An Overview towards Zebrafish Larvae as a Model for Ocular Diseases

Abstract

Despite the obvious morphological differences in the visual system, zebrafish share a similar architecture and components of the same embryonic origin as humans. The zebrafish retina has the same layered structure and cell types with similar metabolic and phototransduction support as humans, and is functional 72 h after fertilization, allowing tests of visual function to be performed. The zebrafish genomic database supports genetic mapping studies as well as gene editing, both of which are useful in the ophthalmological field. It is possible to model ocular disorders in zebrafish, as well as inherited retinal diseases or congenital or acquired malformations. Several approaches allow the evaluation of local pathological processes derived from systemic disorders, such as chemical exposure to produce retinal hypoxia or glucose exposure to produce hyperglycemia, mimicking retinopathy of prematurity or diabetic retinopathy, respectively. The pathogenesis of ocular infections, autoimmune diseases, or aging can also be assessed in zebrafish larvae, and the preserved cellular and molecular immune mechanisms can be assessed. Finally, the zebrafish model for the study of the pathologies of the visual system complements certain deficiencies in experimental models of mammals since the regeneration of the zebrafish retina is a valuable tool for the study of degenerative processes and the discovery of new drugs and therapies.

Amebicides against Acanthamoeba castellanii: The Impact of Organism Models Used in Amebicide Assays

“…Some alternatives models for rabbits that can help in the study of keratitis by A. castellanii include the zebrafish (Danio rerio), a popular model that is used to study vision and human ocular diseases. Drosphila and planarians as potential model systems should also be considered for acanthamoebiasis studies [73].…”

Cytokines IL-1β and IL-10 are required for Müller glia proliferation following light damage in the adult zebrafish retina

“…Zebrafish are a widely recognized model organism in the vertebrate vision research field, with a highly conserved retinal structure and common cell types shared between zebrafish and mammalian retinas ( Goldsmith and Harris, 2003 ; Gestri et al, 2012 ; Malicki et al, 2016 ; Angueyra and Kindt, 2018 ). Zebrafish are also a valuable model for understanding human ocular diseases ( Phillips and Westerfield, 2014 ; Richardson et al, 2017 ; Patton and Tobin, 2019 ; Rosa et al, 2023 ). Unlike mammals, however, zebrafish have a remarkable capability to regenerate retinal neurons following retinal damage.…”