REVIEW article
Front. Toxicol.
Sec. Developmental and Reproductive Toxicology
The Zebrafish in Toxicology: A Bibliometric Analysis Reveals Current Trends and Future Avenues for Predictive Safety Assessment
Provisionally accepted
Carla Lima*
Darlan Gusso
Geonildo Rodrigo Disner
Felipe Pinto
Maria Alice Pimentel Falcão
João Gabriel Santos ROSA
Mônica Lopes-Ferreira- Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
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Abstract The zebrafish (Danio rerio) has become an indispensable model in toxicological research, bridging environmental monitoring, disease modeling, and preclinical drug screening. This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric and methodological analysis of 20,291 publications from 2014 to 2024, revealing distinct trends and opportunities in the field. Acute toxicity studies dominate the literature (39.36%), followed by neurotoxicity (19.50%) and immunotoxicity (11.39%), reflecting the widespread adoption of high-throughput embryonic assays such as the Fish Embryo Acute Toxicity (FET) test. While the model's strengths in rapid hazard assessment are well-established, our analysis identifies a significant emphasis on early developmental stages (embryos and larvae), creating a critical gap in chronic toxicity evaluation and adult organism studies. Methodologically, zebrafish toxicology leverages a versatile toolkit including behavioral phenotyping, high-resolution imaging, molecular analyses, and omics technologies. However, applications often remain isolated within specific domains, highlighting the need for more integrative approaches. The field is characterized by strong growth led by China and the United States, with research published predominantly in environmental and multidisciplinary journals. Substantial numbers of studies investigating "Unclassified Compounds" indicate both innovation in studying emerging contaminants and challenges in metadata standardization. We conclude that future advancements require leveraging multi-omics integration and sophisticated transgenic tools to transform the zebrafish from a screening model into a predictive platform for systems toxicology. By addressing current limitations in life-stage representation, chronic exposure paradigms, and translational validation, zebrafish research can fully realize its potential in shaping regulatory policies and advancing personalized toxicology.
Keywords: Alternative Models (3Rs), Developmental stages, Hazard screening, Toxicological biomarkers, Zebrafish Toxicology
Received: 05 Sep 2025; Accepted: 11 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Lima, Gusso, Disner, Pinto, Falcão, ROSA and Lopes-Ferreira. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Carla Lima
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.