Zebrafish as a model system to study toxicology

Monitoring and assessing the effects of contaminants in the aquatic eco‐environment is critical in protecting human health and the environment. The zebrafish has been widely used as a prominent model organism in different fields because of its small size, low cost, diverse adaptability, short breeding cycle, high fecundity, and transparent embryos. Recent studies have demonstrated that zebrafish sensitivity can aid in monitoring environmental contaminants, especially with the application of transgenic technology in this area. The present review provides a brief overview of recent studies on wild‐type and transgenic zebrafish as a model system to monitor toxic heavy metals, endocrine disruptors, and organic pollutants for toxicology. The authors address the new direction of developing high‐throughput detection of genetically modified transparent zebrafish to open a new window for monitoring environmental pollutants. Environ Toxicol Chem 2014;33:11–17. © 2013 SETAC