ZEBRAFISH EXPERIMENTAL MODEL FOR AUTOIMMUNE ENCEPHALOMYELITIS
Abstract:
Background: Demyelinating diseases place a significant burden on both patients and health
systems. Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis is used in demyelinating disease research, usually
on mammalian species. Zebrafish are increasingly used in biomedical research due to their low cost and
relative similarity with humans. Objective: Generation of a zebrafish model of autoimmune encephalitis.
Materials and methods: Adult zebrafish lots received an intramuscular injection of salmon central
nervous system emulsified in complete Freund’s adjuvant in volumes of 1 and 2 μl, respectively. A
control lot was kept in similar conditions. After 4 weeks, demyelination was evaluated with Luxol Fast
Blue staining and image analysis in FIJI, and histological examination for inflammatory changes.
Results: Over 60% of the lots exposed to both 1 and 2 μl of central nervous extract showed microglial
hyperplasia and significantly higher demyelination compared with controls. Conclusions: The results
suggest autoimmune demyelination. However, additional investigations are required to validate the
model.
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