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Updated: May 29, 2026
Rapid Evaluation of Toxicity of Chemical Compounds Using Zebrafish Embryos
Published on: August 25, 2019
Feasibility study of the zebrafish assay as an alternative method to screen for developmental toxicity and
Ingrid W T Selderslaghs1, Ronny Blust, Hilda E Witters
1VITO NV, Flemish Institute for Technological Research, CARDAM, Centre for Advanced R&D on Alternative Methods, Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium. ingrid.selderslaghs@vito.be
Abstract:
To anticipate to increased testing needs for reproductive toxicity and 3R approaches, we studied zebrafish embryo/larva as an alternative for animal testing for developmental toxicity and embryotoxicity and evaluated a training set of 27 compounds with a standardized protocol. The classification of compounds in the zebrafish embryo/larva assay, based on a prediction model using a TI (teratogenic index) cut-off value of 2, was compared to available animal and human data. When comparing the classification of compounds in the zebrafish embryo/larva assay to available animal classification, a sensitivity of 72% and specificity of 100% were obtained. The predictive values obtained in comparison to a limited set of human data were 50, 60% respectively for teratogens, non-teratogens. Overall, we demonstrated that the zebrafish embryo/larva assay, may be used as screening tool for prioritization of compounds and could contribute to reduction of animal experiments in the field of developmental toxicology.
