INVESTIGATING ACUTE SYNERGISTIC EFFECTS OF ENERGY DRINKS ON THE ACTION POTENTIALS OF Lumbricus terrestris
ANTHONY W. BAE
Provert Research Laboratory, 111 Charlotte Place Suite#100/Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632, USA.
SKY SEOUN MIN LEE
Provert Research Laboratory, 111 Charlotte Place Suite#100/Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632, USA.
CHRISTOPHER JEAN OH
Provert Research Laboratory, 111 Charlotte Place Suite#100/Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632, USA.
GI YOON LEE
Provert Research Laboratory, 111 Charlotte Place Suite#100/Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632, USA.
MARK YUBUM KIM
Provert Research Laboratory, 111 Charlotte Place Suite#100/Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632, USA.
YU JIN CHO
Provert Research Laboratory, 111 Charlotte Place Suite#100/Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632, USA.
SEO YEONG PARK
Provert Research Laboratory, 111 Charlotte Place Suite#100/Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632, USA.
JIHUN HAN
Provert Research Laboratory, 111 Charlotte Place Suite#100/Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632, USA.
KAREN JANG
Provert Research Laboratory, 111 Charlotte Place Suite#100/Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632, USA.
DANYILI HONG
Provert Research Laboratory, 111 Charlotte Place Suite#100/Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632, USA.
TAEHYUK KIM
Provert Research Laboratory, 111 Charlotte Place Suite#100/Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632, USA.
JONGBIN LEE *
Provert Research Laboratory, 111 Charlotte Place Suite#100/Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632, USA.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Energy drinks attract customers with their colourful displays and exotic, eye-catching designs. These caffeine-boosted drinks are one of the fastest growing categories in the beverage industry. Though seemingly beneficial, many children even up to six years-old are consuming these beverages, and often face severe consequences with potentially deadly side effects. This study examines the synergistic effects of energy drinks on the parameters derived from action potentials of Lumbricus terrestris, by which the effects of energy drinks on the nervous system could be evaluated. L. terrestris was chosen because its nervous system is similar to that of a human. The earthworm's nervous system is managed by its cerebral ganglion, to which the ventral nerve cord is attached and runs through the body. This study examined the reproducibility, sensitivity and synergisms of parameters using regression analysis and action potential parameters between the single and combined mixture of energy drinks. In conclusion, the reproducibility of the system was proved to be moderate, confirmed by multiple trials under identical conditions. As for sensitivity, though the coefficients from the regression analysis that was fitted to the linearity were somewhat variable, their mean values in all the studies were 0.56320, and could be summarized as having a moderately linear relationship. The parameters from combined mixtures were greater than those from a single energy drink, which proved the synergistic effects of the parameters we evaluated in this study using the drink products. The regression slope between the parameters and injection volumes was used as an indicator of possible purtabation by nervous activity. The larger the changes of the parameters, the more impact on the nervous system could be brought about. As a conclusion, the mixture of 5 Hour Energy with Red Bull looked to cause negative synergistic effects, while the mixture of Monster Juice with Red Bull demonstrated more positive synergistic effects. Further study should be warranted to interpret the meanings of specific parameters and the related responses for the action potentials.
Keywords: Action potential, energy drink, nervous system, neurotransmitter, synergistic effects.