Long‐term and in vivo assessment of Aβ protein‐induced brain atrophy in a zebrafish model by optical coherence tomography

Abstract

In this study, a neurotoxicity model of zebrafish induced by amyloid beta (Aβ) protein was developed and evaluated in vivo by optical coherence tomography (OCT). Aβ protein and phosphate buffer saline (PBS) were separately injected into the head of two groups of adult zebrafish (n = 6 per group). Congo‐red staining results confirmed that Aβ protein had penetrated into brain tissue. All zebrafish were imaged with OCT on the 0th, 5th, 10th, 15th and 20th day postinjection. OCT images showed that PBS is not toxic to brain tissue. However, significant brain atrophy could be seen in the OCT images of zebrafish injected with Aβ‐protein that was verified by histological consequences. In addition, zebrafish in the model group showed memory decline in behavioral tests. This study verified the feasibility of in vivo long‐term assessment of Aβ protein‐induced brain atrophy in adult zebrafish by OCT that has great potential to be applied in the neurological diseases research.

Zebrafish brain and skull imaging based on polarization‐sensitive optical coherence tomography

“…In addition, various specific fluorescent labels are needed for different compositions, and complex pretreatments are often required before imaging. OCT is a kind of three-dimensional imaging technology with high penetration depth and has been used in zebrafish brain and skull imaging [11][12][13]. However, intensity-based OCT can only provide structural information.…”

Multicontrast investigation of in vivo wildtype zebrafish in three development stages using polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography

“… 10 In recent decades, OCT has shown to be a useful tool for many microscopy-related studies. 9 In the field of zebrafish-based research, the technique has either been used for larva imaging 11 , 12 or in adult animals to investigate the brain 13 , 14 and eye. 15 , 16 Most studies presented so far were conducted with conventional intensity-based OCT setups.…”

“… 15 , 16 Most studies presented so far were conducted with conventional intensity-based OCT setups. 11 – 16 …”

“…15,16 Most studies presented so far were conducted with conventional intensity-based OCT setups. [11][12][13][14][15][16] Polarization-sensitive OCT (PS-OCT) provides tissue specific contrast by analyzing the polarization states of the backscattered and reflected light. 17 The birefringence and depolarization properties of tissue can be measured and quantified label-free and non-destructively.…”

Study on promoting regeneration of zebrafish skull by phycocyanin characterized by in vivo optical coherence tomography

“…In recent years, our team has developed a range of human disease models based on the zebrafish model, including the osteoporosis model and the bone defect model. Our team also used SD-OCT to evaluate zebrafish models and performed medical research on brain tissue regeneration and retinal repair following an injury [39][40][41]. In general, given that a 30-day-old zebrafish can grow to 10 mm long, this is beyond the imaging depth of most optical imaging systems.…”