The Effects of Ethanol and Nicotine on the Cardio Vascular System in Lumbriculus Variegatus

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The effects of ethanol and nicotine on the cardio vascular system in Lumbriculus variegatus Introduction: The importance of the circulatory system was first suggested by William Harvey in 1628. In this experiment the effects of drugs on the cardio vascular system will be tested and studied specifically on the pulsation rate. The role of the cardio vascular system is the distribution of oxygen, nutrients and resources, as well as the removal of waste products, certain factors that affect these processes may be various gases, chemicals consumed may upset the ph or interfere with other physiological processes, certain chemicals may stimulate or inhibit physiology in an organism. The test subject that will undergo treatment is the blackworm Lumbriculus variegatus, blackworms are suitable because of the visibility of pulse through their transparent skin, the pulse is observed under the microscope travelling from tail to head in the dorsal blood vessel blackworms are low maintenance organisms, ideal to use in the laboratory and finally are easier to treat, by just exposing them to chemicals they undergo changes with physiological functions (as opposed to mice that need to be inhaled, fed or injected with treatments). Lumbricalis variegates cardio vascular system has a myogenic nature(myogenic-depolarisation impulses for heartbeats originating in muscle cells), the dorsal and ventral blood vessels have peristaltic pumps (Halfmann & Crisp 2011). The chemicals chosen as the treatment is ethanol and nicotine, it is assumed that ethanol will slow the pulse rate in the cardio vascular system and that nicotine will speed it up, because of these stimulant and depressant nature. Materials & Method: * Blackworms Lumbricalis variegates (35) * Petri dishes (8) * Pipettes (8) * Paper towel * Recovery bowl * Microscope * Stopwatch * Slides

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