Animal cells are constantly exposed to chemical and environmental stress, and how they respond to those challenges plays a major role in survival. Understanding these responses is an important question in biology because it helps explain how cells adapt, function, and react to changes in their environment. This project explores how two different stressors like eugenol and salt concentrations affect colony morphology and growth using yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model organism. To see these effects, yeast cultures were grown on nutrient media containing varying concentrations of eugenol (0.25, 0.5, 1, and 2 mM), a compound derived from clove oil. In order to experiment on the salt stress sodium chloride (0.4 M and 0.6 M) was used, which acts by disrupting water balance within the cell. Growth patterns were evaluated by observing colony density and distribution, while microscopy was used to examine overall cellular appearance. The results showed that increasing eugenol concentrations reduced yeast growth in a clear dose-dependent manner, with near-complete inhibition at 2 mM. Salt exposure also limited growth and produced visible stress-related changes such as dry, dehydrated, and crystallized colony morphology, with 0.4 M NaCl appearing more inhibitory than 0.6 M. Overall, these findings demonstrate how external chemicals like eugenol and environmental stressors like salt impact cells. By understanding these mechanisms future research can exploit these characteristics to possibly treat and remove cancer cells in the body.
Emily Velasquez is originally from King, North Carolina and is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Biology with minors in Psychology, Nutrition, and Chemistry. While at Salem College, she has been a member of the College Honors Program. Following graduation, she plans to attend physician assistant (PA) school and pursue a career as a pediatric physician assistant.