Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA 17033, USA.
Department of Ophthalmology, Penn State College of Medicine, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA 17033, USA.
Cells. 2021 Mar 12;10(3):633. doi: 10.3390/cells10030633.
Neurodegenerative retinal diseases, such as glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, involve a gradual loss of neurons in the retina as the disease progresses. Central nervous system neurons are not able to regenerate in mammals, therefore, an often sought after course of treatment for neuronal loss follows a neuroprotective or regenerative strategy. Neuroprotection is the process of preserving the structure and function of the neurons that have survived a harmful insult; while regenerative approaches aim to replace or rewire the neurons and synaptic connections that were lost, or induce regrowth of damaged axons or dendrites. In order to test the neuroprotective effectiveness or the regenerative capacity of a particular agent, a robust experimental model of retinal neuronal damage is essential. Zebrafish are being used more often in this type of study because their eye structure and development is well-conserved between zebrafish and mammals. Zebrafish are robust genetic tools and are relatively inexpensive to maintain. The large array of functional and behavioral tests available in zebrafish makes them an attractive model for neuroprotection studies. Some common insults used to model retinal disease and study neuroprotection in zebrafish include intense light, chemical toxicity and mechanical damage. This review covers the existing retinal neuroprotection and regeneration literature in the zebrafish and highlights their potential for future studies.
神经退行性视网膜疾病，如青光眼和糖尿病性视网膜病变，随着疾病的进展，视网膜中的神经元逐渐丧失。哺乳动物的中枢神经系统神经元不能再生，因此，针对神经元丧失的常用治疗方法是神经保护或再生策略。神经保护是保护经历有害刺激后存活的神经元的结构和功能的过程；而再生方法旨在替代或重新连接丢失的神经元和突触连接，或诱导受损轴突或树突的再生。为了测试特定药物的神经保护效果或再生能力，必须建立一种可靠的视网膜神经元损伤实验模型。由于斑马鱼的眼睛结构和发育在鱼类和哺乳动物之间很好地保守，因此越来越多地将斑马鱼用于此类研究。斑马鱼是强大的遗传工具，并且维护成本相对较低。斑马鱼具有大量的功能和行为测试，这使它们成为神经保护研究的有吸引力的模型。一些常见的用于模拟视网膜疾病和研究斑马鱼神经保护的损伤包括强光、化学毒性和机械损伤。本综述涵盖了在斑马鱼中现有的视网膜神经保护和再生文献，并强调了它们在未来研究中的潜力。
