Pharmacological characterization of a novel putative nootropic beta-alanine derivative, MB-005, in adult zebrafish

Background: Cognitive deficits represent an urgent biomedical problem, and are commonly reduced by nootropic drugs. Animal models, including both rodents and zebrafish, offer a valuable tool for studying cognitive phenotypes and screening novel nootropics. Beta-alanine and its derivatives have recently been proposed to exert nootropic activity. Aims: This study aimed to characterize putative nootropic profile of a novel β-alanine analogue, 1,3-diaminopropane (MB-005), in adult zebrafish. Methods: Nootropic profile of MB-005 was assessed in adult zebrafish in the novel tank and conditioned place aversion (CPA) tests acutely, and in cued-learning plus-maze (PMT) tests chronically. Results/Outcomes: MB-005 did not alter zebrafish anxiety-like behavior or monoamine neurochemistry acutely, improved short-term memory in the CPA test, but impaired cognitive performance in both CPA and PMT tests chronically. Conclusions/Interpretation: This study reveals high sensitivity of zebrafish cognitive phenotypes to MB-005, suggesting it as a potential novel cognitive enhancer acutely, but raises concerns over its cognitive (and, possibly, other) side-effects chronically.