PU team develops model to study Alzheimer’s in zebrafish

Researchers at the Department of Biochemistry, Panjab University, here have shown that zebrafish can be an excellent model to study Alzheimer’s disease. It is the most common type of dementia, accounting for, at least, two-thirds of cases in people aged 65 and above.

Zebrafish are a popular model organism for studying diseases because of their similarities to humans. In a study published in a leading journal, “Neuroscience, Experimental Neurology”, the team modelled sporadic Alzheimer’s disease by injecting a chemical called streptozotocin (STZ), which is commonly used to model diabetes in animal system. This injection into the brain of fishes exhibited Alzheimer’s disease hallmarks in terms of amyloid plagues (protein aggregates) and cytoskeleton (tau protein) abnormalities along with anxiety and cognitive decline.

“The study is a first by the team to explore the effects of injecting STZ into zebrafish brain and the progression of Alzheimer’s disease-like symptoms. The study suggests that zebrafish could offer a simpler and cost-effective way to study the disease and test new treatments given the similarity of their nervous system with humans,” said Prof Rajat Sandhir. This model allows for a rapid testing, offering researchers a new tool to explore Alzheimer’s mechanisms and screen potential drugs to combat this challenging disease, he added.

The researchers are currently testing natural therapeutic molecules in their newly developed and validated model in zebrafish. The work has primarily been done by Neha Dhiman, a research scholar working under the supervision of Professor Sandhir. His lab has been working to identify mechanisms that connect diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease for the past decade. Studies suggest strong association between diabetes and the disease. According to Professor Sandhir, this study has an immense potential as it would lead to a paradigm shift in anti-Alzheimer’s drug discovery. The study has been carried out in collaboration with Dr Vikas Rishi and Dr Nitin Singhal, scientists from National-Food Agri Biotechnology Institute, Mohali.

Has similarities to humans

Zebrafish are a popular model organism for studying diseases because of their similarities to humans. In a study published in a leading journal, “Neuroscience, Experimental Neurology”, the team modelled sporadic Alzheimer’s disease by injecting a chemical called streptozotocin (STZ), which is commonly used to model diabetes in animal system.