The heart of the zebrafish can self-grow

When a zebrafish part of the heart is cut off, cardiac stem cells combine with the cell layer on the wound's surface to create new tissues, replacing the lost part, US scientists said. . This is the discovery of medical experts at Duke University, North Carolina, USA.

Zebrafish can regenerate the heart

With the scientific name Danio rerio , zebrafish is not only a small freshwater fish, a popular ornamental fish, but also a model of regenerating organisms with an important backbone in scientific research.

If a zebrafish has a heart attack, they will immediately recreate a new fruit instead. Zebrafish can regenerate 20% of damaged heart muscle after only two months.

The team also found that some growth agents will support interactions between stem cells and protective cells when the zebrafish heart is damaged.

Historically, scientists still believe that all vertebrates have the ability to regenerate heart cells; but for some reason, this ability " sleeps " in humans and mammals. The discovery of the cause of this " dormant " condition may lead to the introduction of measures to restore heart tissue damaged by disease.

" There are many types of stem cells in the heart of mammals, but they are unable to replicate themselves when damaged, " said Kenneth Poss, the team leader. In contrast, zebrafish's heart revives itself strongly when damaged. Future studies of zebrafish may help to find out why the self-replicating function does not work in mammalian hearts and measures to awaken that ability.

The heart of zebrafish fish sometimes gets hurt

If the human liver can replicate itself, reptiles or amphibians can regrow their own tail, the zebrafish's ability to regenerate the heart is at the forefront of the study of cardiovascular development. However, the heart of this fish is extremely special because they have only one atrium and one ventricle and has two completely different structures than the human heart.

For other animals, the heart is responsible for transporting oxygen throughout the body. However, with fish, the vertebral sinuses transport the oxygen back and forth between the ventricles and the atria. The thinner the ventricle, the thicker the artery wall and the faster the blood is pumped to the atria.