EFFECTIVE METHOD TO DELIVER TEST SUBSTANCE IN ADULT ZEBRAFISH (DANIO RERIO).

The present study has proposed an effective protocol for delivery of test substances via oral route to adult zebrafish (Danio rerio). The aim was to assess the accuracy of this feeding procedure based on bioaccumulation of GNPs in major organs of zebrafish (F0 fish). For this purpose, a butterfly needle as a vector was used to administer GNPs which act as a test substance in the present study. Chemically synthesized GNPs of two different sizes (15±6.6 nm-Type I and 47±7.7 nm-Type II) were used to investigate size dependent pattern of accumulation in major organs. A concentration of 20 µg/g body weight/day was administered orally to male zebrafish for 28 (chronic) days. The efficiency of this protocol was determined by estimating the overall pattern of distribution of type I & II GNPs in major organs of F0 fish using Inductive Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The analysis confirmed the presence of GNPs accumulated in major organs (brain, heart, liver, kidney and testes) of male zebrafish. Interestingly, a distinctive pattern of accumulation between both the types of GNPs was observed. The current protocol described in this article can effectively deliver the GNPs through gastrointestinal tract and further allow distribution through the blood stream in an adult zebrafish model.