Activity reduced by noxious chemical stimulation is ameliorated by immersion in analgesic drugs in zebrafish

This study, by Lynne Sneddon and her colleagues at the University of Liverpool, explored whether unprotected larval zebrafish (five days post-fertilisation) exhibited altered behaviour after exposure to noxious chemicals. They found that larvae respond similarly to adult zebrafish and other vertebrates, when exposed to noxious stimuli (acetic and citric acid) and that the behavioural changes were ameliorated when analgesics were used. This work implies that larval zebrafish could be used in pain and nociception research, representing a direct replacement of a protected adult fish with a non-protected form. If these young forms show responses to pain however, we have to ask whether they should also be protected under Home Office and European legislation. 

 

Reproduced with permission from The Company of Biologists.

 

Access to the full article