The study was conducted to determine the comparative anesthetic efficacy of Clove oil, Alfaxalone, Ketamine, Lidocaine, Midazolam, and Propofol for immersion anesthesia in zebrafish (Danio rerio). To identify the different effects and margin of safety of the 6 anesthetic drugs by carefully monitoring and gathering data on the time when the experimental fish loss its equilibrium, the recorded time on loss of reflex from soft stimuli, the recorded time on loss of reflex from painful reflex, the time of recovery, the time when the experimental fish starts to eat, and the recorded opercular movement per minute before and during the deep stage of anesthesia prior to recovery. The data gathered was treated by statistical tool Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Duncan’s Multiple Range Test (DMRT). Each anesthestic tank treatment was represented by 10 zebrafish with 3 replications of treatment. The research study was conducted on August 12, 2022, at Animal Recovery Veterinary Centre, located at 482 Serangoon Road 01-01, Singapore 218149.
There were significant differences observed in the study with mean time loss of equilibrium, exposure to anesthetic drug Alfaxalone has shortest time of 0.95 minutes, followed by Propofol with 5.66 minutes, followed by Clove oil with 8.06 minutes, followed by Lidocaine with 9.2 minutes, Midazolam with 110.33 minutes then Ketamine at 233.16 minutes. There were significant differences observed on mean time recorded for the loss of reflex from soft stimulus, the use of Alfaxalone has recorded mean time of 1.73 minutes, followed Propofol with 7.77 minutes, followed by Clove oil with 12.23 minutes, then Lidocaine with 22.67 minutes, followed by Midazolam with 131.83minutes and Ketamine with 270.5 minutes. There were significant differences observed on mean time recorded for the loss of reflex from painful stimuli, Exposure to Alfaxalone gathered 2.3 minutes, Propofol 10.17 minutes, Clove oil 19.87 minutes, Lidocaine with 42.47 minutes, Midazolam with 150.5 minutes and Ketamine with 347.67 minutes. There were significant differences observed on mean time recorded on anesthetic recovery time, for Propofol 10.7 minutes, followed by Alfaxalone with 11.97 minutes, Lidocaine with 17.975 minutes, Clove oil with 39.67 minutes, Ketamine with 72.83 minutes and Midazolam with 188 minutes.
There were significant differences observed on mean time recorded on the experimental fish starting to eat after recovery, Clove Oil has 42.93 minutes, Alfaxalone with 22.53 minutes, Ketamine with 78.17 minutes, Lidocaine with 21.39 minutes, Midazolam with 214.33 minutes, Propofol with 21.47 minutes. There were differences observed on mean time recorded on the opercular beat per minutes before anesthesia, Clove Oil has 177.8 beats per minutes, Alfaxalone with 185.1 beats per minutes, Ketamine with minute of 188.33 beats per minutes, Lidocaine with 190.33 beats per minutes, Midazolam with 188 beats per minutes and Propofol with 186.37 beats per minutes. There were differences observed on mean Opercular beats per minute during anesthesia on the experimental fish, for Clove Oil with 4.3 beats per minutes, Alfaxalone with 2.13 beats per minutes, Ketamine with 4.67 beats per minutes, Lidocaine with 1.92 beats per minutes, Midazolam with 5.07 beats per minutes, Propofol with 3.47 beats per minutes.
Keywords: Fish anesthesia, Clove Oil, Alfaxalone, Ketamine, Lidocaine, Midazolam, Propofol, Zebrafish.