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Investigating melatonin beyond sleep regulation – role in antioxidant capacity in follicular fluid

Beschreibung

Melatonin, the tryptophan-derived indoleamine, is recognized as a key player in regulating our sleep patterns and circadian rhythms. Recent research has unveiled additional roles, showcasing other benefits, such as anti-aging, immune modulation, cancer prevention, and diabetes regulation. Its potent antioxidant properties have made it a trending topic in recent scientific studies due to its extraordinary ability to combat oxidative stress in various organs, including reproductive tissues.

While melatonin’s presence in reproductive fluids like seminal plasma and follicular fluid has already been described, its relationship with blood circulation and changes during different stages of follicle development remains unclear. This study seeks to shed light on this connection, potentially opening new insights into how melatonin influences fertility and reproductive health.

The project will pursue the establishment of a method to detect melatonin levels and determine a potential correlation in blood and follicular fluid collected from follicles at different developmental stages using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Involved students will learn basic hands-on training using HPLC to characterize, purify, and quantify compounds.

Projektzeitraum
Sommersemester 2025
Bewerbungszeitraum
01. bis 13.04.2025
Durchführung
semesterbegleitend
Details zu Projektzeitraum und Durchführung

By arrangement

Studienfach
Biologie
Ernährungswissenschaft
Lebensmittelchemie
Betreuende
Dr. Juan Carlos Gutierrez Anez, Alexander Koza
Institut
Institut für Ernährungswissenschaften (140) (Fachgebiet für Molekulare Ernährungswissenschaft)
Sprache
deutsch/englisch
Teilnehmendenanzahl
min. 1, max. 2
Arbeitsaufwand
ca. 150 Stunden pro Teilnehmende:r | 5 ECTS-Punkte

Arbeitsaufwand (Stunden und ggf. ECTS) sind ungefähre Angaben. Die tatsächlich vergebenen ECTS-Punkte ergeben sich aus der tatsächlich geleisteten Arbeit.

 
Für dieses Projekt ist kein Motivationsschreiben des Studierenden erforderlich
Projektart
experimentell
Lernziele

Die Teilnehmende lernen in diesem Projekt:

In this project, participants will learn:

  • Getting acquainted with a scientific research project  
  • Acquiring fundamental techniques in analytical chemistry  
  • To get hands-on HPLC training for compound characterization, purification, and quantification.
  • Assessing, interpreting, and presenting scientific data 
Anmerkungen für Studierende
Schlagworte
Melatonin, antioxidants, Follicular Fluid, Chromatography, Oxidative Stress