Journal
BRITISH JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY
Volume 179, Issue 5, Pages 900-917Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/bph.15473
Keywords
cardiovascular; disease model; endothelial; vascular; zebrafish
Categories
Funding
- British Heart Foundation
- National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs)
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
- Medical Research Council
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The use of zebrafish models in studying cardiovascular development and disease mechanisms has become increasingly popular. By comparing the anatomy and physiology of zebrafish and mammalian cardiovascular systems, researchers have found that zebrafish have unique advantages in simulating cardiac and vascular pathologies.
Mammalian models including non-human primates, pigs and rodents have been used extensively to study the mechanisms of cardiovascular disease. However, there is an increasing desire for alternative model systems that provide excellent scientific value while replacing or reducing the use of mammals. Here, we review the use of zebrafish, Danio rerio, to study cardiovascular development and disease. The anatomy and physiology of zebrafish and mammalian cardiovascular systems are compared, and we describe the use of zebrafish models in studying the mechanisms of cardiac (e.g. congenital heart defects, cardiomyopathy, conduction disorders and regeneration) and vascular (endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis, lipid metabolism, vascular ageing, neurovascular physiology and stroke) pathologies. We also review the use of zebrafish for studying pharmacological responses to cardiovascular drugs and describe several features of zebrafish that make them a compelling model for in vivo screening of compounds for the treatment cardiovascular disease.
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