Immune and physiological responses of juvenile Chinese sea bass (Lateolabrax maculatus) to eugenol and tricaine methanesulfonate (MS-222) in gills
Wenhao Wang, Hongbiao Dong, Yongxu Sun, Caiyun Sun, Yafei Duan, Qunhong Gu, Yong Li, Mujiao Xie, Jiasong Zhang
Abstract
This study investigates the impact of two types of anesthetics, tricaine methanesulfonate (MS-222) and eugenol, in the gills of juvenile Lateolabrax maculatus. Fish (Mean ± SD, 98.1 ± 7.3 g) were randomly exposed to three treatments, MS-222 (50 mg/L), eugenol (10 mg/L), or anesthetic-free water (control), each with five replicates. Gills were sampled at 0, 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, and 48 h after exposure to the above anesthetics for 20 min. MS-222 and eugenol both had significant immunomodulatory effects on gills. Physiological assays revealed that MS-222 and eugenol induced apoptosis and oxidative stress and changed the morphology of the gills as well as the Na+-K+ flux crossing the gill membrane. These results suggest that immune and physiological responses can be used to evaluate the negative impact of anesthetics on gills.