Zebrafish (Danio rerio)as a Model for Sprint Exercise Training

Abstract

Sprint performance is important ecologically and physiologically, and it can influence fitness by determining outcomes of predator-prey relationships, for example, and it can confer substantial human health benefits. In this article we test whether zebrafish (Danio rerio) are a suitable model to test hypotheses about the effects and consequences of sprint exercise training, and the physiological underpinnings of sprint performance. We show that stage 3 c-starts that capture the initial escape response of fish lasting <1 s were repeatable within individuals. In addition, somewhat longer constant acceleration protocols lasting 10 s (U) or 30 s (U) were highly repeatable within individuals over 3, 6, and 23 days. C-starts within individuals were not correlated with either U or U, indicating that these measures reflect different physiological aspects of sprinting. Stage 3 c-starts and U responded positively to sprint exercise training. Our exercise training protocol (5 × 10 s sprints with 5-min rest periods on 4 days per week for 3 weeks) was based on the human sporting literature, and together, our results indicate that zebrafish are a good model to assess the physiological and behavioral consequences of sprint exercise training.

Social rank and not physiological capacity determines competitive success in zebrafish (Danio rerio)

“…There are different measurement techniques of sprint speed in the literature [17], and to avoid bias, we included two different measures. Hence, sprint speed was determined as an escape response and a constant acceleration test as described previously [10]. Escape responses were induced by a mechanical stimulus to the tail of the fish in a shallow tank (405 × 600 mm, 30 mm water depth).…”

“…The second method consisted of determining the maximum attained speed (U 10 ) in a 10 s constant acceleration trial in a cylindrical, Blazka-style swimming flume (21 mm diameter × 150 mm length) [10]. Each flume was fitted tightly over the intake end of a submersible pump (12 V DC, iL500; Rule, Hertfordshire, UK) that drew water through the flume.…”

“…In fish, maximal sprint performance is often measured as fast starts in response to an external stimulus eliciting an escape response [9]. Alternatively, sprint performance can be measured as the fastest speed attained during constant acceleration in a swimming flume [10]. However, animals under natural circumstances often do not move maximally, and performance is modulated by context [11].…”

The Zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a Model for Studying Voluntary Physical Exercise and its Effects on Behavior and Metabolism

“…Any type of exercise is beneficial to health [7][8][9][10][11][12][13], but given the need to evaluate physical performance and the effects of exercise on diseases, it was necessary to develop models of aerobic [14,15] and sprint exercise training [16]. A voluntary physical exercise (VPE) model for zebrafish has not yet been described, although such model is already widespread in rodents [17][18][19][20][21].…”