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Updated: Mar 23, 2026
In Vivo Imaging and Quantitation of the Host Angiogenic Response in Zebrafish Tumor Xenografts
Published on: August 14, 2019
Closantel Suppresses Angiogenesis and Cancer Growth in Zebrafish Models
Xiao-Yu Zhu1,2, Bo Xia2, Hong-Cui Liu2
11 Zhejiang Provincial Key Lab for Technology and Application of Model Organisms, Wenzhou Medical University , Wenzhou, P.R. China .
Abstract:
Angiogenesis has emerged as an important therapeutic target in several major diseases, including cancer and age-related macular degeneration. The zebrafish offer the potential for high-throughput drug discovery in a whole vertebrate system. In this study, we have taken advantage of the transgenic Tg (fli1a:EGFP) zebrafish line to screen the U.S. Drug Collection Library and identified 11 old drugs with antiangiogenic activity, including Closantel, an FDA-approved broad-spectrum salicylanilide antiparasitic drug for a variety of types of animals. Closantel was confirmed to have antiangiogenic activity in zebrafish with a half-inhibitory concentration (IC50) at 1.69 μM on the intersegmental vessels and 1.45 μM on the subintestinal vessels. Closantel also markedly suppressed cancer growth in zebrafish xenotransplanted with human lymphoma, cervical cancer, pancreatic cancer, and liver cancer cells, generally in a dose-dependent manner. These data reveal that Closantel has antiangiogenesis and anticancer effects and could be a potential drug candidate for animal and human cancer treatments. Further study is needed to clarify the mechanisms involved in the antiangiogenesis and anticancer effects of Closantel.
Insights
Closantel, an antiparasitic drug, demonstrates significant antiangiogenic and anticancer effects in zebrafish models. This finding suggests its potential as a novel therapeutic for various cancers in both animals and humans.
Area of Science:
- Vascular biology and drug discovery
- Zebrafish models for high-throughput screening
- Oncology and therapeutic targets
Background:
- Angiogenesis is a critical process in diseases like cancer and age-related macular degeneration.
- Zebrafish offer a powerful vertebrate model for efficient drug discovery.
- Identifying novel therapeutic agents for angiogenesis-dependent diseases is a key research area.
Purpose of the Study:
- To screen a drug library using zebrafish to identify compounds with antiangiogenic activity.
- To evaluate the antiangiogenic and anticancer potential of identified compounds, particularly Closantel.
- To investigate Closantel's efficacy in preclinical cancer models.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the transgenic Tg (fli1a:EGFP) zebrafish line for high-throughput screening.
- Screened the U.S. Drug Collection Library to identify antiangiogenic compounds.
- Quantified antiangiogenic activity using IC50 values and assessed anticancer effects in zebrafish xenograft models.
Main Results:
- Identified 11 existing drugs with antiangiogenic properties from the screened library.
- Closantel exhibited potent antiangiogenic activity in zebrafish, with IC50 values of 1.69 μM and 1.45 μM.
- Closantel significantly suppressed the growth of human lymphoma, cervical, pancreatic, and liver cancers in zebrafish xenografts.
Conclusions:
- Closantel possesses significant antiangiogenic and anticancer effects, validated in zebrafish models.
- Closantel is a promising drug candidate for treating various animal and human cancers.
- Further research is warranted to elucidate the precise mechanisms underlying Closantel's therapeutic actions.
