Effects of D-Glucose Exposure on Motor Activity by Swimming Distance During Early Development of Zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Abstract

Several studies have been reported behavioral changes in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) recently. The increasing levels of glucose affects neuronal activity and may inhibit the process of differentiation and regeneration of neurons in the brain. Dopaminergic (DA) neurons produce dopamine as a neurotransmitter which has an important role to regulate motor functions in the brain. This study aimed to determine the effect of exposure to high concentrations of glucose on the activity of dopaminergic neurons on early development of zebrafish (Danio rerio). Zebrafish embryos were exposed to glucose (1%, 3% and 5%) as a diabetic animal model at the beginning of development. Co-incubation was performed by incubated both of glucose and L-DOPA. Swimming distance of zebrafish larvae was measured as a parameter to determine the motor function regulated by dopamine activity. Results of statistical analysis in zebrafish embryos exposed to 1% and 3% glucose showed significant differences (p less then 0.05) reduction on swimming distance. Co-incubation glucose with L-DOPA partially increased the swimming distance. It can be concluded that the administration of excessive exposure to glucose was able to decrease the activity of dopaminergic neurons by decreasing the distance of swim in early zebrafish development.