Cinnamon essencial oil as an anesthetic for silver catfish and its influence on physiological parameters.
Anesthesia; aquaculture; Cinnamomum zeylanicum; ideal concentration; essential oils.
Advances in aquaculture have increasingly exposed fish to manipulations, which are stressors that can influence their performance. The use of anesthetics during the routine manegement of these animals aims to minimize the stressful effects. However, such anesthetics must be safe for fish and humans, leaving no residues in animals tissues and organs, as well as being easy to acquire and cost-effective. As an alternative to the use of synthetic drugs, studies have shown the effectiveness of essential oils (EOs) use, which are extracted from plants, for fish sedation and anesthesia. Therefore, the present research project aims to verify the potential anesthetic activity of cinnamon essential oil (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) in silver catfish (Rhamdia quelen), evaluating the ideal concentration for use. Initially, to evaluate the anesthetic effect and determine the ideal concentration, 80 animals will be used, which will be randomly distributed in 7 treatments: seven concentrations of cinnamon essential oil and a control group. Subsequently, 30 new animals will be submitted to anesthetic baths and blood collections, in order to evaluate the effects of the use of essential oil on physiological parameters and in response to stress.