Pharmaceuticals (Jun 2023)

Application of Zebrafish as a Model for Anti-Cancer Activity Evaluation and Toxicity Testing of Natural Products

  • Yifan Shen,
  • Ruilong Sheng,
  • Ruihua Guo

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/ph16060827
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16, no. 6
p. 827

Abstract

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Developing natural product-based anti-cancer drugs/agents is a promising way to overcome the serious side effects and toxicity of traditional chemotherapeutics for cancer treatment. However, rapid assessment of the in vivo anti-cancer activities of natural products is a challenge. Alternatively, zebrafish are useful model organisms and perform well in addressing this challenging issue. Nowadays, a growing number of studies have utilized zebrafish models to evaluate the in vivo activities of natural compounds. Herein, we reviewed the application of zebrafish models for evaluating the anti-cancer activity and toxicity of natural products over the past years, summarized its process and benefits, and provided future outlooks for the development of natural product-based anti-cancer drugs.

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