Putative anxiolytic-like behavioral effects of acute paracetamol in adult zebrafish

Typically triggered by stress, anxiety disorders are most common and widespread mental illnesses. The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is rapidly becoming an important aquatic model species in stress research and central nervous system (CNS) drug screening. Paracetamol is currently the most prescribed medication for pain and fever, and is among the most used drugs globally. However, its CNS effects, especially on anxiety, in both clinical and animal studies remain poorly understood. Capitalizing on zebrafish as a powerful model system, here we evaluate the effects of paracetamol on anxiety-like behavior in adult fish, and its changes following an acute stress exposure. Overall, we report an anxiolytic-like profile of acute paracetamol treatment, and its alleviation of stress-evoked anxiety, in adult short-fin wild type zebrafish. Collectively, these findings suggest complex neuroactive effects of paracetamol, and reinforce the growing importance of zebrafish models for drug screening, including the search for novel putative anti-stress therapies.