Biochemical Alteration Induced by Anesthetic Clove Oil in Blood Plasma of Juvenile Chinese Sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis)

Analysis of blood biochemical parameters is an important aspect of toxicological studies in fish. Anesthetic is typically used before blood sampling to minimize injury to the fish; however, anesthetic may also act as a stressor and alter biochemical measurements. To better understand blood responses to anesthetic stress, we evaluated biochemical alterations in the blood serum of endangered Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis) induced by clove oil. After exposure to 0, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 mg/L clove oil, serum glucose (GLU), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total protein (TP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), cholesterol (CHOL), triglyceride (TGL), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and urea (UREA) in one-year-old juvenile Chinese sturgeons were determined (each group, n = 7). Differences were determined by ANOVA followed by Duncan's multiple range tests for multi-group comparisons. Clove oil altered blood levels of most of the biochemical parameters in a dose-dependent manner. Levels of GLU, ALT and AST were significantly lower in groups exposed to higher clove oil concentrations, whereas CHOL and UREA levels were increased by higher clove oil concentrations (P < 0.05). ALP levels in the 150 and 180 mg/L groups were significantly lower compared with the control group (P < 0.05). TP, TGL and LDH levels were not significantly different among all experimental groups. Our findings suggest that GLU, ALT and AST may be potential biomarkers of anesthetic stress in juvenile Chinese sturgeon, and the appropriate anesthetic concentrations of clove oil appear to be 60 to 90 mg/L.