Christopher Marlowe A. Caipang | Joel E. Deocampo Jr. | Rolando V. Pakingking Jr. | Jehannie T. Fenol | Christian Le Marjo A. Caipang | Edda Brenda S. Yerro
The stress response in vertebrates is determined by measuring cortisol production in the organism following exposure to a stressor. Cortisol assays are carried out using expensive reagents and special equipment that are not readily available to most Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the Philippines when teaching physiology in undergraduate biology. In the present study, readily available materials such as sodium bicarbonate and a portable glucometer were used to elucidate stress mechanisms in vertebrates using ornamental fish as our model species. Using a “do-it-yourself” (DIY) approach, two hands-on activities: demonstrating sedation and recovery in fish using sodium bicarbonate as anesthetics and quantitating tissue glucose in fish following a stress episode using a portable glucometer were conducted to better understand the mechanisms of the stress response. The different stages of anesthesia and recovery can be clearly observed in fish sedated with sodium bicarbonate with high survival rates following recovery. The use of the portable glucometer can measure tissue glucose as an indicator of stress in fish, with elevated levels of tissue glucose following exposure to a stressor and the levels returning to their basal values during recovery. From these activities that the students can easily perform independently following a set of guide questions, they are able to better understand the various concepts in stress physiology and acquire the basic skills in proper fish handling when studying undergraduate biology.
1. Altun T, Bilgin R, Danabas D (2009) Effects of sodium bicarbonate on anaesthesia of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L., 1758) juveniles. Turkish J Fish Aquat Sci 9:29 31.
2. Avillanosa AL, Caipang CMA (2019) Use of sodium bicarbonate as an inexpensive general anesthetic for juvenile red tilapia hybrids. Int J Aquatic Res 11: 287–294.
3. Barton, B.A., Schreck, C.B., 1987. Influence of acclimation temperature on interrenal and carbohydrate stress responses in juvenile chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). Aquaculture 62(3-4): 299-310.
4. Booke HE, Hollender B, Lutterbie G (1978) Sodium bicarbonate, an inexpensive fish anesthetic for field use. Progr Fish Cult 40:11–13.
5. Bowser PR (2001) Anesthetic options for fish. In: Gleed RD and Ludders JW (eds) Recent advances in veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia: companion animals. International veterinary information service. Ithaca, New York.
6. Brownell, S. E., Kloser, M. J., Fukami, T., & Shavelson, R. (2012). Undergraduate biology lab
courses: Comparing the impact of traditionally based “cookbook” and authentic research-based
courses on student lab experiences. Journal of College Science Teaching, 41, 36–45
7. Caipang, C.M.A., Deocampo, J.E., Pakingking, R.V., Suharman, I., Fenol, J.T. and Onayan, F.B.,
2021a. Utilization of sodium bicarbonate as anesthetic during routine husbandry activities in
ornamental fish. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 934 (1): 012001.
8. Caipang C. M. A., Deocampo J. E. Jr., Fenol J. T., Onayan F. B., Yerro E. B. S., Caipang C. L. M., Pakingking R. V. Jr. 2021b. Utilization of a portable glucometer for the measurement of tissueglucose as a stress indicator in ornamental fish. Poeciliid Research 11(1): 30-35.
9. Caipang, C.M.A., Fatira, E., Lazado, C.C., Pavlidis, M., 2014. Short-term handling stress affects the
humoral immune responses of juvenile Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua. Aquaculture International 22
(4): 1283-1293.
10. Fox, M. F., Werth, A., Hoehn, J. R., & Lewandowski, H. J. (2020). Teaching labs during a pandemic:
Lessons from Spring 2020 and an outlook for the future. arXiv Preprint. arXiv:2007.01271.
10. Gabriel NN, Ersamus VN, Namwoonde A (2020) Effects of different fish sizes, temperatures and
concentration levels of sodium bicarbonate on anaesthesia in Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis
mossambicus). Aquaculture 529: 735716.
11. Gelwicks KR, Zafft DJ, Bobbitt JP (1998) Efficacy of carbonic acid as an anesthetic for rainbow trout.
North American Journal of Fisheries Management 18: 432–438.
12. Githukia CM, Kembenya EM, Opiyo MA (2016) Anaesthetic effects of sodium bicarbonate at
different concentrations on African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) juveniles. Journal of
Aquaculture Engineering and Fisheries Research, 2: 151–158.
13. Gomes, L.D.C., 2007. Physiological responses of pirarucu (Arapaima gigas) to acute handling
stress. Acta Amazonica 37(4): 629-633.
14. Gya R, Bjune AE. 2021. Taking practical learning in STEM education home: Examples from do-it[1]
yourself experiments in plant biology. Ecology and Evolution 11: 3481–3487.
15. Harms CA (1999) Anesthesia in fish. In: Fowler ME, Miller RE (eds) Zoo and wild animal medicine,
current therapy 4. WB Saunders, Philadelphia, pp 158–163.
16. Hasimuna OJ, Monde C, Mweemba M, Nsonga A (2019) The anaesthetic effects of
sodiumbicarbonate (baking soda) on greenhead tilapia (Oreochromis macrochir, Boulenger
1912) broodstock. Egypt J Aquat Res.https://doi.org/10.1016 j.ejar.2019.12.004.
17. Hole, T. N. (2017). Working and learning in a field excursion. Cbe—life Sciences Education, 17
(24), 1–11.
18. Iwama GK, McGeer JC, Pawluk MP (1989) The effects of five fish anesthetics on acid-base
balance, hematocrit, blood gases, cortisol, and adrenaline in rainbow trout. Can J Zool 67:2065 – 2073.
19. Iwama, G.K., Morgan, J.D., Barton, B.A., 1995. Simple field methods for monitoring stress and
general condition of fish. Aquaculture Research 26(4): 273-282.
20. King WV, Hooper B, Hillsgrove S, Benton C, Berlinsky DL (2005) The use of clove oil, metomidate, tricaine methanesulphonate and 2- phenoxyethanol for inducing anaesthesia and their effect on the cortisol stress response in black sea bass (Centropristis striata L.). Aquac Res 36:1442–1449.
21. Madsen, S.S., 1990. The role of cortisol and growth hormone in seawater adaptation and development of hypoosmoregulatory mechanisms in sea trout parr (Salmo trutta trutta). General and Comparative Endocrinology 79(1): 1-11.
22. Marik, P.E., Bellomo, R., 2013. Stress hyperglycemia: an essential survival response!. Critical Care 17 (2): 1-7.
23. Marking LL, Meyer FP (1985) Are better anesthetics needed in fisheries? Fisheries 10:2–5.
24. Mylonas CC, Cardinaletti G, Sigelaki I, PolzonettiMagni A (2005) Comparative efficacy of clove
oil and 2-phenoxyethanol as anesthetics in the aquaculture of European sea bass (Dicentrarchus
labrax) and gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) at different temperatures. Aquaculture 246: 467– 481.
25. Nabors, M. L., Edwards, L. C., & Murray, R. K. (2009). Making the case for field trips: What
research tells us and what site coordinators have to say. Education, 129(4), 661–667.
26. Oberg EW, Perez KO, Fuiman LA (2015) Carbon dioxide is an effective anesthetic for multiple marine fish species. Fish Res 165: 22–27. https:/doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres. 2014.12.019.
27. Opiyo MA, Ochieng E, Charo-Karisa H (2013) Effectiveness of sodium bicarbonate as an anaesthetic for different sizes of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L., 1758) juveniles. Int J Aquat Sci 4:14–22.
28. Post G. 1979. Carbonic acid anesthesia for aquatic organisms. Progressive Fish Culturist 41: 142– 144.
29. Swift, D.J. 1983. Blood component value changes in the Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus L.)
subjected to capture, handling and confinement. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Physiology 76(4): 795-802.
30. Wells, R.M., Pankhurst, N.W., 1999. Evaluation of simple instruments for the measurement of blood
glucose and lactate, and plasma protein as stress indicators in fish. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society 30(2): 276-284.
31. Willis, J. 2007. Review of research: Brain-based teaching strategies for improving students'
memory, learning, and test-taking success. Childhood Education, 83(5): 310–315.
32. Zulirfan, Z., Iksan, Z. H., Osman, K.,Mohd Salehudin, S. N. 2018. Take-home experiment: Enhancing
students' scientific attitude. Journal of Baltic Science Education 17(5): 828–837.
ISSN 1655-485X (Print)
Philippine E-Journals
All Comments (1)
John Melgazo
2 months ago
I cannot download the fulltext