Zebrafish as a Vertebrate Model to Assess Sublethal Effects and Health Risks of Emerging Pollutants

Abstract

Zebrafish is developing as a major model for assessing toxicity of pharmaceuticals, drugs, and pollutants. Besides its applications in regulatory toxicity and drug discovery, its characteristics make it a unique system to analyze sublethal toxic effects that only can be studied applying holistic, in toto approaches. Here, we show some of these analyses, in which complex organic systems (neuronal, muscular, sensorial, digestive, thyroid), as well as the embryonic development, show specific effects upon exposure to pharmaceuticals and several environmentally relevant substances, including nanoparticles and other emerging pollutants for which no adequate toxicological profile is still available. These analyses are especially relevant for embryo risk evaluation, given the close similarity of the early stages of the development in all vertebrates, including humans.