Developmental Toxicity Assessment in Zebrafish - Zebrafish: Methods for Assessing Drug Safety and Toxicity - page 24

parameters, including swim bladder inflation and hatching time. The LC 50 /EC 50
definition of TI can be used for evaluating compound effects on environ-
ment. In contrast, an alternative TI definition based on the presence of any dysmor-
phogenesis at the maximal nonlethal concentration is often used to evaluate
therapeutic compounds.
Although the developmental toxicity screen focuses on compound effects during
organogenesis, the same visual methods are widely used to perform nondevelop-
mental toxicity screens. In these assays, since compounds are added after the organs
are formed and functioning, it is unlikely that arrested development will be observed;
however, morphological defects, including enlarged or small organs, can be scored.
Subsequent to visual assessment used in developmental toxicity screens, com-
plementary quantitative assays are typically performed. Immunostaining with cell-
specific antibodies can be used to confirm visual observations and quantitative assay
formats include morphometric image analysis and microplate assessment in 96 and
384 wells.
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