Studying ototoxicity in zebrafish.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Systematic review of preclinical animal (zebrafish) studies
PubMed 40579225 · doi:10.1093/etojnl/vgaf161
What was done
An exploratory systematic search across three databases (Cochrane, LILACS, and PubMed) was conducted using a two-step screening process to map evidence on the use of zebrafish (*Danio rerio*) as a model to study ototoxicity. Included studies were categorized into non-drug xenobiotics and drugs, with outcome measures grouped by hair cell death rate, exposure time, and developmental stage.
What was found
The search identified 133 total studies: 118 investigating pharmaceutical drugs and 15 investigating non-drug xenobiotics. The abstract reports no numerical effect sizes or pooled comparative data, summarizing instead that zebrafish serve as a useful screening model but require standardized evaluation outcomes and protocols.
Why it matters
This review characterizes the preclinical landscape of zebrafish ototoxicity models, establishing their role as high-throughput screening tools while identifying a need for protocol harmonization across studies.
Limits
The findings are derived entirely from non-human (zebrafish) experimental models, limiting direct clinical translation to human inner ear physiology. The abstract provides no quantitative meta-analytic synthesis, effect sizes, or risk-of-bias grading for the included literature.
Cited by
- supports Fish have a lateral line organ containing hair cells similar to inner ear hair cells that detect vibration, and transparent zebrafish lateral lines are used to test drug ototoxicity.