Zebrafish larvae as experimental model to expedite the search for new biomarkers and treatments for neonatal sepsis

Neonatal sepsis is a major cause of death and disability in newborns. Commonly used biomarkers for diagnosis and evaluation of treatment response lack sufficient sensitivity or specificity. Additionally, new targets to treat the dysregulated immune response are needed, as are methods to effectively...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of clinical and translational science 2021, Vol.5 (1), p.e140-e140, Article e140
Main Authors: Keij, Fleur M., Koch, Bjørn E. V., Lozano Vigario, Fernando, Simons, Sinno H. P., van Hasselt, Johan G. C., Taal, H. Rob, Knibbe, C. A. J., Spaink, Herman P., Reiss, Irwin K. M., Krekels, Elke H. J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Basic and Preclinical Research
biomarker discovery
Biomarkers
Biomedical research
Danio rerio
Dendritic cells
drug development
Drug therapy
Experiments
Immune response
Immune system
Immunoregulation
Immunosuppressive agents
Infections
Larvae
Medical research
Mortality
Neonatal sepsis
Neonates
Neutrophils
Pathogens
preclinical disease model
Proteins
Review
Sepsis
Zebrafish
zebrafish larvae
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Summary:Neonatal sepsis is a major cause of death and disability in newborns. Commonly used biomarkers for diagnosis and evaluation of treatment response lack sufficient sensitivity or specificity. Additionally, new targets to treat the dysregulated immune response are needed, as are methods to effectively screen drugs for these targets. Available research methods have hitherto not yielded the breakthroughs required to significantly improve disease outcomes, we therefore describe the potential of zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae as preclinical model for neonatal sepsis. In biomedical research, zebrafish larvae combine the complexity of a whole organism with the convenience and high-throughput potential of in vitro methods. This paper illustrates that zebrafish exhibit an immune system that is remarkably similar to humans, both in terms of types of immune cells and signaling pathways. Moreover, the developmental state of the larval immune system is highly similar to human neonates. We provide examples of zebrafish larvae being used to study infections with pathogens commonly causing neonatal sepsis and discuss known limitations. We believe this species could expedite research into immune regulation during neonatal sepsis and may hold keys for the discovery of new biomarkers and novel treatment targets as well as for screening of targeted drug therapies.
ISSN:2059-8661
2059-8661
DOI:10.1017/cts.2021.803