Nettle Leaf Hair

by Perennou Nuridsany

Title

Nettle Leaf Hair

Artist

Perennou Nuridsany

Medium

Photograph - Photograph

Description

Stinging hair of a nettle leaf (Urtica dioica). The stinging hairs have silicified tips which break off when the nettle is brushed against or stroked (not grasped). The hair penetrates the skin, injecting a mixture of acetylcholine and histamine. The former is a neurotransmitter substance normally produced at nerve terminals. The latter is a chemical mediator normally produced by mast cells and is responsible for many of the symptoms of allergic reactions. (see image BD3747 for a man made structure comparison to a glass ampoule).

Uploaded

June 25th, 2018

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