Zebrafish in the spotlight: expanding Frontiers in toxicology and drug discovery

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) has emerged as a valuable model organism in toxicology and drug discovery research. This article provides an overview of the significant contributions of zebrafish to advancing our understanding of toxicology and drug development. Zebrafish offers several advantages, including high fecundity, transparent embryos, and genetic tractability, making it an ideal system for studying drug toxicity and efficacy. The review article highlights key areas where zebrafish has made substantial contributions, such as assessing chemical toxicity, understanding drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics, and identifying novel therapeutic compounds. Furthermore, zebrafish-based assays and screening platforms have been developed to evaluate drug candidates and identify potential toxic effects and researchers have used zebrafish-based tests to study the therapeutic properties of natural compounds. The unique capabilities of zebrafish with its physiological and genetic similarities to humans, have propelled it to the forefront of toxicology and drug discovery, expanding the frontiers of research in these fields.