Glucocorticoid treatment leads to aberrant ion and macromolecular transport mechanisms in regenerating zebrafish fins.

Bone is a highly regenerative tissue but it can be permanently lost due to severe trauma and as a result of disease. In zebrafish, which are capable of complex organ regeneration, intramembranous bones of the fins and skull regenerate rapidly even after profound loss. The fin regenerate, albeit being composed of different tissues is a structure of modest complexity which, together with the fact that it is easy to access and monitor, makes it a useful system to study bone formation, wound healing and metabolic disease. Glucocorticoids are powerful drugs used in anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive therapy. Despite their unmistakable advantages and usefulness, long term treatment with glucocorticoids can cause a variety of adverse effects such as insulin resistance, high blood pressure and bone fragility. Here we made use of proteomics to study the fin regeneration by sampling zebrafish caudal fins without prior injury and regenerated tissue 4 days post amputation at normal and perturbed conditions (prednisolone-treatment).