Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. The zebrafish has been used as an animal model for studies of several human diseases. It can serve as a powerful preclinical platform for studies of molecular events and therapeutic strategies as well as for evaluating the physiological mechanisms of some pathologies 1. There are relatively few publications related to adult zebrafish physiology of organs and systems 2 , which may lead researchers to infer that the basic techniques needed to allow the exploration of zebrafish systems are lacking 3.
Hematologic biochemical values of zebrafish were first reported in by Murtha and colleagues 4 who employed a blood collection technique first described by Jagadeeswaran and colleagues in Briefly, blood was collected via a micropipette tip through a lateral incision, approximately 0.
Because of the minute dimensions involved, this is a high-precision technique requiring a highly skilled practitioner. The same technique was used by the same group in another publication in that same year 6. In , Eames and colleagues assessed whole blood glucose levels in zebrafish 7.
They gained access to the blood by performing decapitations with scissors and then inserting a heparinized microcapillary collection tube into the pectoral articulation. They mention difficulties with hemolysis that were solved with an appropriate storage temperature based on the work Kilpatrick et al.
When attempting to use Jagadeeswaran's technique in our laboratory, we found that it was difficult to make the incision in precisely the right place as not to allow a significant amount of blood to be lost before collection could be started. Recently, Gupta et al. However, more work is needed to more fully explore basic techniques for research in zebrafish. The small size of zebrafish presents challenges for researchers using it as an experimental model.
