Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2025
Zebrafish Animal Model for the Study of Allergic Reactions in Response to Tick Saliva Biomolecules
Published on: September 16, 2022
Towards an optimized model of food allergy in zebrafish
Jiali Bao1, Yushu Qiu2, Xinyi Xu3
1Department of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325027, China; Department of Infectious Diseases, the Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, 3333 Binsheng Road, Hangzhou 310052, China.
Background:
The prevalence of food allergies is on the rise, posing a significant challenge to public health. Rodents serve as the predominant animal model in food allergy research; yet, the application of rodent models proves to be a laborious and time-consuming endeavor. It is imperative to develop novel in vivo models.
Methods:
Ovalbumin (OVA) was administered as the allergen, following the recommended dosage used in other species. During the sensitization phase, a dosage of 0.25 mg per 10 tails per 1 L was administered twice daily, and during the challenge phase, the dosage was increased to 3 times the initial level. The study explored two dimensions of sensitization: the mode of exposure, which can be either continuous or intermittent, and the duration of exposure, which includes 3 days, 5 days, and 7 days. We examined midgut pathological changes, immunoglobulins contents, and mRNA expressions associated to T helper cells (Th) 2 cytokines following exposure.
Results:
A significant 109.3 % increase in the number of eosinophils was observed in the midgut histopathology following intermittent 5-day OVA exposure, which emerged as the most effective model. OVA exposure increased concentrations of immunoglobulin M (IgM) (105.2 %), IgZ (312.1 %), and IgD (304.3 %) in this model. The mRNA expressions of Th2-related interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13 were also elevated by 132.8 % and 421.0 %, respectively.
Conclusion:
The intermittent 5-day OVA exposure was suggested to be the best constructed zebrafish food allergy model, which may be a potential tool for research into food allergies.
