title: Influences of acute ethanol exposure on locomotor activities of zebrafish larvae under different illumination.
abstract: Larval zebrafish present unique opportunities to study the behavioral responses of a model organism to environmental challenges during early developmental stages. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the locomotor activities of AB strain zebrafish larvae at 5 and 7 days post-fertilization (dpf) in response to light changes under the influence of ethanol, and to explore potential neurological mechanisms that are involved in ethanol intoxication. AB strain zebrafish larvae at both 5 and 7 dpf were treated with ethanol at 0% (control), 0.1%, 0.25%, 0.5%, 1%, and 2% (v/v%). The locomotor activities of the larvae during alternating light-dark challenges, as well as the locomotor responses immediately following the light transitions, were investigated. The levels of various neurotransmitters were also measured in selected ethanol-treated groups. The larvae at 5 and 7 dpf demonstrated similar patterns of locomotor responses to ethanol treatment. Ethanol treatment at 1% increased the swimming distances of the zebrafish larvae in the dark periods, but had no effect on the swimming distances in the light periods. In contrast, ethanol treatment at 2% increased the swimming distances in the light periods, but did not potentiate the swimming activity in the dark periods, compared to controls. Differences in the levels of neurotransmitters that are involved in norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin pathways were also observed in groups with different ethanol treatments. These results indicated the behavioral studies concerning the ethanol effects on locomotor activities of zebrafish larvae could be carried out as early as 5 dpf. The 1% and 2% ethanol-treated zebrafish larvae modeled ethanol effects at different intoxication states, and the differences in neurotransmitter levels suggested the involvement of various neurotransmitter pathways in different ethanol intoxication states.
authors.affiliation: Center for Chinese Medical Therapy and Systems Biology, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1200 Cailun Road, Shanghai 201203, China. Electronic address: gn@shutcm.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Translational Medical Center for Development and Disease, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Birth Defect, Institute of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, 399 Wanyuan Road, Shanghai 201102, China.
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Translational Medical Center for Development and Disease, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Birth Defect, Institute of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, 399 Wanyuan Road, Shanghai 201102, China.
authors.forename: Xiaolan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Center for Chinese Medical Therapy and Systems Biology, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1200 Cailun Road, Shanghai 201203, China.
authors.forename: Haojun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Translational Medical Center for Development and Disease, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Birth Defect, Institute of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, 399 Wanyuan Road, Shanghai 201102, China.
authors.forename: Yinglan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Translational Medical Center for Development and Disease, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Birth Defect, Institute of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, 399 Wanyuan Road, Shanghai 201102, China.
authors.forename: Xiuyun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Translational Medical Center for Development and Disease, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Birth Defect, Institute of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, 399 Wanyuan Road, Shanghai 201102, China.
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000378:metabolism / Q000523:psychology; D000818:Animals; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian; D000431:Ethanol / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007814:Larva; D008027:Light; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects*; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000187:drug effects; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents / Q000378:metabolism; D013550:Swimming; D015027:Zebrafish
chemical_list: D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents; D000431:Ethanol
keywords: Ethanol; Larvae; Light; Locomotor; Neurotransmitter; Zebrafish