A gelatin-based feed for precise and non-invasive drug delivery to adult zebrafish

Although the use of adult zebrafish as a model organism has increased in recent years, there is room to refine methods, such as drug delivery, to make them less invasive and more precise. Here, we describe the development of a non-invasive gelatin-based feed method that is tailored to animals based on their body mass. The feed was readily eaten by zebrafish (<1 min) with minimal leaching of compound when placed in water (<5% in 5 min). As a proof of principle, we fed fish a NMDA receptor antagonist (MK-801, 4 mg kg(−1)) prior to the novel tank test. We found that MK-801 caused a general decrease in predator-avoidance/anxiety-like behavior (bottom dwelling) and an increase in locomotion in male fish, but not females. Our simple, easy to prepare and individually tailored gelatin-based feed enables precisely dosed, non-invasive drug delivery to adult-stage zebrafish for the first time.