ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Effects of Cymbopogon citratus essential oil (EO) was tested on minimizing handling stress in Macrobrachium rosenbergii through the evaluation of their metabolite responses [glucose, lactate, glycogen, protein, Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH), Malate Dehydrogenase (MDH), Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT)]. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of C. citratus extract in the anaesthetization of M. rosenbergii. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three treatments including control, prawn exposed to stress alone (T1) and prawn exposed to stress in the presence of C. citratus EO (T2) were tested. A C. citratus EO at 500 µL L-1 had been determined in a previous study and was selected as the critical dose to be applied as an anesthetic agent. Handling stress was induced into prawns by netting, at 2 min interval for 30 min and their hemolymph were collected to determine the metabolite responses. RESULTS: The increase of glucose, lactate and LDH of M. rosenbergii when exposed to handling stress alone (T1) in comparison to T2 (stress with anesthetic C. citratus EO) were identified. Further, a low glycogen level in parallel with low AChE activity was observed which indicates the involvement of secondary metabolites to cope with the energy demand in T1 over T2. CONCLUSION: This study indicates the efficiency of C. citratus EO to reduce stress during handling in M. rosenbergii.
