The sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica) is supported by actin, the most abundant protein in eukaryotic cells. When cells are attacked by the external environment, actin automatically releases water for self-protection. Each time the sensitive plant is touched, the actin bundles disperse, the cell is damaged, and water is released, resulting in a closing movement. When the sensitive plant recovers, the opposite occurs: water diffuses from the extracellular space into the vacuoles, increasing the cell's turgor pressure and causing the cell to swell.

Pelle Perfetta's laboratory has specially extracted plant cells from the mimosa plant during its recovery process, which can cause breast cells to swell, increase cell volume, repair atrophied cells, and has anti-inflammatory effects.