Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Effects of Caffeine and CBD on Vascular Development in Danio rerio

Publication Date

2025

College

College of Sciences & Mathematics

Department

Psychological Science, Department of

SURS Faculty Advisor

Jinhee Park

Presentation Type

Poster Presentation

Abstract

Caffeine and cannabidiol (CBD) are among the most commonly used psychoactive and therapeutic compounds worldwide, but their impacts on early embryonic development remain poorly understood. My research aims to investigate the impact of caffeine and CBD exposure on embryonic development using embryos of Danio rerio (zebrafish) as a model organism. Zebrafish embryos were exposed to varying concentrations of caffeine and CBD to assess developmental abnormalities. Vascular defects were examined using the transgenic line Tg[kdrl:GFP], which expresses green fluorescent protein in endothelial cells, allowing visualization of blood vessel formation during development. In this study, we observed that embryo length was reduced at 100 mM caffeine concentration, while exposure to CBD produced non-conclusive results. The length of intersegmental vessels (ISVs) appeared unchanged, and ISV fluorescence intensity remained largely unaffected. Similarly, fluorescence intensity in the middle cerebral vein (MSV) showed no noticeable change. In contrast, the caudal vein plexus (CVP) exhibited reduced fluorescence intensity when exposed to caffeine, accompanied by an increase in the number of intercapillary spaces within the CVP region. These findings underscore the importance of further investigating the developmental effects of commonly used substances such as caffeine and CBD, particularly their potential impact on vertebrate embryonic growth and vascular development.

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