Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Determining The Effects Of Chemical Exposure On Hepatocyte Mitochondrial Networks And Cell Viability, Bethany Eaton

All Master's Theses

Mitochondria are cellular organelles that are becoming more recently studied. One of their main functions is the production of energy through cellular respiration, which is crucial to cell life. However, they are also associated with numerous disease states. It is hypothesized that reactive oxygen species (ROS), largely produced in mitochondria, induce oxidative stress and affect mitochondrial morphology along with cell viability. This study compares chemical exposure of menadione, an ROS producer, and phthalates (plasticizers) on two mouse hepatocyte cell lines to determine the effects they have on mitochondrial morphology and cell viability. Three experiments were performed to analyze the effects …