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BOTOX paralyses zebrafish muscles and blocks fin regeneration
DOI:10.1038/bonekey.2014.63
Using a zebrafish model, Recidoro et al. investigated the impact of muscle paralysis induced by intramuscular injections of Botulinum toxin (BOTOX, or BTx) on the ossification process during regeneration of the tail fin.
Administration of BTx into the dorsolateral trunk and the base of the tail fin elicited rapid muscle paralysis similar to that seen in mammals and humans in that it was focal, dose-dependent and short-lasting. The maximal response occurred at 3 days postinjection and then plateaued before decreasing gradually. Fish recovered their normal swim velocity and swimming time by 49 days post-treatment.
BTx treatment had a negative impact on bone formation during fin regeneration. Fish treated with BTx showed reduced bone ray outgrowth, with abnormal bone ray morphogenesis, suggesting that the induced muscle paralysis was affecting early osteogenesis. Late-stage osteoblast differentiation and secondary bone apposition were also affected.
Editor’s comment: The fact that intramuscular BTx injections caused defects in early osteogenesis and late-stage osteoblast differentiation, suggests that both processes may be subject to neuromuscular regulation. The zebrafish model of bone regeneration is emerging as an important contributor to studies of new bone formation in mammalian species and humans, since the pathways involved appear to be highly conserved.
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