Effects of Neonatal Oxidative Stress on the Social Affinity and Survival in Larval Zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Abstract Background Exposure to oxidative stress (OS) incurs various consequences in animals’ life from molecular to organismic level. Survival and social affinity are the two representative fitness components of animals that can be impacted by early exposure to OS during the developmental process. However, the effect of early OS exposure on survival and social affinity has not been well addressed. Results In this study, we treated 0, 1, and 5 mM of hydrogen peroxide solution to four-days post fertilization (dpf) larval zebrafish (Danio rerio) for 30 mins, and examined their survival until 19 dpf and social affinity at 28 dpf. There were no significant differences in survival among the treatment groups. On the other hand, social affinity was reduced in the individuals exposed to 5 mM hydrogen peroxide solution. All the groups demonstrated a similar level of locomotion. Conclusions These findings indicate that mild neonatal OS exposure did not affect the survival but partially hampered social affinity. Whether and how partially hampered social affinity in larval zebrafish persists to adulthood need to be investigated.