Catabolic Rat Experiment

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– Introduction –
In the body, the term for all chemical reactions that occur in the cells is called metabolism. The two types of chemical reactions, anabolic and catabolic, differ in the body. Anabolic reactions bodily cells build molecules and store energy in chemical bonds. Catabolic reactions are when these chemical bonds break and energy is released in the form of ATP or heat. In humans and other mammals, a constant temperature must be maintained in order to survive. Some of the released energy can be used to help maintain the constant temperature, and can correlate with the amount of oxygen used by the body. When the amount of oxygen used is determined, the metabolic rate can be figured out. The metabolic rate is the total energy expenditure …show more content…

The chamber to hold the specimen, in this case, the rat. A pressure measurement apparatus, known as a respirometer-nanometer to check the pressures both in the chamber and in the rat. This apparatus will allow for the amount of oxygen consumed to be measured. A syringe to replace the oxygen used in the tube is also needed, which will be attached to the u-shape tube connected to the chamber. Lastly soda lime, a substance used to absorb exhaled carbon dioxide. Three different hormones, thyroxine, Propylthiouracil, and TSH, will be used as well and will be injected into each of the rats. Three different rats will be used in …show more content…

With the addition of thyroxine in each of the rats, their metabolic rates all rose. Rat one rose to 1894, Rat two to 1833 and Rat three to 1841. The thyroxine caused the metabolic rate in the rats to rise, like it would naturally occur in the body. A significant difference was seen in rat number two, who’s metabolic rate increased by 22%. Because of the lack of the thyroid in the rat, the rat does not naturally release thyroxine or tri-iodothyronine because there isn’t a gland to release it. When it is artificially added to the body, there is an immense skyrocketing of the metabolic rate in the rat. Similar changes were seen in rat number three. Lacking a hypophysis means the rat does not have the thyrotrophs to stimulate the thyroid gland to release thyroxine and

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