Cell Biology JoVE (Open Access) Citable · DOI

Assessing Teratogenic Changes in a Zebrafish Model of Fetal Alcohol Exposure

Name: Assessing Teratogenic Changes in a Zebrafish Model of Fetal Alcohol Exposure
Uploaded: 2026-06-17
Duration: 10 min 7 s
Description: Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a severe manifestation of embryonic exposure to ethanol. It presents with characteristic defects to the face and organs, ...

DOI: 10.3791/3704-v

What you'll learn

✓ Expose zebrafish embryos to ethanol and collect samples for analysis
✓ Assess gene expression changes and developmental consequences using molecular techniques
✓ Manipulate zebrafish embryos to observe physical and cellular teratogenic alterations
✓ Interpret representative results from ethanol-exposure experiments in zebrafish models

Protocol

In order to understand the molecular mechanisms of the ethanol-induced developmental damage, we have developed a zebrafish model of ethanol exposure and are exploring the physical, cellular, and genetic alterations that occur after ethanol exposure1. We then seek to find potential interventions and rapidly test them in this animal model.

Difficulty

intermediate

Total time

~3–5 days (embryo exposure 24–48 hrs; fixation, gene expression analysis, and microscopy additional 1–3 days)

Model organism

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos

Biosafety

BSL-1

Steps

Treat embryos with ethanol and collect samples

Expose zebrafish embryos to ethanol at defined developmental stages and collect embryonic tissue samples for downstream molecular and morphological analysis.

▶ 01:25

Assess gene expression and developmental consequences

Evaluate ethanol-induced changes in gene expression patterns and identify physical developmental abnormalities using molecular profiling and imaging techniques.

▶ 03:36

Manipulate zebrafish embryos for microscopic examination

Prepare and position zebrafish embryos for detailed visualization and assessment of morphological and cellular alterations under the microscope.

▶ 05:40

Interpret and compare representative ethanol-exposure results

Review and analyze representative data demonstrating physical, cellular, and genetic changes associated with ethanol exposure in zebrafish embryos.

▶ 06:49

💬 Comments coming soon