title: Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG Effect on Behavior of Zebrafish During Chronic Ethanol Exposure.
abstract: Ethanol is a widely consumed drug, which acts on the central nervous system to induce behavioral alterations ranging from disinhibition to sedation. Recent studies have produced accumulating evidence for the therapeutic role of probiotic bacteria in behavior. We aimed to investigate the effect of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) on the behavior of adult zebrafish chronically exposed to ethanol. Adult wild-type zebrafish were randomly divided into four groups, each containing 15 fish. The following groups were formed: Control (C), received unsupplemented feed during the trial period; Probiotic (P), fed with feed supplemented with LGG; Ethanol (E), received unsupplemented feed and 0.5% of ethanol directly added to the tank water; and Probiotic+Ethanol (P+E), group under ethanol exposure (0.5%) and fed with LGG supplemented feed. After 2 weeks of exposure, the novel tank test was used to evaluate fish behavior, which was analyzed using computer-aided video tracking. LGG alone did not alter swimming behavior of the fish. Ethanol exposure led to robust behavioral effects in the form of reduced anxiety levels, as indicated by increased vertical exploration and more time spent in the upper region of the novel tank. The group exposed to ethanol and treated with LGG behaved similarly to animals exposed to ethanol alone. Taken together, these results show that zebrafish behavior was not altered by LGG per se, as seen in murine models. This was the first study to investigate the effects of a probiotic diet on behavior after a chronic ethanol exposure.
authors: Programa de Pós-Graduação: Ciências em Gastroenterologia e Hepatologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul , Porto Alegre, Brazil .
authors: Ana Claudia Reis
authors: AC
authors: Schneider
authors: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense-UNESC , Criciúma, Brazil .
authors: Eduardo Pacheco
authors: EP
authors: Rico
authors: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Departamento de Bioquímica, ICBS, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, Brazil .
authors: Diogo Losch
authors: DL
authors: de Oliveira
authors: Programa de Pós Graduação em Bioquímica Toxicológica, Centro de Ciências Naturais e Exatas, Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria , Santa Maria, Brazil .
authors: Denis Broock
authors: DB
authors: Rosemberg
authors: Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre , Porto Alegre, Brazil .
authors: Ranieli
authors: R
authors: Guizzo
authors: Engenharia de Alimentos, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR) , Campus Jandaia do Sul, Jandaia do Sul, Brazil .
authors: Fábio
authors: F
authors: Meurer
authors: Programa de Pós-Graduação: Ciências em Gastroenterologia e Hepatologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul , Porto Alegre, Brazil .
authors: Themis Reverbel
authors: TR
authors: da Silveira
keywords: Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG; behavior; ethanol; novel tank test; probiotic; zebrafish