[Progress and application of zebrafish in regenerative medicine]

The phenomenon of "tissue regeneration" has attracted numerous biologists for many years. Regenerative capacity differs greatly across species. The lower vertebrates such as zebrafish have exceptionally high regeneration abilities, while most high vertebrate species including humans do not have a remarkable ability for regeneration. It has been found zebrafish has a strong ability to regenerate a variety of tissues and organs including fins, heart, retina, optic nerve, spinal cord, liver, and sensory hair cells. Thus, we can learn useful information from the zebrafish regeneration model to understand the human regeneration defects and promote the development of regenerative medicine. This review summarizes the current research status for regeneration of heart, nerve, liver, and fin regeneration in zebrafish.