Publication
Title
Refinement of the zebrafish embryo developmental toxicity assay
Author
Abstract
Several pharmaceutical and chemical companies are using the zebrafish embryo as an alternative to animal testing for early detection of developmental toxicants. Unfortunately, the protocol of this zebrafish embryo assay varies between labs, resulting in discordant data for identical compounds. The assay also has some limitations, such as low biotransformation capacity and fewer morphological endpoints in comparison with the in vivo mammalian developmental toxicity studies. Consequently, there is a need to standardize and further optimize the assay for developmental toxicity testing. We developed a Zebrafish Embryo Developmental Toxicity Assay (ZEDTA) that can be extended with a metabolic activation system and/or skeletal staining to increase its sensitivity. As such, the ZEDTA can be used as a modular system depending on the compound of interest. Our protocol is customized with a metabolic activation system for test compounds, using human liver microsomes. This system ensures exposure of zebrafish embryos to metabolites that are relevant for human risk and safety assessment. As human liver microsomes are toxic for the zebrafish embryo, we developed a preincubation system with an ultracentrifugation and subsequent dilution step. Additionally, we developed a skeletal staining protocol that can be added to the ZEDTA modular system. Our live Alizarin Red staining method detects several bone structures in 5-day old zebrafish larvae in a consistent manner. (C) 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.
Language
English
Source (journal)
MethodsX
Publication
2020
ISSN
2215-0161
DOI
10.1016/J.MEX.2020.101087
Volume/pages
7 (2020) , 14 p.
Article Reference
101087
ISI
000607660800020
Pubmed ID
33134094
Medium
E-only publicatie
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Project info
Advancing the zebrafish embryo developmental toxicity assay from screening to regulatory testing.
Bioactivation of human proteratogens in the zebrafish embryo model, a potential alternative test for development toxicity assessment.
Advancing the Zebrafish Embryo Developmental Toxicity Assay (ZEDTA) towards a sensitive screening assay.
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 15.03.2021
Last edited 26.08.2024
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