Anesthetic potential of different essential oils for two shrimp species, Farfantepenaeus paulensis and Litopenaeus vannamei (Decapoda, Crustacea)

Abstract

The use of anesthetics in aquaculture ensures better animal welfare and survival during transport and the production cycle. The present study evaluated the anesthetic efficacy of essential oils (EOs) of Lippia alba (EOLA) and Ocimum gratissimum (EOOG) for pink shrimp Farfantepenaeus paulensis, and EOs of Origanum majorana (EOO) and Cymbopogon citratus (EOC) for white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei. shrimp were exposed to (i) 500, 750 or 1000 µL L-1 of EOLA or (ii) 50, 100, 150 or 250 µL L-1 of EOOG, and L. vannamei were exposed to (iii) 150, 300 or 500 µL L-1 of EOC or (iv) 400 or 800 µL L-1 of EOO. The induction times were concentration dependent, with a decrease in induction time with the increase of the EOs concentration, but for EOLA, this pattern was observed only for anesthesia. Induction times for sedation and anesthesia were significantly shorter for shrimp exposed to EOC and EOO. The highest concentration of EOOG (250 µL L-1) resulted in 30% mortality. The recovery time was significantly longer for shrimp exposed to 800 µL L-1 of EOO compared to the other EOs. Overall, the action of EOs significantly differed between the two shrimp species. In conclusion, the tested EOs effectively anesthetized F. paulensis and L. vannamei.

Methods to Induce Analgesia and Anesthesia in Crustaceans: A Supportive Decision Tool

“…C. citratus (EOC) was only tested in L. vannamei . Concentrations between 0.150 and 0.500 mL·L −1 induced anesthesia within 2.5 and 1.8 min with a recovery time of between 4.2 and 6 min [ 101 ]. Lower doses between 0.005 and 0.010 mL·L −1 were also tested for long-duration anesthesia (6 h), when recovery took between 2 and 4 h, however concentrations above 0.015 mL·L −1 produced mortality in 1 h [ 58 ].…”

“…Lower doses between 0.005 and 0.010 mL·L −1 were also tested for long-duration anesthesia (6 h), when recovery took between 2 and 4 h, however concentrations above 0.015 mL·L −1 produced mortality in 1 h [ 58 ]. The concentration of L. alba (EOLA) recommended for anesthesia was 0.750 mL·L −1 for adults of the shrimps Penaeus pauliensis [ 101 ] and L. vannamei [ 57 ]. For the post-larvae of L. vannamei , the recommended concentration was lower than for adults to induce short anesthesia needing 0.6 mL·L −1 of EOLA [ 57 ].…”

“…However, a higher concentration (0.25 mL·L −1 ) of EOOG induced anesthesia but caused muscle spasms, escape responses, and 30% mortality. O. majorana (EOO) tested in L. vannamei , at concentrations of 0.40 and 0.80 mL·L −1 , induced anesthesia in 2.5 and 1.7 min and showed a recovery time of 5 and 10 min, respectively [ 101 ]. Lower doses (0.05 and 0.2 mL·L −1 ) were not effective in the first 30 min.…”

Welfare of Decapod Crustaceans with Special Emphasis on Stress Physiology

“…Anesthesia. Decapods can be anesthetized with a wide variety of anesthetics, which are either administered by injection or as anesthetic bath for experimental purposes [173,174]. Since crustaceans from aquaculture are produced for human consumption, the use of chemical narcotics is forbidden due to human safety concerns.…”

Welfare in Farmed Decapod Crustaceans, With Particular Reference to Penaeus vannamei

“…Their results indicate that the application of an anaesthetic significantly improves the elapsed time of feeding onset and their swimming behaviour. On the other hand, the effects of anaesthetics (clove oil/eugenol) have also been examined in a number of decapods, including P. vannamei (Parodi et al, 2012;Wycoff et al, 2018;Becker et al, 2021). Results from Wycoff et al (2018) show that P. vannamei was very susceptible to stress and therefore measurements of heart rate, motor nerve activity and sensory rate activity were inconclusive or not possible to perform.…”