ECOtoxicity Assays

Specifically aplicable in this area, ZF BioLabs has developed the following assays:

Alternative Bioaccumulation Assay (under development): ZF BioLabs is coordinating a R&D project for the prevalidation of an alternative Bioaccumulation test based on the zebrafish eleutheroembryo. The main aim of the project is to develop a method for determination of the bioconcentration factor using zebrafish embryos that serves as alternative to the adult fish bioassay 305 of OECD (Bioconcentration-Flow-through Fish Test). This project has been planned as a Cooperation Project between ZF BioLabs, expert developing new toxicology tests, the Analytical Chemical Department of Complutence University of Madrid and the Instrumental Analysis and Environmental Chemistry Department (Spanish National Research Council’s Institute of General Organic Chemistry) which have wide research expertise in the field of analytical methods of environmental samples, specifically treating those samples. Download Poster presented at the SETAC 2007 meeting.

ZF ACUTOX ASSAY. This test allows the determination of 48-h LC50 value, in a cost effective way of any testing compound on living zebrafish embryos.

FTZ (Fast Acute Toxicity Bioassay). It is very well-suited detecting, in a very short time and at low cost, cyanotoxins and other toxicants for the drinking water supply industry. This can be very useful to rapidly alert of potential bio- & chemical terrorism attacks, biological toxic bloomings, pollutant spills, etc.

DTZ (Developmental Toxicity Test): For specific cases in ecotoxicology studies ZF BioLabs has launched this novel developmental toxicity test using zebrafish embryos as an alternative to the mammalian model, that allows detection of toxic compounds that produce malformations (teratogenicity) and other abnormalities during the embryo development of vertebrates, being capable to verify if a given sample is or not teratogenic within 48 hours.

ZF NEUROTOXICITY ASSAY. This test, for specific cases of ecotoxicity, is an indicator of the potential neurotoxic effects in vertebrates after chemical exposure. Advantages observed in this test developed by ZF BioLabs are its very short time to obtain results, low cost, and observation of neurotoxicity related endpoints within a test using zebrafish embryos in their early stages of development.

OECD TESTS

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has already recognized the zebrafish model as a powerful alternative to mammalian animal models in research aimed to environmental toxicants. On the other hand, for ecotoxicity studies, the OCDE has already published several test guidelines being zebrafish the recommended species

• OECD 203- Fish, Acute Toxicity Test; Assay to evaluate with fish the acute toxicity in water.
• OECD 204- Fish, Prolonged Toxicity Test; assay for quantification of lethality and other effects in fish exposed to testing samples.
• OECD 210- Fish, Early-life Stage Toxicity Test; designed to define the lethal and sub-lethal effects of chemical substances in fish embryos.
• OECD 212- Fish, Short-term Toxicity Test on Embryo and Sac-fry Stages; designed to define the lethal and sub-lethal effects of chemical substances in fish embryos and larvae.
• OECD 215- Fish, Juvenile Growth Test; Assay designed to evaluate the effects on the growing of juvenile fish long exposed to chemical agents.

Also a proposal (the Fish Embryo Toxicity Test) as a replacement for the Acute Toxicity Test (OECD 203) is now under review. All these bioassays are offered as CRO services by ZF BioLabs.

There are already available the ZF ACUTOX Kit & ZF ACUTOX- PLUS Kit