Transcriptomic and cortisol analysis reveals differences in stress alleviation by different methods of anesthesia in Crucian carp (Carassius auratus).

Stress response has negative effect on fish in aquaculture and research, which can be alleviated with anesthetic. To determine the optimal anesthetic, we investigated the physiological response of crucian carp (Carassius auratus) treated with three different anti-stress treatments: MS-222, eugenol and percussive stunning. Stress responses were evaluated by analyzing serum cortisol level and gene expression in blood. We determined the optimal concentrations of MS-222 (100 mg L-1) and eugenol (20 mg L-1) by dose selection. We found that the control group had significantly higher cortisol levels (172.78 ± 19.95 ng mL-1) compared to the MS-222 treated group (46.85 ± 3.22 ng mL-1), the eugenol treated group (72.78 ± 9.07 ng mL-1), and the stunning treatment group (82.78 ± 8.16 ng mL-1). Transcriptome analysis revealed 1572 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including 155 DEGs related to the stress response, mainly involved in oxidative-stress response, heat shock proteins, and cold shock domain-containing protein. The heat shock protein genes were the primary DEGs in response to stress. RT-qPCR analysis confirmed differential expression of Hsps. We analyzed the function of the DEGs, which were enriched in genes involved in cellular response to stress and antigen processing and presentation. Combining the results from biochemical, transcriptome, and gene expression analysis, our data suggest that eugenol is more effective than MS-222 and percussive stunning in alleviating stress in crucian carp.