Effect of Ultraviolet Radiation on cells

[ari09033912]

Hello-
For my Science fair project, is it possible for me to conduct research of the increased exposure to ultraviolet radiation on cell growth, to relate it to the effect of UV radiation causing cancer?

[akulk]

Hello!

Thanks for your question.

Absolutely! You can definitely use UV irradiation on cell culture as a proxy for UV radiation causing cancer - that would be great material for the application section of your paper or science fair poster!

Here are 2 great Science Buddies projects that are in line with what you want to do!

• https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... dna-damage

• https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... s-bacteria

Let us know if you have more questions!

[ari3912]

Hello,
for this topic, how could I expand it to conduct for research and more experimentation, as my main stem fair project? I was wondering because I came up with some ideas, and I would like a point of view on them.
- the effect of sunscreen and other uv protective elements on cancer cell growth.
- the effect of plant based elements on cancer cell growth.

[brandimiller610]

Hi,

I apologize for the late response to this thread. I wanted to give you feedback on your project ideas.

I think both of your ideas are great and have real-world applicability. For either one, you could use cancer cells (a skin cancer cell line sounds like a good place to start) and test the effects of specific compounds on the viability and proliferation of these cells under UV exposure.
Para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) is commonly used in sunscreens or skin care products. I found this paper using PABA to determine its anti-cancer properties: https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/9/3/89. This paper also outlines some experiments that can be conducted to determine the antioxidant properties of these compounds or their effects on cell viability and proliferation.
Plant-based compounds are also a good option because plants contain many potentially therapeutic and natural phytochemicals including alkaloids and polyphenols. This review paper nicely summarizes the effects of phytochemicals in various cancer types using experimental approaches: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ph ... 01614/full.

Hope this helps get you started! I would be happy to discuss certain experiments if you decide to proceed with either of these project ideas.

--Brandi