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Fernando GCP, Khansari AR, Tort L. Response to chronic crowding stress in shy and bold behavioral groups of male and female zebrafish. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2024; 327:R275-R290. [PMID: 38842516 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00041.2024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Revised: 05/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
In recent years, there has been a burgeoning interest in exploring the nuances of animal stress physiology, particularly in relation to parameters such as sex and behavioral phenotype-dependent variations, which is crucial for understanding phenotypic variation and its role in evolutionary selection. However, a significant dearth remains in how chronic stressors affect organismal stress physiology concerning the aforesaid parameters. This void is even wider pertaining to the response of peripheral tissues, such as the skin, the organ with the highest surface contact area with the environment. Hence, we behaviorally grouped the zebrafishes based on their boldness and the body condition, whole body cortisol response, along with examining the transcriptional response, global DNA methylome, and oxidative DNA damage in the skin upon chronic crowding. Upon baseline conditions, clear distinction between bold and shy phenotypes was found, particularly in males. The boldness index score distribution exhibited greater uniformity in males than in females. Regarding the body condition response to chronic crowding, shy males showed a significant relative decline compared with their bold counterparts, while this trend did not hold true for females. qPCR data revealed distinctive expression patterns in key genes that play critical roles in cellular processes such as stress-mediated gene regulation, immune response, oxidative stress protection, and maintenance of genomic integrity through epigenetic modifications across behavioral phenotypes and sexes under both with and without chronic crowding stress. Global DNA methylation levels significantly declined only in chronically crowded shy males, and sex/behavioral phenotype-dependent trends in oxidative DNA damage were identified.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This paper analyzes the response of zebrafish to crowding stress through a new approach focused on the peripheral response dynamics of the skin, the main mucosal tissue, and involving sex and behavioral phenotype influences. Shy males showed significant distress as observed by body condition, physiological and transcriptional response, and global DNA methylation. Nuances in stress response across behavioral phenotypes and sex indicate a genetic and behavioral specificity and further inherent epigenetic regulatory dimension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gallage Chanuka P Fernando
- Department of Cell Biology Physiology and Immunology, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Ali R Khansari
- Department of Cell Biology Physiology and Immunology, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Lluis Tort
- Department of Cell Biology Physiology and Immunology, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
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Jorge S, Félix L, Costas B, Valentim AM. Advancing cortisol measurements in zebrafish: Analytical validation of a commercial ELISA kit for skin mucus cortisol analysis. MethodsX 2024; 12:102726. [PMID: 38707214 PMCID: PMC11068847 DOI: 10.1016/j.mex.2024.102726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Cortisol is the main stress biomarker used for zebrafish. However, zebrafish small size made it challenging to extract cortisol without harming or killing the fish. Thus, researchers adopted a terminal method, the trunk cortisol, as standard practice. Here, we developed and validated an alternative and minimally invasive technique for measuring cortisol in the skin mucus of adult zebrafish, using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). For this, AB zebrafish were randomly assigned to a precision, accuracy, and specificity test. Each sample contained the skin mucus of five to ten fish or one fish trunk. The cortisol was extracted using methanol as organic solvent. The results obtained showed an adequate precision (intra-assay coefficient of variation (CV) <15%; inter-assay CV = 26%), accuracy (CV <120%), and specificity (r2 =0.96-0.98) for skin mucus cortisol levels, as well as for trunk cortisol.•A commercial ELISA was analytically validated to measure cortisol in the skin mucus of zebrafish.•Skin mucus cortisol is a non-terminal method that reduce the number of animals used and allows longitudinal studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Jorge
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, (i3S), 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental, (CIIMAR), 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS), Universidade do Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Luís Félix
- Centre 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, Portugal
- Instituto para a Inovação, Capacitação e Sustentabilidade da Produção Agroalimentar (Inov4Agro), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Benjamín Costas
- Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental, (CIIMAR), 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS), Universidade do Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana M. Valentim
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, (i3S), 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
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Jorge S, Félix L, Costas B, Valentim AM. Housing Conditions Affect Adult Zebrafish ( Danio rerio) Behavior but Not Their Physiological Status. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13061120. [PMID: 36978661 PMCID: PMC10044285 DOI: 10.3390/ani13061120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Jorge
- i3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- Laboratory Animal Science, IBMC-Instituto de Biologia Molecular Celular, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental, (CIIMAR), 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS), Universidade do Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Luís Félix
- Centre 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, Portugal
- Instituto para a Inovação, Capacitação e Sustentabilidade da Produção Agroalimentar (Inov4Agro), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Benjamín Costas
- Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental, (CIIMAR), 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS), Universidade do Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana M Valentim
- i3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- Laboratory Animal Science, IBMC-Instituto de Biologia Molecular Celular, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
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Pradhan LK, Sahoo PK, Sarangi P, Chauhan NR, Das SK. Suppression of Chronic Unpredictable Stress-Persuaded Increased Monoamine Oxidase Activity by Taurine Promotes Significant Neuroprotection in Zebrafish Brain. Neurochem Res 2023; 48:82-95. [PMID: 36001190 DOI: 10.1007/s11064-022-03724-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2022] [Revised: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Neuropsychiatric upshots following chronic exposure to unpredictable adverse stressors have been well documented in the literature. Considering the significant impact of chronic unpredictable stress (CUS), the literature is elusive regarding the neuroprotective efficacy of taurine against CUS-induced oxidative stress and chromatin condensation in the zebrafish brain. In this study, to ameliorate CUS-persuaded neurological outcomes, waterborne treatment of taurine as a prophylactic intervention was undertaken. Further, our approach also focused on the gross neurobehavioral response of zebrafish, oxidative stress indices and neuromorphology of the zebrafish brain following CUS exposure with taurine treatment. Because taurine provides significant neuroprotection against oxidative insult, the cytosolic level of monoamine oxidase (MAO) in the zebrafish brain following CUS exposure is worth investigating. Further, as heightened MAO activity is associated with augmented oxidative and chromatin condensation, the focus of this study was on whether taurine provides neuroprotection by downregulating MAO levels in the brain. Our findings show that CUS-persuaded altered neurobehavioral response was significantly rescued by taurine. Moreover, our findings firmly support the hypothesis that taurine acts as a radical neuroprotector by restoring glutathione biosynthesis in the zebrafish brain subsequent to CUS exposure. Additionally, the rising level of brain MAO following chronic exposure to CUS is ameliorated by taurine treatment. These findings strongly advocate the role of taurine as a natural MAO inhibitor through the neuroprotection it provides against CUS-instigated oxidative stress in zebrafish. However, the fundamental neuroprotective mechanism of such natural compounds needs to be elucidated to determine their neuroprotective efficacy against stress regimens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lilesh Kumar Pradhan
- Neurobiology Laboratory, Centre for Biotechnology, Siksha 'O' Anusandhan (Deemed to Be University), Kalinga Nagar, Bhubaneswar, 751003, India
| | - Pradyumna Kumar Sahoo
- Neurobiology Laboratory, Centre for Biotechnology, Siksha 'O' Anusandhan (Deemed to Be University), Kalinga Nagar, Bhubaneswar, 751003, India
| | - Prerana Sarangi
- Neurobiology Laboratory, Centre for Biotechnology, Siksha 'O' Anusandhan (Deemed to Be University), Kalinga Nagar, Bhubaneswar, 751003, India
| | - Nishant Ranjan Chauhan
- Infectious Disease Biology Division, Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar, 751023, India
| | - Saroj Kumar Das
- Neurobiology Laboratory, Centre for Biotechnology, Siksha 'O' Anusandhan (Deemed to Be University), Kalinga Nagar, Bhubaneswar, 751003, India.
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