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Updated: Apr 20, 2026
Zebrafish as a Model to Assess the Teratogenic Potential of Nitrite
Published on: February 16, 2016
Toxic effects of strychnine and strychnine N-oxide on zebrafish embryos
Yu Li1, Xu Qi2, Yu-Wei Yang3
1Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Chinese Medicine Processing, College of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210046, China; Department of Preclinical Medicine, University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210046, China.
Aim:
The application of strychnine (S) is limited due to its toxicity; strychnine N-oxide (SNO) is a derivative of strychnine. The aim was to employ zebrafish embryos to investigate and compare the developmental toxicity induced by S and SNO.
Methods:
The toxicity of S and SNO was examined through the hatching rate and survival rate. Morphological changes of the zebrafish were observed with a dissecting microscope. Apoptosis was detected through acridine orange (AO) staining and flow cytometry. Apoptotic genes were measured by RT-PCR.
Results:
Embryo malformation was observed in the embryos exposed to S at 200 μmol·L(-1). When SNO concentration was increased to 1 mmol·L(-1), scoliolosis, and pericardial edema could be seen in some embryos. Results from fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry analysis showed that S at 200 μmol·L(-1) induced apoptosis, whereas the apoptotic rate in the SNO-treated group (200 μmol·L(-1)) was much lower than that in the S group. RT-PCR analysis showed that p53 mRNA expression and the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 in the S group were significantly altered compared with the control group (*P < 0.05). Moreover, Bax mRNA expression in both S and SNO group were significantly different from that in the control group (**P < 0.01).
Conclusion:
These results lead to the conclusion that SNO has significantly lower toxicity than S in zebrafish embryos.
