Data: Eco-friendly anesthesia: common jasmine oil nanoemulsion enhances zebrafish anesthesia with water-saving benefits

To ensure fish welfare, appropriate anesthetics must be utilized in Zebrafish experiments. Tricaine methanesulfonate (MS-222) is the most commonly used synthetic anesthetic in fish, however, current studies demonstrate that it has a potential to be a carcinogen and damage both fish and human retinas. Thus, there is growing interest in natural essential oils as eco-friendly alternatives to synthetic anesthetics. Despite their generally low toxicity, essential oil anesthetics are typically dissolved in ethanol, which can induce side effects such as hyperactivity in fish and environmental concerns due to solvent discharge. The purpose of this study was to develop and optimize nanoemulsion of common jasmine essential oils (CJEO-NE) for use as an ethanol-free herbal fish anesthetic as well as to determine the optimal anesthetic dose for zebrafish. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to identify the chemical composition of common jasmine essential oils (CJEO). The droplets of CJEO-NE were characterized using dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscope. Evaluate the histopathology of the gills exposed to the substances. The results revealed that CJEO comprised four primary constituents: linalool, β-pinene, α-pinene, and d-limonene. The average diameter of droplets was 13.01±0.09 nm. The lowest effective concentration of CJEO-NE for zebrafish surgical performance was at 0.35 mL L^-1. Fish that received CJEO-NE showed hyperplasia of the gill epithelium. In conclusion, this study provides the first evidence that CJEO-NE is an effective, ethanol-free, and environmentally sustainable anesthetic for zebrafish. These findings establish a foundation for cross-species evaluation and support the potential of CJEO-NE as a practical alternative to synthetic anesthetics in aquaculture and laboratory research.