Zebrafish Toxicity Assay

Creative Biolabs is committed to providing innovative solutions for drug discovery and development. Our company recognizes the importance of in vivo models in evaluating drug toxicity and efficacy. One such model that has gained popularity in recent years is the zebrafish model. Zebrafish are an ideal model organism for studying the effects of drugs and toxins due to their rapid development, transparent embryos, and genetic similarity to humans.

Why Use the Zebrafish Model for Toxicity Assays?

Compared to traditional mammalian animal models, zebrafish have many natural advantages for biomedical research:

• Zebrafish are small, with adult lengths of only 3-4cm and juvenile lengths of 1-2mm, making them suitable for high-throughput analyses using 96- or 384-well plates.
• They are inexpensive to house and require little space (50,000 adult fish can be raised in a 200 square meter area), and drug dosages are low (in the microgram range), only 1/100 to 1/1000 of those used in rodent experiments.
• Zebrafish have a short egg-laying cycle, with a large single egg batch (100-200 eggs), making them suitable for large-scale breeding.
• Embryos can be easily obtained for biomedical research and drug experiments through in vitro fertilization and development.
• The embryos develop rapidly, with a complete embryo formed from a fertilized egg in just 24 hours, and by 3-5 days after fertilization, each fish can swim freely and feed, with internal organs similar to those of the human body already established.
• Most experiments can be completed within one week due to the rapid development of zebrafish.
• Zebrafish are transparent, allowing for direct observation of internal organs during the first 7 days of development. By combining living dyes, antibodies, and nucleic acid probes, freely moving or fixed zebrafish specimens can be observed, providing a solid foundation for automated drug screening and identification of drug target organs.
• Zebrafish and humans share highly conserved disease signaling pathways. Zebrafish have a high proportion of human homologous genes (87%), with some disease-related genes being 99% conserved with human genes. This means that the results obtained from drug experiments on zebrafish are generally applicable to the human body.
• Fish are the earliest known class of organisms to have acquired an adaptive immune system. The study of the zebrafish immune system is thus an important tool for understanding the evolution and function of non-specific and adaptive immune systems. This unique evolutionary status of the immune system also gives zebrafish another important advantage as a model organism for immunological research, as adult fish can survive and reproduce without a thymus or lymphocyte generation.

Applications of the Zebrafish Model in Toxicology

The zebrafish model has been used to study the toxicity of a wide range of compounds, including pharmaceuticals, environmental pollutants, and natural products. This model has been particularly useful in identifying potential drug candidates that have low toxicity profiles.

Fig.1 Applications of zebrafish model. (Liu, 2020)

Zebrafish Model-based Toxicity Assay at Creative Biolabs

At Creative Biolabs, we offer a comprehensive zebrafish model-based toxicity assay service to aid in drug discovery and development. Our zebrafish model-based toxicity assay service includes the following steps:

Fig.2 Procedure for Zebrafish Model-based Toxicity Assay

Zebrafish Embryo Acute Toxicity Test (ZFET)

The zebrafish embryo acute toxicity test (ZFET) has become a popular alternative to traditional mammalian animal testing for toxicity studies. The test involves exposing zebrafish embryos to different concentrations of test substances, allowing for the observation of any developmental abnormalities or mortality within 48 to 72 hours. This method is cost-effective and can provide a high degree of predictivity for mammalian toxicity, making it a valuable tool in drug discovery and development.

At Creative Biolabs, we offer a comprehensive zebrafish model-based toxicity assay service to assist with drug discovery needs. Our team of experts can design and conduct toxicity studies using zebrafish models, providing valuable insights into the safety and efficacy of potential drug candidates. Contact us to learn more about how we can assist with your drug discovery needs.

Reference

1. Liu, Wei, et al. "Zebrafish: a promising model for evaluating the toxicity of carbon dot-based nanomaterials." ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 12.43 (2020): 49012-49020.