Zebrafish: A new model on the pharmaceutical catwalk

Abstract

Zebrafish is recognized as one of the most important vertebrate model organisms; however, its value in pharmacological studies has not been extensively explored and exploited. In this review, I summarize significant findings about the effects of drugs and medicines on important physiological processes in zebrafish. Our experiments have shown that cardiovascular, anti-angiogenic and anti-cancer drugs elicit comparable responses in zebrafish embryos to those in mammalian systems. Similar observations have been reported by other laboratories, exposing zebrafish to a variety of pharmaceutical active compounds affecting a range of different processes. All the data summarized indicate that zebrafish represents a very valuable organism for different kinds of pharmacological studies, such as screenings of chemical libraries, lead validation and optimization, mode-of-action studies, analysis of gene function, predictive toxicology and teratogenicity, pharmacogenomics and toxicogenomics. Zebrafish pharmacological assays have specific advantages compared to in vitro cell culture studies and in vivo experiments using mice, complementing these assays to give valuable guides for future tests of new drugs for human therapy.

Quercetin exerts a neuroprotective effect through inhibition of the iNOS/NO system and pro-inflammation gene expression in PC12 cells and in zebrafish

“…There is an urgent need for appropriate in vivo studies in order to confirm the neuroprotective effects of quercetin and to identify the reason for the discrepancy between earlier in vitro and in vivo findings. The zebrafish (Danio rerio) has become a powerful model for drug discovery (19,20). Its rapid development and rather simple, short assay time make zebrafish a useful tool in largescale drug screening (21).…”

Zebrafish as a model system for biomedical studies

“…Так как эмбрионы прозрачны, за их развитием можно наблюдать визуально с помощью микроскопа. Эмбрионы зебрафиш легко поглощают низкомолекулярные соединения из воды через кожу и жабры, а после 7 суток развития поглощение происходит через рот (а не через кожу) [7].Срок жизни полосатого Danio 3-5 лет. 120 * -адресат для переписки…”

A Novel Method of Drug Administration to Multiple Zebrafish (<em>Danio rerio</em>) and the Quantification of Withdrawal

“…The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a small teleost species originating in India that is a useful model organism for behavioral 1 and medical research 2,3 . Zebrafish are also commonly used in the testing of various pharmacological substances in order to characterize their impact on behavior.…”