Labanimal

Dec 21 For our last episode of 2021, we’re highlighting two important topics in refinement: sedation and euthanasia. Sedation is necessary for zebrafish during procedures such as imaging, biopsy, and surgery to ensure animal welfare and high-quality science. But the effects of sedation can last beyond the administration period and should also be carefully considered. A paper by Gressler et al. explores the use of eugenol and propofol during a 3-hour sedation and their subsequent effects after a 1 hour washout period. Both drugs had effects on behavior and physiology even after the washout period. For behavior, in a novel tank test, eugenol was found to amplify diving response while propofol induced anti-anxiety responses. For physiology, both drugs caused alterations in gill structure. Clearly, as with other species, sedation of zebrafish can significantly affect behavior and physiology beyond the administration period. Therefore, sedation procedures must be carefully designed and reported to refine experimen