The frog : a research model for years

To develop treatments and better understand diseases, the use of animals as research models is often widespread.
In addition to the ethical questions about animals used for research, several species are recognized in the field.
In a previous article, we demonstrated the specificities of zebrafish in research. This is why Planktovie has been involved in their development by providing quality and ease of feeding for 5 years now.

A living research model allows to understand and apprehend the anatomy and the functioning of a living being.
Often framed by strict protocols, research ensures daily the treatments it produces. This is the case of insulin on diabetic dogs or AIDS treatments on monkeys…

Another model widely used in laboratories is the frog, specifically the xenopus. This amphibian is characterized by muscular hind legs with a large web and claws on the tips of the three inner fingers.
Appreciated for their ability to swim, they come to the surface only to breathe. This faculty is very appreciated for the breeding which can be carried out in aquarium.
In the 30’s, they were used for pregnancy tests by injecting female urine into the ovaries of a female xenopus. Eggs were usually laid 24 hours after the injection.
In a 2009 study, Wheeler and Brändli compared the advantages and disadvantages of six major model organisms used in biology to understand the fundamental molecular mechanisms of life: the nematode (Caenorhabditis elegans), the fruit fly (Drosophilia spp.), the zebrafish (Danio rerio), the xenopus (Xenopus spp.), the chicken (Gallus gallus) and the mouse (Mus musculus).
This study demonstrated that xenopes represent an excellent predictive model of human biology to bridge the gap between in vitro and preclinical mammalian assays in biomedical research. This is due to their ease of manipulation, the cost of embryos, their known genome, the possibility of genetic studies and the fact that they share a long evolutionary history with mammals.