Preface

In recent years, the zebrafish has become a favorite model organism in biomedical research in order to understand and treat certain health problems such as cancer and some genetic and neurological disorders. Among its various advantages, the zebrafish has a transparent embryo, which allows visualization of development and morphogenesis of its tissues and organs. This is very important in understanding the different mechanisms underlying health problems.

*Zebrafish in Biomedical Research* describes the current understanding of zebrafish as a model organism in biomedical science. This book is divided into five chapters over four sections as follows.

Section 1, "Zebrafish: A Model Organism," is an introductory section including Chapter 1, "Importance of Zebrafish (*Danio rerio*) as a Model Organism in Biomedical Research." This chapter focusses on recent developments in using zebrafish in research to examine the different mechanisms underlying human health problems.

Section 2, "Using of Zebrafish in Neurological Studies," includes Chapter 2, "Alarm Test: A Novel Chemical Free Behaviour Assesment Tool for Zebrafish." This chapter provides valuable information regarding using zebrafish as an animal model for understanding and treating some neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. It describes an alarm test that measures anxiety level and stress response in zebrafish kept in isolated and herd conditions.

Section 3, "Using of Zebrafish in Miscellaneous Diseases," is divided into two chapters. Chapter 3, "The Zebrafish Kupffer's Vesicle: A Special Organ in a Model Organism to Study Human Diseases," examines the underlying mechanisms and problems of both Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD) and Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) via the (Kupffer's Vesicle) KV, which is an organ transiently present in the early embryonic life of the zebrafish. Chapter 4, "Zebrafish as an Experimental Model for the Study of Obesity," discusses using zebrafish to examine the physiological mechanisms of obesity and related metabolic disorders, such as cardiovascular dysfunction, diabetes and cancer.

Section 4, "Using of Zebrafish in Toxicology and Drug Development" includes Chapter 5, "Histopathology of Zebrafish (*Danio rerio*) in Non-Clinical Toxicological Studies of New Drugs." This chapter researches the effect of environmental toxicity on different major organs of zebrafish, such as gills, kidney, liver and intestines, via examining healthy and damaged histopathology of these organs.

I would like to thank all the authors for their distinguished contributions, IntechOpen Publishing, and its Author Service Manager Ms. Jasna Bozic for her help in preparing this book for publication.

#### **Yusuf Bozkurt**

Professor, Faculty of Marine Sciences and Technology, İskenderun Technical University, İskenderun, Hatay, Turkey Section 1
