Ketamine exposure significantly reduces locomotor activity in juvenile zebrafish, with stronger effects at higher concentrations. Using a high-throughput behavior tracking system, researchers analyzed the movement of 6-day post-fertilization zebrafish exposed to various ketamine concentrations. The study also detected normethketamine, ketamine's primary metabolite, via UPLC-LTQ/Orbitrap HRMS, confirming that zebrafish can metabolize the drug. This integration of behavioral and metabolic profiling demonstrates zebrafish as a useful model for understanding ketamine's neurotoxic and metabolic effects, which may inform research in other vertebrates.
Exposure to the hallucinogenic drug 5-MeO-DiPT for a short period altered 27 metabolites in the brains of zebrafish. Eight metabolites increased and 19 decreased, while nine core metabolic pathways were significantly disrupted. The drug disturbed neurotransmitter balance, amino acid metabolism, and lipid peroxidation, leading to impairments in neural conduction, immune response, and energy metabolism. The findings suggest potential carcinogenic risks and a mechanism for inducing metabolic syndrome.