Yun Zhang1, Qing Xia1, Jiabo Wang2, Kaiyan Zhuang1, Hongtao Jin3, Kechun Liu4. 1. Biology Institute, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, China; Engineering Research Center of Zebrafish Models for Human Diseases and Drug Screening of Shandong Province, Jinan, China. 2. School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China. 3. State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China. Electronic address: jinhongtao@imm.ac.cn. 4. Biology Institute, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, China; Engineering Research Center of Zebrafish Models for Human Diseases and Drug Screening of Shandong Province, Jinan, China. Electronic address: hliukch@sdas.org.
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been applied for more than 2000 years. However, modern basic research on the safety of TCMs is limited. Establishing safety evaluation technology in line with the characteristics of TCM and conducting large-scale basic toxicity research are keys to comprehensively understand the toxicity of TCMs. In recent years, zebrafish has been used as a model organism for toxicity assessment and is increasingly utilized for toxicity research of TCMs. Yet, a comprehensive review in using zebrafish as a toxicological model for TCMs is lacked. AIM OF THE STUDY: We aim to summarize the progress and limitation in toxicity evaluation of TCMs using zebrafish and put forward the future research ideas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The scientific databases, including Springer, Science Direct, Wiley, Pubmed and China Knowledge Resource Integrated (CNKI) were searched using the key words of zebrafish, toxicology, traditional Chinese medicine, acute toxicity, liver injury, cardiotoxicity, kidney toxicity, developmental toxicity, neurotoxicity, gastrointestinal irritation, immunotoxicity, ototoxicity, and osteotoxicity. RESULTS: Zebrafish assays are low experimental cost and short cycle, easily achieving high-throughput toxicity screening, and exemption from ethical legislation up to 5 dpf. It has been widely used to evaluate the acute toxicity, liver toxicity, cardiotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, developmental toxicity, neurotoxicity, gastrointestinal irritation, immunotoxicity, and ototoxicity caused by TCMs, although some physiological difference limited its application. CONCLUSIONS: Zebrafish is a powerful model for TCMs toxicity evaluation, but it is not flawless. The toxicity testing criterion and high throughput assays are urgent to be established. This review provides references for future studies.
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been applied for more than 2000 years. However, modern basic research on the safety of TCMs is limited. Establishing safety evaluation technology in line with the characteristics of TCM and conducting large-scale basic toxicity research are keys to comprehensively understand the toxicity of TCMs. In recent years, zebrafish has been used as a model organism for toxicity assessment and is increasingly utilized for toxicity research of TCMs. Yet, a comprehensive review in using zebrafish as a toxicological model for TCMs is lacked. AIM OF THE STUDY: We aim to summarize the progress and limitation in toxicity evaluation of TCMs using zebrafish and put forward the future research ideas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The scientific databases, including Springer, Science Direct, Wiley, Pubmed and China Knowledge Resource Integrated (CNKI) were searched using the key words of zebrafish, toxicology, traditional Chinese medicine, acute toxicity, liver injury, cardiotoxicity, kidney toxicity, developmental toxicity, neurotoxicity, gastrointestinal irritation, immunotoxicity, ototoxicity, and osteotoxicity. RESULTS: Zebrafish assays are low experimental cost and short cycle, easily achieving high-throughput toxicity screening, and exemption from ethical legislation up to 5 dpf. It has been widely used to evaluate the acute toxicity, liver toxicity, cardiotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, developmental toxicity, neurotoxicity, gastrointestinal irritation, immunotoxicity, and ototoxicity caused by TCMs, although some physiological difference limited its application. CONCLUSIONS: Zebrafish is a powerful model for TCMs toxicity evaluation, but it is not flawless. The toxicity testing criterion and high throughput assays are urgent to be established. This review provides references for future studies.
Authors: Jonathan Cueto-Escobedo; León Jesús German-Ponciano; Gabriel Guillén-Ruiz; Cesar Soria-Fregozo; Emma Virginia Herrera-Huerta Journal: Front Behav Neurosci Date: 2022-01-12 Impact factor: 3.558