Using Zebrafish to Model Liver Diseases-Where Do We Stand?

• Published in: Current pathobiology reports Vol. 5; no. 2; pp. 207 - 221
• Main Authors: Pham, Duc-Hung, Zhang, Changwen, Yin, Chunyue
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.06.2017; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animal models; Cholestasis; Death; Etiology; Fatty liver; Hepatocytes; Liver diseases; Liver transplantation; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Neonates; Pathology; Section Editors; Topical Collection on Xenopus and Zebrafish Models for Pathobiology; Transplantation; Xenopus and Zebrafish Models for Pathobiology (W Goessling and A Zorn; Zebrafish; Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; Cholestasis; Liver regeneration; Fibrosis; Steatosis; Alcoholic liver disease
• ISSN: 2167-485X; 2167-485X
• DOI: 10.1007/s40139-017-0141-y

Purpose of review The liver is the largest internal organ and performs both exocrine and endocrine function that is necessary for survival. Liver failure is among the leading causes of death and represents a major global health burden. Liver transplantation is the only effective treatment for end-stage liver diseases. Animal models advance our understanding of liver disease etiology and hold promise for the development of alternative therapies. Zebrafish has become an increasingly popular system for modeling liver diseases and complements the rodent models. Recent findings The zebrafish liver contains main cell types that are found in mammalian liver and exhibits similar pathogenic responses to environmental insults and genetic mutations. Zebrafish have been used to model neonatal cholestasis, cholangiopathies, alcoholic liver disease, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. It also provides a unique opportunity to study the plasticity of liver parenchymal cells during regeneration. Summary In this review, we summarize the recent work of building zebrafish models of liver diseases. We highlight how these studies have brought new knowledge of disease mechanisms. We also discuss the advantages and challenges of using zebrafish to model liver diseases.