Abstract

Anxiety is a prevalent problem affecting millions of people around the world. Cortisol is secreted during stressful situations and long term impacts of cortisol within the body can lead to the development of chronic diseases, such as osteoporosis and type 2 diabetes. However, treatment for anxiety varies from prescribing medication, which can be expensive without the right insurance, to therapy based treatment. A proposed solution is utilizing the herbal remedy, Valeriana officinalis (valerian root), in combating the effects of anxiety in the body. Valeriana officinalis is a root known to have anxiety relieving effects. In this experiment, I will expose the Danio rerio (zebrafish) embryos to a set dosage(s) of Valeriana officinalis for 24 hours within their holding water, which will consist of their nutrients. I will then be measuring their cortisol levels by administering a heat shock stress-inducing treatment followed by an ELISA assay to quantify the amount of cortisol within the embryos. I hypothesize that the embryos exposed to the root will have lower cortisol secretion. I will compare the cortisol reading of the treatment groups to the control groups to analyze the efficacy of valerian root in mitigating stress within zebrafish embryos. I will be conducting a two tailed t-test to accurately compare the results of the experiment with a total of 30 data points. All waste will be properly disposed of in a biohazard bin. All hazardous chemicals and biological materials have been pre-approved by Kerry Hinton.