Zebrafish and cardiac toxicology.

Model systems are a mainstay in toxicological research. Zebrafish are rapidly becoming an important model organism for studying vertebrate development. The advantages of zebrafish: short reproductive cycle, production of numerous transparent, synchronously developing embryos, low cost, and standardization make zebrafish an attractive model for toxicologists as well. The use of these fish to study heart development has moved forward very rapidly, laying the groundwork for studying the effects of chemicals on cardiac development and function. Here we describe approaches that can be used to study cardiac toxicity in developing zebrafish, focusing on examples where zebrafish embryos have been especially useful in understanding the impact of specific toxicants on heart development and function.