Fish anaesthetic

Clove oil is used as a safe anaesthetic for aquatic research. Tricaine or MS-222, the only anaesthetic registered in North America, is a very effective anaesthetic for several fish species but its application in the field is limited because the US Food and Drug Administration guidelines demand a 21-day withdrawal period after exposure to MS-222 before the fish enters the food chain. In this context, clove oil is found to be an alternative to MS-222 for use as a fish anaesthetic. Exposure of channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) to clove oil at a concentration of 100mg/l induced anaesthesia within 1 min. The fish recovered from a 10 min period of anaesthesia within 4 min after removal from the anaesthetic solution. 

Soto, C.G. and Burhanuddin (1995) Clove oil as a fish anaesthetic for measuring length and weight of rabbitfish (Siganus lineatus). Aquaculture 136(1-2), 149-152. 

The metabolite of 2-amino-4-phenylthiazole (used as an anaesthetic for fish) was identified (223) as 2-amino-4-phenylthiazole 2-N, -d-glucopyranosiduronic acid (71) (Scheme 50). The formation of this compound probably involves the reaction of the exocyclic nitrogen on the Open-chain form of the acid. The isolation of this metabolite is part of a very Systematic study by Japanese researchers related to the anaesthetic... 

---