Regeneration of Planarian in  Stimulants     |   home
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Nicotine
    Nicotine is organic compound that is the principal alkaloid of tobacco. (An alkaloid is one of a group of nitrogenous organic compounds that have marked physiological effects on humans.) Nicotine is found throughout the tobacco plant and especially in the leaves. Nicotine accounts for about 5 percent of the plant by weight. The correct molecular formula was established in 1843, and the first laboratory synthesis was reported in 1904. Nicotine is one of the few liquid alkaloids. In its pure state it is a colorless, odorless liquid with an oily consistency, but when it is exposed to light or air, it turns a brown color and gives off a strong smell or odor of tobacco. Nicotine's chemical formula is C10H14N2. In its psychoactive effects, nicotine is a unique substance with a biphasic double effect; when inhaled in short puffs it has a stimulant effect, but when smoked in deep drags it can have a tranquilizing effect. Nicotine is also an addictive drug. When ingested in larger doses, nicotine is a highly toxic poison that causes vomiting and nausea, headaches, stomach pains, and, in severe cases, convulsions, paralysis, and death. Nicotine is also commercially obtained from tobacco scraps and is used as an insecticide and as a veterinary vermifuge. With the addition of nitric acid or other oxidizing agents convert it to nicotinic acid, or niacin, which is used as a food supplement.

    Drugs that excite bodily functions, especially those that excite the brain and central nervous system, are called stimulants. Nicotine (though nicotine is thought to act both as a short-term stimulant and as a long-term depressant) and the ingredients in many diet pills are considered stimulants.   
  There are two main types of nervous-system stimulants: those that make the user feel more alert and energetic and have only minor effects on the emotions and those that affect emotions. These are usually called antidepressants. Stimulants may be used medically to cope with sleep disorders, to control appetite, or to fight depression. Some, however, take certain stimulants simply to achieve a feeling of eupshoria or to relieve boredom or tension.   
  There are many groups of stimulants. On of these is the tricyclic antidepressant drug group has extremely effective in treating depressed patients. A common, naturally occurring group of stimulants is the methylxanthines. This group includes caffeine, theophylline, and theobromine--the active ingredients of coffee, tea, cocoa, and cola beverages. The strongest of these stimulants is caffeine. For many persons it produces a clear and more rapid flow of thought and helps to rid of drowsiness and fatigue or tiredness. It may be used to treat respiratory depression and, because it constricts blood vessels in the brain, it is often an ingredient in headache medicines. In some instances caffeine can cause over stimulation, headaches, heart palpitations, and insomnia.  

This information relates to our project because we are testing the effect of nicotine on the regeneration of planaria.