Pérez Díaz Martín, de Azevedo Gomes Ana Manuela, Quiroga Berdeal María Isabel, Bermúdez Pose Roberto
Department of Anatomy, Animal Production and Veterinary Clinical Sciences, University of Santiago de Compostela, Lugo, Spain.
Zebrafish. 2025 Jun;22(3):76-85. doi: 10.1089/zeb.2024.0184. Epub 2025 Apr 26.
The zebrafish () has become an essential model in fields such as developmental biology, toxicology, genetics, and regenerative medicine due to its low cost, small size, transparent embryos, and genetic similarity to humans. Nowadays, this model is increasingly recognized as a valuable tool in other fields, including veterinary medicine and animal production research, particularly aquaculture, due to its unique characteristics that make it suitable for studying economically significant diseases affecting production species. However, unlike established models such as mice, zebrafish lack standardized protocols for housing, feeding, anesthesia, and sample collection, which affects study reproducibility. In addition, it is a common practice to use whole zebrafish larvae or juveniles for metagenomic studies rather than analyzing individual organs, despite the fact that gene expression can vary between organs. This approach complicates the attribution of findings to specific biological processes. To address this, various authors proposed protocols for sample collection in larvae, juveniles, and adult zebrafish; however, comprehensive studies encompassing nearly all fish organs are scarce. Understanding zebrafish anatomy and the technical requirements of the study is essential for accurate sample collection. Some challenges present during zebrafish dissection include the small size of the fish, the fragility of their organs, and the faster onset of autolysis and heterolysis after the death of the animal. Using magnifying lenses, microdissection tools, and conducting dissections on cold surfaces can help mitigate these issues. This article aims to improve sample collection for histopathological and genetic studies in adult zebrafish by establishing a comprehensive, organized, and systematic dissection protocol that accounts for the anatomical specifics of this experimental model.
斑马鱼（）因其成本低、体型小、胚胎透明以及与人类的基因相似性，已成为发育生物学、毒理学、遗传学和再生医学等领域的重要模型。如今，由于其独特的特性使其适用于研究影响养殖物种的具有经济重要性的疾病，该模型在包括兽医学和动物生产研究，特别是水产养殖在内的其他领域越来越被视为一种有价值的工具。然而，与小鼠等成熟模型不同，斑马鱼在饲养、喂食、麻醉和样本采集方面缺乏标准化方案，这影响了研究的可重复性。此外，尽管不同器官之间的基因表达可能存在差异，但在宏基因组学研究中通常使用整个斑马鱼幼虫或幼鱼，而不是分析单个器官。这种方法使得将研究结果归因于特定生物学过程变得复杂。为了解决这个问题，许多作者提出了斑马鱼幼虫、幼鱼和成鱼的样本采集方案；然而，涵盖几乎所有鱼类器官的综合研究却很少。了解斑马鱼解剖结构和研究的技术要求对于准确采集样本至关重要。斑马鱼解剖过程中存在的一些挑战包括鱼的体型小、器官脆弱以及动物死亡后自溶和异溶的发生更快。使用放大镜、显微解剖工具以及在低温表面进行解剖有助于缓解这些问题。本文旨在通过建立一个全面、有条理且系统的解剖方案来改进成年斑马鱼组织病理学和遗传学研究的样本采集，该方案考虑了这个实验模型的解剖学细节。
