this homemade remedy is really effective to inhibit the growth of "Herpes zoster". The hypothesis is that the leaves extract of MSN plants is effective to cure "Herpes zoster". The first approach to this research was to determine the cytotoxicity of MSN plants leaves extract. The cytotoxic test was performed using the Artemia salina bioassay. After hatching, the shrimp larvae were deposited in triplicated samples with an extract concentration of 500 µM. The Brine shrimp mortality percentage was 0, therefore the MSN plants leaves extract is not toxic. The second approach was to prepare a questionnaire and administer it to ten persons who had suffered "Herpes zoster" and used these plants leaves extract to cure it. The answers to the questionnaire evidenced that seven of the ten persons who answered used the plants leaves gel in the early stage of the disease and it took them from three to five days to be cured. The other three persons used the gel at an advanced stage of the disease and it took them from five to nine days to be completely cured. The analysis of the answers to the questionnaire evidenced that MSN plants leaves gel is effective to cure "Herpes zoster". These results help to accept the hypothesis.