In order to investigate this possibility, we compared regeneration of the fin and heart after experimental amputation in young (6-12 month old) and old (26-36 month old) fish.Д¬omparison of recovery rate of the caudal fin, measured every two or three days from one day post amputation until 13 days post amputation, show that fins in young and old fish regenerate at a similar rate. Their average lifetime is about 3 years, and recent studies have shown that zebrafish exhibit aging-related degeneration, suggesting the possibility that aging might affect regenerative potential. Life-long preservation of the regenerative capacity in the fin and heart in zebrafish The zebrafish is a widely used model animal to study the regeneration of organs, such as the fin and heart. Putting all this to one side, there is another interesting reason to study regeneration in zebrafish - their ability to regrow tissue and heal wounds doesn't decline all that much with age. Biology is always more complex than you'd like it to be. These could all be different, distinct processes - and for that matter, there could be distinct, different processes of regrowth in different species with these strong regenerative abilities. There is no necessary reason for limb regeneration in one species to be in any way present but dormant in another, and there is no necessary reason for limb regeneration to be some form of re-running of the initial program of embryonic growth. Nonetheless, it remains to be seen whether it is in fact the case that a mammal can be made to regrow major body structures by following this path of salamanders and fish: there are reasonable arguments to be made for both yes and no, and it's still too early to say which it will turn out to be. So there is at least one program for growing limbs and organs hidden in there somewhere. One school of thought suggests that we and other mammals still possess the necessary biological machinery for regeneration of limbs and organs, but it is buried and inactive - after all, just like the fish, we grow from embryos. As is the case for salamanders, there is a research community working on understanding the mechanisms of this regeneration, with an eye to seeing whether it can be brought to humans anytime soon. They can regrow fins and even large portions of some of their major organs. Zebrafish, like a number of lower animals, have far greater regenerative abilities than we mammals. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of normal cutaneous biology prior to consideration of specific cutaneous diseases in fish.Last month I pointed out an interesting article on regeneration in the zebrafish brain. Regardless, a gross and microscopic examination of the integument is simple to perform, but is highly diagnostic and should always be included in the routine diagnostic effort of the aquatic animal practitioner, especially since various ancillary diagnostic procedures are either not practical or lack predictive value in fish. However, cutaneous lesions are generally nonspecific and may be indicative of disease that is restricted to the integument or a manifestation of systemic disease. Because of the intimate contact of fish with the environment, cutaneous disease is relatively more common in fish than in terrestrial vertebrates and is one of the primary disease conditions presented to the aquatic animal practitioner. The normal structure and function of the piscine integument reflects the adaptation of the organism to the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the aquatic environment, and the natural history of the organism.

Aging zebrafish circuli