Abstract
The overuse of antibiotics combined with the limitation of wastewater facilities has resulted in drug residue accumulation in the natural environment. Thus, in recent years, the presence of antibiotic residues in the environment has raised concerns over the potential harmful effects on ecosystems and human health. The in vivo studies represent an essential step to study the potential impact induced by pharmaceutical exposure. Due to the limitations of traditional vertebrate model systems, zebrafish (Danio rerio) has recently emerged as a promising animal model to study the toxic effects of drugs and their therapeutic efficacy. The present review summarizes the recent advances made on the toxicity of seven representative classes of antibiotics, namely aminoglycosides, β-lactams, macrolides, quinolones, sulfonamides, tetracyclines and polyether antibiotics, in zebrafish, as well as the combined effects of antibiotic mixtures, to date. Despite a significant amount of the literature describing the impact of single antibiotic exposure, little information exists on the effects of antibiotic mixtures using zebrafish as an animal model. Most of the research papers on this topic have focused on antibiotic toxicity in zebrafish across different developmental stages rather than on their efficacy assessment.
Highlights
Most of the research papers on this topic have reported that the zebrafish health or/and its capacity to respond to environmental changes are affected following both acute and chronic exposure to antibiotics
It is very interesting to note that only few data are available on the neurotoxicity of antibiotics from the perspective of animal behavior
As a result of the limitations of both traditional mammalian models and cell-based assay methods, in recent years, zebrafish have rapidly gained acceptance by the scientific community as a promising animal model to study the effects induced by various drugs
Summary
The limitations of traditional mammalian models motivated the researchers to search for alternative vertebrate model systems In this context, the use of zebrafish (Danio rerio) to study the toxic effects of molecules or therapeutic efficacy has grown markedly in recent decades [6,7,8,9,10,11]. The present paper outlines the recent advances made on the toxicological impact of seven representative antibiotic classes, namely aminoglycosides, β-lactams, macrolides, quinolones, sulfonamides, tetracyclines and polyether antibiotics, on zebrafish across different developmental stages (e.g., embryo, larva and adult), as well as the joint effects of antibiotic mixtures. The results highlight that there are serious concerns about the side effects induced by antibiotic exposure in fish, and further research and strategies to prevent them from reaching the environment need to be developed
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call