Pre- and Post-treatment Impact of Antioxidants on Astrocytic Reactive Oxygen Species─An Undergraduate Classroom Research Project

Undergraduate research is a method to enhance student engagement in science courses as well as expand scientific curiosity. One method in doing so is performing course undergraduate research experiences. This project started as an undergraduate research project and expanded into a six-week in-class honor's research experience. The field of traumatic brain injury (TBI) evokes instant name recognition and interest among undergraduate students based on their previous knowledge of sports and related concussion consequences in the news and on social media platforms. Currently, there is no clear treatment for traumatic brain injury. The rise of TBI-related deaths and debilitation has driven research efforts. Secondary effects of TBI are a current focus for research efforts including the regulation of oxidative stress within mitochondrial pathways. This work aims to investigate antioxidant therapies in preventing oxidative stress, a consequence of traumatic brain injury. Oxidative stress was stimulated by hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and <i>tert</i>-butyl hydrogen peroxide (t-BHP) in primary cortical rat astrocytes. Astrocytes received an antioxidant pretreatment or post-treatment by administering gamma-glutamylcysteine ethyl ester (GCEE), a glutathione precursor, in an effort to combat oxidative stress that triggers apoptosis. The results showed that GCEE had a statistically significant therapeutic effect as both a post-treatment and a pretreatment, but to a lesser extent. "After these positive initial results with GCEE, this project was expanded into an undergraduate honors course, where students selected additional antioxidant molecules to test. Although results varied from this student experience, it should be noted that this was the first research endeavor for 100% of the students involved, broadening their participation in research and bridging the gap between basic classroom concepts and translational research that could potentially add to our knowledge base of TBI therapeutic strategies.