Aquarium fish and temperature neuropharmacology: Update

Abstract

It is shown that at the end of the 20th century in Russia studies of temperature dependence of specific pharmacological activity of antihypoxants and some neurotropic drugs under normo- and hypothermia of various biological objects in experimental and clinical conditions were started. At the beginning of the 21st century, an original biological model of acute hypoxia in aquarium fish was developed. This model made it possible to start the study of fish resistance to hypoxia, to screen biologically active substances and to evaluate the activity of antihypoxants under normo- and hypothermia. The first results of using this model allowed to conclude that the dynamics of motor activity of fish under conditions of acute hypoxia is similar to the dynamics of motor activity of fetuses inside the uterus under diagnostic intrauterine hypoxia created by voluntary apnea in a pregnant woman. It was found that the value of the duration of the period of immobile state of fish and fetuses under hypoxia is directly proportional to the value of their resistance to hypoxia. It was found that the reduction in conditions of acute hypoxia water temperature with floating fish in it on 10 °C lengthens the duration of the period of immobile state of fish and the period of preservation of their viability more than 2 times, and the preliminary introduction of hydrogen peroxide in the water in the therapeutic dose in combination with hypothermia lengthens the corresponding periods by 4 times. It has also been found that such neurotropic drugs as ethyl alcohol, local and general anesthetics will completely eliminate the pain syndrome that develops during local hypothermia in normal. In addition, it has been shown that immersing the hands of people under alcohol intoxication and/or surgical anesthesia in water with melting ice for 2 minutes eliminates the feeling of pain in the hands and accelerates the development of subsequent hyperemia in the skin of the hands by 2 times compared to the norm.