A device for cutting off the tail fin of a fish for experiment and a method for cutting off the tail fin of a zebra fish

Abstract

The application relates to the field of cutting equipment for experiments, and discloses a fish tail fin cutting device for experiments, which comprises a bearing seat and a moving seat, the bearing seat is provided with a bearing groove for accommodating the moving seat; a controller and a temperature control assembly are installed on the bearing seat, the controller is used for controlling the temperature control assembly to work, and the temperature control assembly heats the bearing seat to keep the moving seat in a cutting temperature range; a containing groove and a tail cutting assembly are installed on the moving seat, the containing groove is used for placing a fish body, and the tail cutting assembly is used for cutting the tail fin of the fish body in the containing groove; the zebra fish and the containing groove can be kept in the cutting temperature range, and are not cooled, so that the zebra fish can be effectively prevented from deviating from the cutting temperature range, and the prepared zebra fish has sufficient activity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of experimental cutting equipment, and more specifically, to an experimental fish tail fin removal device and an experimental fish tail fin removal method. Background Technology

[0002] Regeneration refers to the process of rebuilding lost body parts to restore their quality and function. Regeneration capacity varies greatly among different species. For some invertebrates, regeneration is a supplement to asexual reproduction. For example, invertebrates of the family Turbellaria and genus Hydra can regenerate an entire individual from tiny body fragments. For humans, the regeneration capacity of the heart, nervous system, and limbs is extremely limited or almost non-existent, while the health hazards and socioeconomic losses caused by damage to these tissues and organs are enormous.

[0003] While invertebrates and amphibians such as hydras, salamanders, and African clawed frogs possess extremely high regenerative potential, their slow reproductive rates, lack of genetic manipulability, and limited higher tissue structures prevent them from serving as ideal animal models for regeneration research. Zebrafish, a novel vertebrate model organism with high genome homology to humans, has emerged in recent years. Besides its short reproductive cycle, in vitro fertilization, in vitro development, and early-stage transparency, it also exhibits, like amphibians, a strong tissue regeneration capacity. When the caudal fin of a zebrafish is severed, its epidermal cells migrate rapidly, and mesenchymal cells undergo recombination and proliferation, ultimately leading to the repair and regeneration of the caudal fin. Therefore, it has become an ideal animal model for studying tissue damage and regeneration.

[0004] To obtain a control group, it is usually necessary to cut multiple zebrafish of the same size into equal-sized sections. Currently, zebrafish tail fins are mainly removed manually. The method involves anesthetizing the fish and transferring it to a glass slide, where researchers use a scalpel under a microscope to remove the tail fins one by one. The disadvantages of this method are: 1. Due to the small size of zebrafish, it is difficult to ensure that the size of each tail fin is completely consistent during tail removal, affecting the accuracy of subsequent experimental results; 2. Because a large number of zebrafish are used in the experiment, cutting each tail individually is time-consuming and labor-intensive, significantly reducing experimental efficiency and increasing the workload of researchers, and also increasing the risk of operational errors; 3. To maintain the viability of the zebrafish after cutting, they usually need to be placed in an incubator for temperature incubation. Cutting at room temperature afterward can easily deviate from the cutting temperature range, causing the obtained zebrafish to lose their viability. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention aims to overcome at least one of the defects of the prior art and provides an experimental fish tail fin removal device to solve the technical problem that the cutting temperature is easily deviated from the cutting range during the cutting operation at room temperature, resulting in the zebrafish easily losing their activity.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is an experimental fish tail fin removal device, including a support base and a movable base. The support base is provided with a support groove for accommodating the movable base. A controller and a temperature control component are installed on the support base. The controller controls the temperature control component to heat the support base so that the movable base is kept within the cutting temperature range. The movable base is provided with a receiving groove and a tail-cutting component. The receiving groove is used to place the fish body, and the tail-cutting component is used to cut off the tail fin of the fish body in the receiving groove.

[0007] The carrier is equipped with a power interface, which is electrically connected to the controller to provide power to the controller. The temperature control component heats the carrier, and the temperature of the carrier increases, thereby raising the temperature of the movable seat placed in the carrier groove. The heating by the temperature control component keeps the movable seat within the cutting temperature range, so that the zebrafish (in this solution, the fish is zebrafish, but this solution is also applicable to the cutting of other fish) and the container groove can both be kept within the cutting temperature range and will not cool down. This effectively prevents the zebrafish from deviating from the cutting temperature range, thereby ensuring that the zebrafish produced has sufficient activity.

[0008] Furthermore, several receiving slots are arranged side by side on the movable base, and the tail-cutting assembly includes a cutting groove, a cutting blade, and a movable positioning plate; the cutting groove passes through several receiving slots, the cutting blade is rotatably connected to the movable base by fasteners, the cutting blade is inserted into the cutting groove, the movable positioning plate is damped and slidably connected to the movable base, and the movable positioning plate is provided with several push plates that are inserted into each of the receiving slots.

[0009] One zebrafish of the same size is placed in each container. A sliding positioning plate causes several push plates to move the zebrafish in several containers simultaneously. The process stops when the tail fin cutting positions of several zebrafish are aligned with the cutting grooves, completing the positioning operation of the zebrafish. Then, the tail is cut off by the cutter and the cutting groove. This method is equivalent to positioning several zebrafish at the same time, which can effectively improve work efficiency. Moreover, the length of each zebrafish after cutting is the same as the length between the push plate and the cutting groove, with small cutting errors, which can avoid affecting the accuracy of subsequent experimental results.

[0010] Furthermore, the temperature control component includes a display screen, a temperature adjustment knob, a first temperature sensor, and a heating element, all electrically connected to the controller. The support base has a cavity, and the heating element is installed within this cavity, which is filled with a heat-conducting medium. The first temperature sensor is used to acquire the temperature of the support base. The temperature adjustment knob is used to set the temperature for heating the support base. The display screen displays the temperature of the support base acquired by the first temperature sensor. The controller receives the temperature acquired by the first temperature sensor, converts it, and transmits it to the display screen. The controller determines whether to control the heating element to heat based on the temperature acquired by the first temperature sensor and the temperature set by the temperature adjustment knob.

[0011] The heating temperature of the carrier can be set by rotating the temperature adjustment knob. When the temperature obtained by the first temperature sensor is lower than the temperature set by the temperature adjustment knob, the controller continues to control the heating tube to heat. When the temperature obtained by the first temperature sensor is equal to the temperature set by the temperature adjustment knob, the controller controls the heating tube to stop adding heat. In this way, the carrier can ultimately maintain the heating of the moving seat within the optimal temperature range, thereby keeping the moving seat placed in the carrier tank within the cutting temperature range. Consequently, the zebrafish and the receiving tank can be kept within the cutting temperature range and will not cool down. This effectively prevents the zebrafish from deviating from the cutting temperature range, thus ensuring that the zebrafish produced has sufficient activity.

[0012] Furthermore, the temperature control component also includes a second temperature sensor installed in the carrier tank. The second temperature sensor is electrically connected to the controller and is used to acquire the temperature of the moving seat, which is then transmitted to the controller for conversion and finally to the display screen. The second temperature sensor accurately measures the temperature of the moving seat. When the temperature of the moving seat reaches the cutting temperature, the zebrafish in the carrier tank can be cut. By setting the second temperature sensor, the cutting temperature can be more accurately determined, thereby ensuring that the cut zebrafish have sufficient activity.

[0013] Furthermore, the movable seat is also equipped with a liquid separation component, which includes a leakage hole and a pull-out plate. The bottom of the movable seat has an open chamber, and the receiving groove has leakage holes communicating with the chamber. These leakage holes are evenly distributed along the length of the receiving groove. The pull-out plate is slidably connected to the bottom of the movable seat to seal the chamber opening. When the zebrafish's tail fin is removed, a pipette is used to place the zebrafish into the receiving groove. Excess liquid in the pipette can enter the movable seat chamber through the leakage hole at the bottom of the receiving groove. When there is too much liquid in the movable seat, the pull-out plate at its bottom can be pulled out to drain the liquid from the chamber, preventing interference with the tail removal operation.

[0014] Furthermore, a lighting control assembly is also installed on the support base. This assembly includes a light source adjustment switch and an LED light panel electrically connected to the controller. The LED light panel is disposed within the support groove, and the movable base is made of transparent material. The light source adjustment switch is used to set the light intensity of the LED light panel, and the controller controls the LED light panel to emit light according to the light intensity set by the light source adjustment switch. When the zebrafish used in the experiment is large, the brightness of the LED light panel can be appropriately increased; when the zebrafish used in the experiment is small, the brightness of the LED light panel can be appropriately decreased. This adjustment method allows both large and small zebrafish to be clearly observed under a microscope, and is also applicable to other fish, thereby improving the precision of cutting.

[0015] Furthermore, the bottom of the receiving tank has an arc-shaped structure. The arc-shaped structure fits perfectly against the zebrafish's body, making it easier to fix the zebrafish and preventing the fish's position from changing during tail cutting.

[0016] A method for removing the tail fin of a zebrafish includes the following steps:

[0017] S1: The temperature control component is controlled by the controller to heat the support to the first preset temperature;

[0018] S2: Select zebrafish of the same size and anesthetize them in a petri dish. Disinfect the moving seat and the carrier. Use a pipette to transfer the anesthetized zebrafish into the holding tank.

[0019] S3: Insert the movable seat into the carrier groove and place it under the microscope. Move the zebrafish to a side-lying position with its eyes overlapping. Use the movable positioning plate to push the zebrafish to the position where the caudal fin is cut and the groove is aligned. Once the temperature of the movable seat enters the cutting temperature range, insert the cutter into the groove and cut off the zebrafish's caudal fin.

[0020] S4: Remove the movable seat from the carrier tank, slide the movable positioning plate away from the cutter, add culture medium to the receiving tank, and quickly transfer the zebrafish with the tail fin cut off to the culture dish to complete the tail cutting operation.

[0021] S5: Then take other empty moving seats and repeat steps 2-4 until the number of zebrafish with their tails cut reaches the required amount.

[0022] Furthermore, the heating range of the temperature control component is 20–40°C. Selecting a heating range of 20–40°C can meet the cutting temperature requirements for most fish bodies in the experiment.

[0023] Furthermore, the first preset temperature is 28.5–29°C, and the cutting temperature range is 28–28.5°C. The required experimental temperature is set by adjusting the knob, generally between 28.5–29°C (the optimal temperature required for the movable seat 2, which is also the optimal temperature for cutting zebrafish, is 28–28.5°C; the temperature setting of the knob to 28.5–29°C is mainly to account for a temperature loss of 0.1–0.5°C during heat conduction).

[0024] This method can remove multiple zebrafish tail fins at once, ensuring that the removed and remaining lengths of each zebrafish tail fin are consistent, thus guaranteeing the accuracy of the experiment and improving work efficiency. During use, one support base can be used in conjunction with multiple movable bases. When removing the tail fins of the fish, multiple movable bases can be placed into the support groove in sequence for operation, so as to achieve the purpose of efficiently and quickly removing the tail fins of zebrafish.

[0025] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: The temperature control component heats the carrier, and the temperature of the carrier increases, thereby increasing the temperature of the movable seat placed in the carrier groove. The heating of the movable seat by the temperature control component keeps it within the optimal range of heating, so that both the zebrafish and the receiving groove can be kept within the cutting temperature range and will not cool down. This effectively prevents the zebrafish from deviating from the cutting temperature range, thus ensuring that the zebrafish obtained has sufficient activity. One zebrafish is placed in each receiving groove, and the sliding movable positioning plate causes several push plates to push several zebrafish in several receiving grooves to move simultaneously. When the cutting position of several zebrafish tail fins is aligned with the cutting groove, the cutting is stopped. Then, the tail is cut by the cutter in conjunction with the cutting groove. This method is equivalent to simultaneously positioning several zebrafish, which can effectively improve work efficiency. Moreover, the length of each zebrafish after cutting is the length between the push plate and the cutting groove, with small cutting error, which can avoid affecting the accuracy of subsequent experimental results. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly of the movable seat and the support seat of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the support base of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the movable base of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of the movable base of the present invention.

[0030] In the diagram: 1. Support base, 2. Movable base, 3. Support groove, 4. Controller, 5. Temperature control component, 6. Light control component, 7. Power switch, 8. USB interface, 9. Display screen, 10. Temperature adjustment knob, 11. First temperature sensor, 12. Second temperature sensor, 13. Heating tube, 14. Light source adjustment switch, 15. LED light panel, 16. Tail-cutting component, 17. Liquid separation component, 18. Cutter, 19. Cutting groove, 20. Receiving groove, 21. Movable positioning plate, 22. Push plate, 23. Drain hole, 24. Pull-out plate. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the invention. To better illustrate the following embodiments, some parts in the drawings may be omitted, enlarged, or reduced, and do not represent the actual product dimensions; it is understandable to those skilled in the art that some well-known structures and their descriptions may be omitted in the drawings.

[0032] like Figure 1 As shown, this solution discloses an experimental fish tail fin removal device, including a support 1 and a movable base 2.

[0033] like Figure 2 As shown, the dimensions of the support base 1 are 200mm × 160mm × 60mm (length × width × height). A support groove 3 with dimensions of 160mm × 110mm × 20mm (length × width × height) is formed on the surface of the support base 1 for placing the movable base 2. A controller 4, a temperature control component 5, and a light control component 6 are installed on the support base 1. The controller 4 controls the operation of the temperature control component 5 and the light control component 6. The temperature control component 5 controls the temperature of the support base 1 and the movable base 2. The temperature control component 5 can adjust the temperature within the range of 20.00~40.00℃. Selecting a heating range of 20~40℃ can meet the cutting temperature requirements for most fish in the experiment. The light control component 6 controls the light intensity inside the support groove 3 to ensure a bright field of vision during tail cutting operations.

[0034] The carrier 1 is equipped with a power switch 7 and a power interface 8. The power interface 8 is a USB interface 8. The controller 4 is electrically connected to the USB interface 8 through the power switch 7. The power switch 7 is used to control the on and off of the power circuit. The USB interface 8 is used to connect to the power supply. It can be directly connected to a computer through a USB power cable, or directly connected to a socket through a USB power cable and a charging head. The controller 4 can be a display PLC in the prior art.

[0035] The temperature control component 5 includes a display screen 9, a temperature adjustment knob 10, and a first temperature sensor 11 mounted on the support base 1. It also includes a second temperature sensor 12 mounted on the inner wall of the support groove 3 and a heating tube 13 mounted inside the support base 1. The display screen 9, temperature adjustment knob 10, first temperature sensor 11, second temperature sensor 12, and heating tube 13 are all electrically connected to the controller 4. The heating tube 13 is serpentine and meanders within the cavity of the support base 1, making heating faster and more uniform. The cavity of the support base 1 is filled with a heat-conducting medium, which is a mixture of supersaturated sodium acetate solution and water. This medium heats up quickly, retains heat for a long time, and can buffer the heat generated by the heating tube 13, allowing the support base 1 to heat up rapidly through heat transfer.

[0036] The temperature adjustment knob 10 is used to set the heating temperature and transmit the set heating temperature signal to the controller 4. The controller 4 is a display PLC. The controller 4 converts the set temperature signal into a digital signal and outputs it to its screen for display. At the same time, the controller controls the heating tube 13 to produce different heating temperatures according to the temperature set by the temperature adjustment knob 10.

[0037] The first temperature sensor 11 is used to acquire the real-time temperature of the support 1 and transmit the temperature signal to the controller 4. The controller 4 converts the temperature signal into a digital signal and then transmits it to the display screen 9 to display the real-time temperature of the support 1. The second temperature sensor 12 is set in the support groove 3. Its temperature sensing end does not contact the support 1. When the movable seat 2 is placed in the support groove 3, its temperature sensing end contacts the movable seat 2 to acquire the temperature of the movable seat 2. The temperature signal of the movable seat 2 is converted into a digital signal by the controller 4 and then displayed on the display screen 9.

[0038] The light control component includes a light source adjustment switch 14 mounted on the support 1 and two LED lamp panels 15 mounted in the support groove 3. The two LED lamp panels 15 are arranged opposite to each other in the support groove 3. Both the light source adjustment switch 14 and the LED lamp panels 15 are electrically connected to the controller 4. The light source adjustment switch 14 is used to set the light intensity and convert the set light intensity information into a signal to be transmitted to the controller 4, so that the controller 4 controls the LED lamp panels 15 to emit different brightness levels.

[0039] like Figure 3 As shown, the dimensions of the movable seat 2 are 150mm × 100mm × 20mm (length × width × height). The movable seat 2 is equipped with a tail-cutting component 16 and a liquid separation component 17. The tail-cutting component 16 is used for the simultaneous removal of the tail fins of multiple zebrafish (taking zebrafish as an example, it is also applicable to other fish). The liquid separation component 17 is mainly used to separate and store the medicine liquid used on the zebrafish during the experiment. The movable seat 2 is made of transparent material, which allows the light energy of the LED light panel 15 to pass through and illuminate the zebrafish.

[0040] The tail-cutting assembly 16 includes a cutter 18, a cutting groove 19, a receiving groove 20, and a movable positioning plate 21; a number of receiving grooves 20 are arranged side by side on the movable seat 2, preferably 20 receiving grooves 20. The length of the receiving groove 20 is 10-50mm, the width is 10mm, and the depth is 10mm. The bottom surface of the receiving groove 20 matches the shape of the zebrafish body and is arc-shaped, which makes it easy to fix the zebrafish and prevent the position of the fish body from changing during the tail-cutting process.

[0041] A cutting groove 19 is set on the movable base 2, passing through several receiving grooves 20. A cutter 18 is installed on the movable base 2 by fasteners, and the cutter 18 cooperates with the cutting groove 19 to cut. The cutting groove 19 is set 5mm from the end of the movable base. A movable positioning plate 21 is damped and slidably connected to the movable base 2 along the length of the receiving groove 20. The movable positioning plate 21 is provided with push plates 22 that are inserted into the several receiving grooves 20 one by one. The push plates 22 are set along the width of the receiving groove 20 and are used to push the zebrafish to move when adjusting the position. The length of the receiving groove 20 can be adjusted by sliding the movable positioning plate 21 left and right to fix zebrafish of different sizes. The advantage of this design is that when cutting the tail fin of the fish, several zebrafish of the same size can be placed in different receiving grooves 20 at the same time, and their positions can be adjusted synchronously to make them neatly arranged, accurately positioning the cutting position of the tail fin of the fish, and ensuring that the cutting length of the tail fin of each fish is completely consistent.

[0042] like Figure 3 and 4 As shown, the liquid separation assembly 17 includes a leakage hole 23 and a pull-out plate 24. The bottom of the movable seat 2 is provided with an open chamber. The receiving tank 20 is provided with a leakage hole 23 communicating with the open chamber. The leakage holes 23 are evenly distributed along the length of the receiving tank 20 and are located in the middle of the bottom surface of the receiving tank 20 to ensure that the subsequent liquid flows out completely. The distance between every two leakage holes 23 along the length of the receiving tank 20 is 2 mm. Preferably, 6 to 10 holes are provided, and the orifices are preferably circular with a diameter of 1 mm. The advantage of this design is that when the caudal fin of the fish is removed, the zebrafish is placed into the receiving tank 20 using a pipette. The excess liquid in the pipette can enter the chamber of the movable seat 2 through the leakage hole 23 at the bottom of the receiving tank 20, avoiding interference with the tail removal operation. The pull-out plate 24 is slidably connected to the bottom of the movable seat 2 to seal the opening of the chamber. The pull-out plate 24 is slidably connected to the movable seat 2 and seals the opening of the chamber at the bottom of the movable seat 2 to prevent liquid from leaking out from the bottom of the movable seat 2. When there is too much liquid in the movable seat 2, the bottom pull-out plate 24 can be pulled out to drain the liquid from the chamber.

[0043] A method for removing the caudal fin of experimental zebrafish includes the following steps:

[0044] S1: Connect the USB interface 8 via the power plug and power cord, and connect the power plug to the socket. Turn on the power switch 7 to power the controller 4. The controller 4 controls the heating tube 13 to generate heat, and the heat is transferred to the carrier 1 through the heat transfer medium. The first temperature sensor 11 transmits the temperature data of the carrier 1 to the controller 4. After conversion by the controller 4, the data is transmitted to the display screen 9 to display the real-time temperature of the carrier 1.

[0045] The temperature of the bearing seat 1 required for the experiment is set by adjusting the knob, generally between 28.5 and 29°C (the optimal temperature required for the movable seat 2 is 28 to 28.5°C, and the temperature is set to 28.5 to 29°C by adjusting the knob, mainly to take into account the temperature loss of 0.1 to 0.5°C during the heat conduction process). The temperature displayed on the screen 9 is the temperature of the bearing seat 1.

[0046] S2: Select zebrafish of the same size and anesthetize them for 1-5 minutes by dripping anesthetic into the culture dish. Disinfect the moving seat 2 and the carrier seat 1 with a 0.2%-0.5% potassium permanganate disinfectant solution. Then, use a pipette to transfer the zebrafish into the receiving tank 20, with the tails facing the direction of the cutter 18. Excess liquid in the pipette can enter the chamber of the moving seat 2 through the drain hole 23 at the bottom of the receiving tank 20. Drip E3 culture medium to wash off the residual anesthetic on the zebrafish, and drain the washed liquid and the excess liquid in the aforementioned pipette through the pull-out plate 24 from the chamber of the moving seat 2 to avoid interference with the tail cutting operation.

[0047] S3: Insert the movable seat 2 into the preheated and insulated support seat 1 support groove 3, turn on the light source switch so that the controller 4 controls the two LED light panels 15 to emit light, move the support seat 1 together with the movable seat 2 to the microscope for operation, move the zebrafish to the side-lying position with the eyes overlapping, push the movable positioning plate 21, and the push plate 22 set on the movable positioning plate 21 pushes the zebrafish to the tail fin cutting position located at the cutting groove 19.

[0048] The second temperature sensor 12 acquires the temperature of the movable seat 2 and transmits it to the controller 4. After conversion by the controller 4, the temperature is displayed on the display screen 9. By observing the display screen 9, when the temperature of the movable seat 2 enters the cutting temperature range, that is, when the temperature of the movable seat 2 on the display screen 9 reaches the cutting temperature range of 28 to 28.5 degrees, the cutter 18 is quickly inserted into the cutting groove 19 to cut off the fish's tail fin.

[0049] S4: After cutting off the caudal fin of the fish, the movable seat 2 can be taken out from the heat-insulating support seat 1. The movable positioning plate 21 is slid to the rearmost position. Culture medium is added to the receiving tank 20. The culture medium fills the chamber of the movable seat 2 and the receiving tank 20, so that the zebrafish that has been cut off in the receiving tank 20 maintains sufficient activity. Then, the zebrafish with the caudal fin cut off is quickly transferred to a culture dish for subsequent experimental operations.

[0050] S5: Then take other empty movable seats 2 and repeat steps 2-4 until the number of zebrafish with their tails cut reaches the required amount, which is the total amount required for the experiment.

[0051] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:

[0052] This invention provides a specialized device for rapid tail cutting of experimental fish. The push plate 22 allows for simultaneous adjustment of the positions of multiple fish, ensuring they are neatly arranged. This prevents movement of the fish during tail cutting and enables precise removal of the tail fins of multiple fish, reducing cutting errors and improving efficiency. Furthermore, during tail cutting, the receiving tank 20 can quickly drain excess liquid through the bottom drain hole 23, effectively saving experimental time, preventing prolonged liquid aspiration that could lead to dehydration of the fish, and avoiding accidental aspiration of liquid into the fish's skin, thus preventing damage to the fish's skin.

[0053] By controlling the two LED light panels 15 to emit light through the movable base 2 to illuminate the fish, a bright field of vision can be ensured during operation, which can improve the user experience of the operator and the accuracy of the experimental results. The temperature control component 5 on the support base 1 can ensure that the ambient temperature of the fish is constant, which further improves the accuracy of the experimental results. The support base 1 and the movable base 2 can be assembled into a whole, which is small in size and easy to carry. Similarly, this solution is also applicable to the tail cutting operation of other fish used in the experiment, which is highly practical.

[0054] During use, one support seat 1 can be used in conjunction with multiple movable seats 2. When cutting the tail fin of a fish, multiple movable seats 2 can be placed into the support groove 3 one after another to carry out the operation in order to achieve the purpose of efficiently and quickly removing the tail fin of the fish.

[0055] The present invention also provides a method for rapid removal of zebrafish tail fins for experimental use, which can remove 20 zebrafish tail fins at once, and can ensure that the removed length and remaining length of each zebrafish tail fin are consistent, thus ensuring the accuracy of experimental results and improving work efficiency.

[0056] Obviously, the above embodiments of the present invention are merely examples for clearly illustrating the technical solution of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the specific implementation of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the claims of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An experimental fish tail fin removal device, characterized in that: It includes a support base (1) and a movable base (2), wherein the support base (1) is provided with a support groove (3) for accommodating the movable base (2); The carrier (1) is equipped with a controller (4) and a temperature control component (5). The controller (4) controls the temperature control component (5) to heat the carrier (1) so that the moving seat (2) is kept within the cutting temperature range. The movable seat (2) is equipped with a receiving groove (20) and a tail-cutting component (16). The receiving groove (20) is used to place the fish body, and the tail-cutting component (16) is used to cut off the tail fin of the fish body in the receiving groove (20). The receiving slots (20) are arranged in parallel on the movable seat (2), and the tail cutting assembly (16) includes a cutting slot (19), a cutting blade (18) and a movable positioning plate (21). The groove (19) passes through several receiving grooves (20). The cutter (18) is rotatably connected to the movable seat (2) by fasteners. The cutter (18) matches the groove (19). The movable positioning plate (21) is damped and slidably connected to the movable seat (2). The movable positioning plate (21) is provided with several push plates (22) that are inserted into the receiving grooves (20) one by one. The temperature control component (5) includes a display screen (9), a temperature adjustment knob (10), a first temperature sensor (11), and a heating tube (13) that are electrically connected to the controller (4). The bearing seat (1) has a cavity, the heating tube (13) is installed in the cavity of the bearing seat (1), and the cavity of the bearing seat (1) is filled with a heat-conducting medium.

2. The experimental fish tail fin removal device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first temperature sensor (11) is used to obtain the temperature of the support (1); The temperature adjustment knob (10) is used to set the temperature of the heating support (1); The display screen (9) is used to display the temperature of the carrier (1) obtained by the first temperature sensor (11); The controller (4) receives the temperature obtained by the first temperature sensor (11), converts it, and transmits it to the display screen (9); it determines whether to control the heating tube (13) to heat based on the temperature obtained by the first temperature sensor (11) and the temperature set by the temperature adjustment knob (10).

3. The experimental fish tail fin removal device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The temperature control component (5) also includes a second temperature sensor (12) installed in the support groove (3). The second temperature sensor (12) is electrically connected to the controller (4). The second temperature sensor (12) is used to obtain the temperature of the moving seat (2) and transmit it to the controller (4) for conversion and then transmit it to the display screen (9).

4. The experimental fish tail fin removal device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The movable base (2) is also provided with a liquid separation component (17), which includes a leakage hole (23) and a pull plate (24). The movable seat (2) has an open chamber at the bottom. The receiving groove (20) has a leakage hole (23) communicating with the chamber. The leakage hole (23) is evenly distributed along the length of the receiving groove (20). The pull plate (24) is slidably connected to the bottom of the movable seat (2) to close the chamber opening.

5. The experimental fish tail fin removal device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support base (1) is also equipped with a lighting control component (6), which includes a light source adjustment switch (14) and an LED lamp panel (15) that are electrically connected to the controller (4). The LED light panel (15) is set in the support groove (3), and the movable base (2) is made of transparent material; The light source adjustment switch (14) is used to set the light intensity of the LED lamp panel (15), and the controller (4) controls the LED lamp panel (15) to emit light according to the light intensity set by the light source adjustment switch (14).

6. An experimental fish tail fin removal device according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that: The bottom of the receiving groove (20) is arc-shaped.

7. A method for removing the caudal fin of a zebrafish using the apparatus according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that: Includes the following steps: S1: The temperature control component (5) is controlled by the controller (4) to heat the carrier (1) to the first preset temperature; S2: Select zebrafish of the same size and anesthetize them in a petri dish. Disinfect the moving seat (2) and the carrier seat (1). Use a pipette to transfer the anesthetized zebrafish into the container (20). S3: Insert the movable seat (2) into the bearing groove (3) and place it under the microscope. Move the zebrafish to a side-lying position with its eyes overlapping. Move the movable positioning plate (21) to push the zebrafish to the position where the caudal fin is cut and the cutting groove (19) overlaps. After the temperature of the movable seat (2) enters the cutting temperature range, insert the cutter (18) into the cutting groove (19) to cut off the zebrafish's caudal fin. S4: Remove the movable seat (2) from the carrier groove (3), slide the movable positioning plate (21) away from the cutter (18), add culture medium to the receiving groove (20), transfer the zebrafish with the tail fin cut off to the culture dish, and complete the tail cutting operation; S5: Take other empty moving seats (2) and repeat S2-S4 until the number of zebrafish with cut tails reaches the required amount.

8. A method for removing the caudal fin of a zebrafish according to claim 7, characterized in that: The first preset temperature is 28.5 to 29°C.

9. A method for removing the caudal fin of a zebrafish according to claim 7, characterized in that: The cutting temperature range is 28–28.5℃.

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