Kidney disease is a global problem with around three million people diagnosed in the UK alone and the incidence is rising. Research is critical to develop better treatments. Animal models can help to better understand the pathophysiology behind the various kidney diseases and to screen for therapeutic compounds, but the use especially of mammalian models should be minimised in the interest of animal welfare. Zebrafish are increasingly used, as they are genetically tractable and have a basic renal anatomy comparable to mammalian kidneys with glomerular filtration and tubular filtration processing. Here, we discuss how zebrafish have advanced the study of nephrology and the mechanisms underlying kidney disease.

中文翻译：

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斑马鱼作为肾功能和疾病的模型。

肾脏疾病是一个全球性问题，仅在英国就有约 300 万人被诊断出肾脏疾病，而且发病率还在上升。研究对于开发更好的治疗方法至关重要。动物模型有助于更好地了解各种肾脏疾病背后的病理生理学并筛选治疗化合物，但为了动物福利，应尽量减少特别是哺乳动物模型的使用。斑马鱼的使用越来越多，因为它们在遗传上易于驯化，并且具有与哺乳动物肾脏相当的基本肾脏解剖结构，具有肾小球过滤和管状过滤处理功能。在这里，我们讨论斑马鱼如何推进肾脏学研究和肾脏疾病的机制。