title: A colour preference technique to evaluate acrylamide-induced toxicity in zebrafish.
abstract: The zebrafish has become a commonly used vertebrate model for toxicity assessment, of particular relevance to the study of toxic effects on the visual system because of the structural similarities shared by zebrafish and human retinae. In this article we present a colour preference-based technique that, by assessing the functionality of photoreceptors, can be used to evaluate the effects of toxicity on behaviour. A digital camera was used to record the locomotor behaviour of individual zebrafish swimming in a water tank consisting of two compartments separated by an opaque perforated wall through which the fish could pass. The colour of the lighting in each compartment could be altered independently (producing distinct but connected environments of white, red or blue) to allow association of the zebrafish's swimming behaviour with its colour preference. The functionality of the photoreceptors was evaluated based on the ability of the zebrafish to sense the different colours and to swim between the compartments. The zebrafish tracking was carried out using our algorithm developed with MATLAB. We found that zebrafish preferred blue illumination to white, and white illumination to red. Acute treatment with acrylamide (2mM for 36h) resulted in a marked reduction in locomotion and a concomitant loss of colour-preferential swimming behaviour. Histopathological examination of acrylamide-treated zebrafish eyes showed that acrylamide exposure had caused retinal damage. The colour preference tracking technique has applications in the assessment of neurodegenerative disorders, as a method for preclinical appraisal of drug efficacy and for behavioural evaluation of toxicity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Naval Architecture, Ocean, and Marine Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0LZ, United Kingdom; School of Marine Science and Technology, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710072, China.
authors.forename: Laibing
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow G4 0BA, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Rakesh Kotapati
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Raghupathy
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow G4 0BA, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Aishah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Albalawi
authors.affiliation: Department of Naval Architecture, Ocean, and Marine Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0LZ, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Zhenkai
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow G4 0BA, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Reilly
authors.affiliation: Department of Naval Architecture, Ocean, and Marine Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0LZ, United Kingdom. Electronic address: qing.xiao@strath.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow G4 0BA, United Kingdom. Electronic address: Xinhua.Shu@gcu.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Xinhua
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Shu
mesh_terms: D020106:Acrylamide / Q000633:toxicity*; D056044:Actigraphy; D000465:Algorithms; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D055253:Color Vision / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008027:Light; D008297:Male; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D020419:Photoreceptor Cells, Vertebrate / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012160:Retina / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D055351:Retinal Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D023382:Toxicity Tests, Acute / Q000379:methods*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D020106:Acrylamide
keywords: Acrylamide; Colour preference; Photoreceptors; Toxicity; Vision; Zebrafish