Flight for fish in drug discovery: a review of zebrafish-based screening of molecules

Abstract

Human disease and biological practices are modelled in zebrafish ( Danio rerio ) at various phases of drug development as well as toxicity evaluation. The zebrafish is ideal for in vivo pathological research and high-resolution investigation of disease progress. Zebrafish has an advantage over other mammalian models, it is cost-effective, it has external development and embryo transparency, easy to apply genetic manipulations, and open to both forward and reverse genetic techniques. Drug screening in zebrafish is suitable for target identification, illness modelling, high-throughput screening of compounds for inhibition or prevention of disease phenotypes and developing new drugs. Several drugs that have recently entered the clinic or clinical trials have their origins in zebrafish. The sophisticated screening methods used in zebrafish models are expected to play a significant role in advancing drug development programmes. This review highlights the current developments in drug discovery processes, including understanding the action of drugs in the context of disease and screening novel candidates in neurological diseases, cardiovascular diseases, glomerulopathies and cancer. Additionally, it summarizes the current techniques and approaches for the selection of small molecules and current technical limitations on the execution of zebrafish drug screening tests.

Design, Synthesis, and In Vivo Evaluation of Isosteviol Derivatives as New SIRT3 Activators with Highly Potent Cardioprotective Effects

“…This limitation becomes notably apparent in the context of in vivo experiments, systematic studies on structure–activity relationships (SAR), and rigorous structural optimization processes . Zebrafish, serving as a cost-effective and efficient platform for in vivo evaluation of potential therapies, holds a significant advantage for pharmacological screening of natural products and their derivatives characterized by limited availability. , Furthermore, zebrafish have emerged as a valuable tool for cardiovascular research and drug development, given their genetic resemblance to humans. Their transparency during embryonic stages facilitates the visualization of the heart, rendering them an excellent model for studying cardiovascular diseases. , …”

Toxicity Study on Crude Alkaloid Extracts of Houttuyniae herba Based on Zebrafish and Mice

“…In recent years, zebrafish has received much attention due to its advantages of high efficiency, economy, and strong predictability. And it plays an increasingly important role in studies of drug safety and efficacy [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ]. In this study, we firstly report the evaluation of the acute toxicity of crude total alkaloid extracts from Houttuyniae herba (HHTAE) on zebrafish.…”

Microbial Polysaccharides Extracted from Different Mature Muds of the Euganean Thermal District Show Similar Anti-Inflammatory Activity In Vivo

“…In the complex context of the production of mature muds in the thermal sites of the Euganean Thermal District, muds matured at different conditions have never been tested for the anti-inflammatory capabilities of their bioactive compounds. Thus, in this work polysaccharides (Microbial-Polysaccharides, hereafter M-PS) were extracted from six mature muds produced by five spas of the Euganean Thermal District and were investigated for their chemical properties, monosaccharide composition, and beneficial activities in vivo, using the zebrafish, a model organism increasingly used for in vivo drug screening [17][18][19]. Additionally, microbial biodiversity of sampled muds was assessed through Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) methods, with a focus on cyanobacterial species.…”