Anesthesia and Transport of Brazilian Flounder, <i>Paralichthys orbignyanus,</i> with Essential Oils of <i>Aloysia gratissima</i> and <i>Ocimum gratissimum</i>

Abstract

Anesthetics can be used in fish culture to minimize stressful situations and facilitate handling (Coyle et al. 2004). However, certain anesthetics may promote a stress response in the animals (Zahl et al. 2010). Thus, it is important to search for new compounds with potential anesthetic activity, increased safety, and low cost. In this context, natural products could be an important area of research because of the large diversity of compounds present in these products (Keene et al. 1998; Goncalves et al. 2008; Cunha et al. 2010, 2011). The plants Aloysia gratissima (Gillies & Hook) Troncoso (Verbenaceae) and Ocimum gratissimum L. (Lamiaceae) have been used as sedatives in popular medicine (Di Stasi et al. 2002; Goleniowski et al. 2006). Essential oil (EO) rich in eugenol obtained from O. gratissimum has shown to be effective in mice as anticonvulsant and sedative (Freire