Zebrafish Cardiomyopathy Model: Drug-Induced Cardiotoxicity

- Cardiomyopathy is a condition in which the heart muscle weakens and loses the ability to pump blood. This condition can be replicated in zebrafish. First, dilute a stock solution of a drug responsible for cardiotoxicity in Hanks' Balanced Salt Solution to prepare several working concentrations. Next, place a tricaine anaesthetized fish, ventral side up, on a holding sponge under a dissecting microscope. Position the needle between the pelvic fins at a 45 degree angle from horizontal.

Now gently push the needle 1 to 2 millimeters into the peritoneal cavity and slowly inject the drug solution. Wait five seconds before pulling out the needle to prevent the solution from leaking out. Immediately transfer the fish to a clean tank containing fresh system water. Record the number of fish dying each day due to severe cardiotoxicity, damage to the heart muscle. The drug binds to death receptors present on the cardiomyocyte cell membrane and triggers apoptosis, resulting in severe cardiotoxicity.

Create a survival curve, a graph displaying the probability of survival over time for each drug concentration. In the example, we will inject doxorubicin, or DOX, to induce cardiomyopathy in an ad