Diabetes is a disease in which the blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels are too high. Glucose comes from the daily diet. Over time, having too much glucose in the blood can damage the eyes, the kidneys, the nerves, cause heart disease and stroke. Up to date, it is the leading disease around the world. Similarly, high blood pressure, heart disease, and kidney disease are also known to be attributed to high sodium levels. However, the effects of high salinity on embryological development post-fertilization are yet to be researched. Danio rerio, commonly called the zebrafish, is a small freshwater fish. Its small size, short life cycle and high fecundity favor its lab uses as a test organism. It has been widely used for genetic development, transgenesis, toxicology and other genetic research due to the high conservation of gene function between zebrafish and humans. Zebrafish embryos are also transparent making them a preferable choice for developmental study. In this experiment, the effects on embryological (morphological and genetic) development were examined in the presence of a high glucose environment and high salinity conditions were examined. Zebrafish eggs were treated with normal media and high glucose for 5 days from 3 hours post-fertilization(hpf) to 96hpf separately as control and experimental groups. RNA is extracted from control and experimental group to determine five genes’ change in high glucose group using PCR. Day 5 Larva is fixed in 10% formalin for Hamp;E staining to detect organogenesis changes under high glucose conditions. Three progenitor genes that regulate organ development will be detected for protein level changes in experimental group by immunohistochemistry. Zebrafish eggs were treated with normal media and high salt (2%) for 3 days from 3 hpf to 72hpf separately as control and experimental groups. Day 1 and Day 2 larvae are fixed in 10% formalin for Hamp;E staining. Glucose delayed the zebrafish embryo development by slowing the hatch rate about 24 hours. The brain, heart, and tail started showing morphology smaller in the glucose group compared to the control group at 24 hpf. Heartbeat is slower in the glucose group compared to the control group on day 2 and 3 with a statistically significant difference. The brain, heart, and tail started showing morphology smaller in the salt group compared to the control group at 48 hpf. These conditions contribute to significant physiological differences that may provide insight on functionality post-embryological development. Testing to find consistent trends in morphology and genetic differences in high salt conditions, and genetic alterations for high glucose conditions are being further researched in this experiment.
