The zebrafish cardiovascular system

The cardiovascular system is vital and encompasses organs and endothelial structures responsible for blood, oxygen, nutrient, and immune cell transport. Over the past few decades, the zebrafish has become one of the premier model organisms to study blood and lymphatic vascular development. The small size, external fertilization, and optical transparency of zebrafish make them ideal for functional manipulation and real-time imaging of the vasculature during the entire developmental window. Numerous studies have taken advantage of these features to provide novel insights into the processes of vascular development, vessel stabilization, and vessel/heart regeneration. Here, we summarize the development of the cardiovascular system and the anatomical features of the adult vasculature and highlight currently available tools and resources that the zebrafish offers, to study cardiovascular development.