Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hi there, so I am just starting my science project and my idea was to try and test the effectiveness of different nonprescription topical treatments on urushiol or poison oak induced dermatitis. To do this i need something that can act as a human cell i.e. that urushiol can bind to in the same way it does human cells. Does anyone know any substance either living such as a bacteria or any other kind of substance which would work for that.

Hi,

Urushiol is an oil, and therefore behaves much like any other oil when it comes to sticking to surfaces. Thus, I would suggest looking at this thread we had on cleaning wildlife after an oil spill: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... =25&t=6884. I think bird feathers might actually work quite well for your experiment. The one drawback to this approach is that you have to use a qualitative scale, e.g. a scale of 1-5, in describing the various treatments' effects.

You would also need to get large quantities of urushiol. I checked on a couple of scientific chemical websites and it is available, but it appears to be extremely expensive. There also may be restrictions on who can buy it--I don't know. You might therefore consider using a substitute like vegetable oil.

Good luck!

I think Melissa's suggestion regarding a substitute oil is an excellent one. Especially since working with urushiol oil can be difficult (you wouldn't want to get it on your skin). It is very common in science for researchers to use substitute chemicals when their ideal chemical is unavailable. I would research the structure and properties of urushiol oil and find a safer suitable match.

Dave