College:  Johann Wolfgang Goethe University of Frankfurt, Germany

Email: burggraf.christoph@web.de

Thesis title:  The phenolic phytochemical in pūhā and their protective effect against reactive oxygen species

Project description:

There is an increasing interest in antioxidant phytochemical and the effects they have  on human health.  The plant Sonchus oleraceus L. has been identified as having positive effects of health, and leaf extracts have a high antioxidant potential.  The in vivo effects of the S. oleraceus antioxidant compounds in disease models is however untested.  The zebrafish provides an exciting model of human disease in which to study biological effects of phytochemicals.

The main aim of this project is to evaluate the protective effect of the phenolic ingredients of Sonchus oleraceus against reactive oxygen species in a zebrafish model.