Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
Department
Biology
Document Type
Thesis
Abstract
Plant foods contain a diversity of biologically active compounds called phytochemicals, produced by plant species as secondary metabolites. A phytochemical group known as flavonoids has received much scientific attention in recent times with respect to their antioxidative and anti-inflammatory roles. This investigation examined how quercetin and naringenin, the most common dietary flavonoids, affect growth potential of yeast under optimal and stress conditions (temperature, glucose, and oxidative stress). Using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model, a dose dependency effect of quercetin and naringenin was observed under optimal conditions when liquid cultures were treated with three different concentrations (75 μM, 150 μM, and 300 μM). These assays have shown that these phytochemicals have significant effect on yeast growth, with quercetin demonstrating a greater slow growth phenotype. Under stress conditions, quercetin showed the greatest potential by increasing the rate of growth thus helping yeast come out of stress. Since these phytochemicals are part of natural diets and they resulted in slower growth potential in the eukaryotic yeast system, these findings could illustrate potential for natural therapeutics in growth related diseases such as cancer.
Advisor(s) or Committee Chair
Nilesh Sharma, Ph.D.
Disciplines
Biochemistry | Botany | Microbiology | Plant Biology
Recommended Citation
Rivera, Vivian, "Effect of Dietary Flavonoids on Growth in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae" (2024). Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects. Paper 1025.
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/stu_hon_theses/1025