A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Recommended Doses of MS-222 (tricaine methanesulfonate) and Orajel(benzocaine) for Amphibian Anesthesia

摘要

Traditionally, tricaine methanesulfonate (Ethyl 3-aminobenzoic methanesulfonate salt), commonly known as MS-222, has been used to anesthetize amphibians for a variety of procedures including surgery, marking, and photography (Anholt et al. 1998; Kaplan 1969; Kaiser and Green 2001). Recently, Orajel, a widely used analgesic for oral pain in humans, has been suggested as an effective alternative (Brown et al. 2004; Chen and Combs 1999). Previous studies also have suggested that Orajel8 may be a more convenient choice (Altig 1980; Chen and Combs 1999) because it may be purchased from pharmacies and convenience stores, is relatively inexpensive (Crook and Whiteman 2006) and may be easier to transport (Kaiser and Green 2001; Wright 2001).