The anesthetic efficacy of eugenol and the essential oils of Lippia alba and Aloysia triphylla in post-larvae and sub-adults of Litopenaeus vannamei (Crustacea, Penaeidae)

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the anesthesia induction and recovery times of sub-adult and postlarvae white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) that were treated with eugenol and the essential oils (EOs) from Lippia alba and Aloysia triphylla. Oxidative stress parameters in the hemolymph of this species were also analyzed. The concentrations of eugenol, A. triphylla EO and L. alba EO recommended for anesthesia were 200, 300 and 750 μL L−1 for sub-adults and 175, 300 and 500 μL L−1 for post-larvae, respectively. The concentrations studied during the transport of sub-adults were between 20 and 50 μL L−1 eugenol, 20–30 μL L−1 A. triphylla EO and 50 μL L−1 L. alba EO. For post-larvae, the optimal concentrations for transport were 20 μL L−1 eugenol and between 20 and 50 μL L−1 A. triphylla EO. The white shrimp sub-adults that were exposed to A. triphylla EO (20 μL L−1) showed increases in their total antioxidant capacities (150%), catalase (70%) and glutathione-S-transferase (615%) activity after 6 h. L. alba EO (50 μL L−1) and eugenol (20 μL L−1) also increased GST activity (1292 and 1315%) after 6 h, and eugenol (20 μL L−1) decreased the total antioxidant capacity (100%). Moreover, concentrations above 30 μL L−1 for the EOs of A. triphylla and L. alba and 20 μL L−1 eugenol were effective at inducing anesthesia and improving the antioxidant system against reactive oxygen species (ROS) after 6 h.