The Zebrafish in Toxicology/Links


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= Major references = Histological Analysis of Endocrine Disruptive Effects in Small Laboratory Fish - Daniel Dietrich, Heiko O. Krieger, John (Jack) Fournie, Sylvia Gimeno, Silke Rumpf, Helmut Segner, Leo TM van der Ven, Piet Wester, Jeff Wolf Clarifying much of the inconsistency currently encountered in the scientific literature, this book helps to standardize the interpretation of results from aquatic bioassays and field observations by describing basic biological function and contrasting normal histology with histopathological conditions in a variety of fish species. The authors represent the leaders of small fish gonadal histopathology, and they incorporate views and ideas from other experts. OECD Guidance Document for the Diagnosis of Endocrine-Related Histopathology of Fish Gonads - Rodney Johnson, Jeffrey Wolf, Thomas Braunbeck, et al. Exposure of fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas), Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) and zebrafish (Danio rerio) to endocrine disrupting chemicals may result in histopathological alterations of gonadal structure and microarchitecture. The diagnosis of such histopathological changes may, therefore, assist in the detection of endocrine disrupting chemicals. Given the long historical background of piscine histopathology and diverse traditions in the terminology in different fish species and in different regions, there is a need for harmonization in order to facilitate non-biased comparisons of results from different laboratories and, thus, to optimize reproducibility and reliability of histopathological diagnoses. The purpose of this document is to provide guidance for the preparation and histopathological evaluation of gonads from fathead minnow, Japanese medaka and zebrafish following exposure to chemicals potentially disrupting the endocrine system. Throughout this document, the proposed procedures were derived from consensus opinions of various fish pathologists, recommendations from the Bilthoven (2002), Paris (2003) and Heidelberg (2004) workshops, from information distilled from previous guidelines, and the scientific literature. Major sections of the guidance document comprise (1) post-mortem and histo-technical procedures, (2) primary, secondary and additional gonadal histopathology glossary and diagnostic criteria, and (3) gonadal staging criteria. Histopathology as a tool for the evaluation of endocrine disruption in zebrafish (Danio rerio). van der Ven LT, Wester PW, Vos JG. Environ Toxicol Chem. 2003 Apr;22(4):908-13.

= Links to related projects =

Zebrafish Virtual Atlas - PennState University The Zebrafish Atlas contains 2- and 3-dimensional, anatomical reference slides of zebrafish to support research and education worldwide. Hematoxylin & eosin histological slides, at various points in the lifespan of the zebrafish, have been scanned at 40x resolution and are available through a virtual slide viewer. 3D models of the organs are reconstructed from plastic tissue sections of embryo and larvae.