Induction of Paraquat-Mediated Parkinsonian Phenotype in Zebrafish

V S Harini; Raghunath Marimuthu; M S Ananthakrishna Tantry; Kirankumar Santhakumar

doi:10.1002/cpz1.990

Induction of Paraquat-Mediated Parkinsonian Phenotype in Zebrafish

Curr Protoc. 2024 Feb;4(2):e990. doi: 10.1002/cpz1.990.

Authors

V S Harini¹, Raghunath Marimuthu¹, M S Ananthakrishna Tantry¹, Kirankumar Santhakumar¹

Affiliation

¹ Zebrafish Genetics Laboratory, Department of Genetic Engineering, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Tamil Nadu, India.

PMID: 38348973
DOI: 10.1002/cpz1.990

Abstract

Paraquat (PQ) is a well-known neurotoxin closely associated with neurodegenerative Parkinson's disease (PD). Zebrafish are utilized as a model for PD research because of their well-defined neuropathology and locomotor behavior. Here, we highlight protocols for inducing PD using PQ and analyzing locomotor activity in adult zebrafish. Basic Protocol 1 details the treatment of adult male zebrafish with 60 mg/kg PQ via intraperitoneal injection to induce a PD-like phenotype, followed by the steps to perform a locomotor assay. Basic Protocol 2 provides step-by-step guidance for processing the acquired videos in ToxTrac software to understand the locomotor parameters of 0.9% saline- and 60 mg/kg PQ-injected adult zebrafish. The simplicity of the treatment strategy, low-cost video acquisition setup, and free video processing make these protocols accessible without prior experience. © 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Development of Parkinson's disease features in adult zebrafish Basic Protocol 2: ToxTrac analysis for locomotor assay.

Keywords: Parkinson's disease; ToxTrac; locomotor behavior; paraquat; zebrafish.

MeSH terms

Animals
Herbicides* / toxicity
Male
Neurodegenerative Diseases* / complications
Paraquat / toxicity
Parkinson Disease* / etiology
Parkinson Disease* / pathology
Phenotype
Zebrafish

Substances

Paraquat
Herbicides