Housing Conditions Affect Adult Zebrafish (<i>Danio rerio</i>) Behavior but Not Their Physiological Status
Zebrafish is a valuable model for neuroscience research, but the housing conditions to which it is exposed daily may be impairing its welfare status. The use of environmental enrichment and the refinement of methodology for cortisol measurement could reduce stress, improving its welfare and its suit...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/6/1120 |
| _version_ | 1797613875526369280 |
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| author | Sara Jorge Luís Félix Benjamín Costas Ana M. Valentim |
| author_facet | Sara Jorge Luís Félix Benjamín Costas Ana M. Valentim |
| author_sort | Sara Jorge |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Zebrafish is a valuable model for neuroscience research, but the housing conditions to which it is exposed daily may be impairing its welfare status. The use of environmental enrichment and the refinement of methodology for cortisol measurement could reduce stress, improving its welfare and its suitability as an animal model used in stress research. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate (I) the influence of different housing conditions on zebrafish physiology and behavior, and (II) skin mucus potential for cortisol measurement in adult zebrafish. For this, AB zebrafish were raised under barren or enriched (PVC pipes and gravel image) environmental conditions. After 6 months, their behavior was assessed by different behavioral paradigms (shoaling, white-black box test, and novel tank). The physiological response was also evaluated through cortisol levels (whole-body homogenates and skin mucus) and brain oxidative stress markers. The results revealed that enriched-housed fish had an increased nearest neighbors’ distance and reduced activity. However, no effect on body length or stress biomarkers was observed; whole-body and skin mucus cortisol levels had the same profile between groups. In conclusion, this study highlights the skin mucus potential as a matrix for cortisol quantification, and how housing conditions could influence the data in future studies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:01:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b9349cf718ac4cc6b03c0d97a2deea72 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:01:51Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-b9349cf718ac4cc6b03c0d97a2deea722023-11-17T09:12:41ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152023-03-01136112010.3390/ani13061120Housing Conditions Affect Adult Zebrafish (<i>Danio rerio</i>) Behavior but Not Their Physiological StatusSara Jorge0Luís Félix1Benjamín Costas2Ana M. Valentim3i3S—Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, PortugalCentre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, PortugalCentro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental, (CIIMAR), 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugali3S—Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, PortugalZebrafish is a valuable model for neuroscience research, but the housing conditions to which it is exposed daily may be impairing its welfare status. The use of environmental enrichment and the refinement of methodology for cortisol measurement could reduce stress, improving its welfare and its suitability as an animal model used in stress research. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate (I) the influence of different housing conditions on zebrafish physiology and behavior, and (II) skin mucus potential for cortisol measurement in adult zebrafish. For this, AB zebrafish were raised under barren or enriched (PVC pipes and gravel image) environmental conditions. After 6 months, their behavior was assessed by different behavioral paradigms (shoaling, white-black box test, and novel tank). The physiological response was also evaluated through cortisol levels (whole-body homogenates and skin mucus) and brain oxidative stress markers. The results revealed that enriched-housed fish had an increased nearest neighbors’ distance and reduced activity. However, no effect on body length or stress biomarkers was observed; whole-body and skin mucus cortisol levels had the same profile between groups. In conclusion, this study highlights the skin mucus potential as a matrix for cortisol quantification, and how housing conditions could influence the data in future studies.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/6/1120zebrafishenvironmental enrichmentcortisolbehaviorskin mucuswelfare |
| spellingShingle | Sara Jorge Luís Félix Benjamín Costas Ana M. Valentim Housing Conditions Affect Adult Zebrafish (<i>Danio rerio</i>) Behavior but Not Their Physiological Status Animals zebrafish environmental enrichment cortisol behavior skin mucus welfare |
| title | Housing Conditions Affect Adult Zebrafish (<i>Danio rerio</i>) Behavior but Not Their Physiological Status |
| title_full | Housing Conditions Affect Adult Zebrafish (<i>Danio rerio</i>) Behavior but Not Their Physiological Status |
| title_fullStr | Housing Conditions Affect Adult Zebrafish (<i>Danio rerio</i>) Behavior but Not Their Physiological Status |
| title_full_unstemmed | Housing Conditions Affect Adult Zebrafish (<i>Danio rerio</i>) Behavior but Not Their Physiological Status |
| title_short | Housing Conditions Affect Adult Zebrafish (<i>Danio rerio</i>) Behavior but Not Their Physiological Status |
| title_sort | housing conditions affect adult zebrafish i danio rerio i behavior but not their physiological status |
| topic | zebrafish environmental enrichment cortisol behavior skin mucus welfare |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/6/1120 |
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