A novel, low-cost Anesthesia and injection system for Zebrafish Researchers

Abstract

In this study, we designed and developed a novel low-cost system for anesthetizing and injecting adult zebrafish. The system utilizes a gradual cooling method for the anesthesia and maintains the fish in a stable anesthetic plane, as well as stabilizes the animal so that intraperitoneal injections can be consistently performed. It is a system that any laboratory with access to a workshop can build for their group. Moreover, it is a safe system for researchers, as well as a reliable one for repeated experiments since multiple fish can be injected quickly and there is little physical contact necessary between the investigator and the animal. This will likely reduce any unnecessary stress in the fish, as compared with manual methods of injection. Finally, the system is adaptable so that as the investigators' procedural needs change due to different research questions, that is, gradual rewarming or something of that nature, it could be modified.