Studying ototoxicity in zebrafish.

Area of Science:

• Toxicology
• Auditory Science
• Animal Models

Background:

• Ototoxicity, damage to the auditory system from external substances (xenobiotics), is a significant health concern.
• Animal models are crucial for advancing ototoxicity research and understanding mechanisms.
• Zebrafish (Danio rerio) have emerged as a valuable vertebrate model in toxicological studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and map the existing evidence on the utilization of zebrafish as a model organism for ototoxicity research.
• To identify trends and gaps in the current literature regarding zebrafish in ototoxicity screening.

Main Methods:

• An exploratory systematic literature search was conducted across Cochrane, LILACS, and PubMed databases.
• A two-step screening process using predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria was applied to select relevant studies.
• Outcome measures from included studies were categorized into hair cell death rate, exposure duration, and developmental stages.

Main Results:

• The review identified a substantial body of literature on zebrafish for ototoxicity, including 15 non-drug xenobiotic studies and 118 drug-related studies.
• Zebrafish demonstrated utility in screening the ototoxicity potential of various xenobiotics.
• Key outcome measures analyzed included hair cell death, exposure time, and developmental impacts.

Conclusions:

• Zebrafish represent a significant and increasingly utilized model for screening the ototoxicity of xenobiotics.
• There is a clear need for novel research to establish standardized protocols and optimal evaluation outcomes for zebrafish ototoxicity studies.
• Further standardization will enhance the reliability and comparability of results in ototoxicity research using zebrafish.