Unveiling the impact of dyes on aquatic ecosystems through zebrafish – A comprehensive review

Dye industry plays an essential role in industrial development, contributing significantly to economic growth and progress. However, its rapid expansion has led to significant environmental concerns, especially water pollution and ecosystem degradation due to the discharge of untreated or inadequately treated dye effluents. The effluents introduce various harmful chemicals altering water quality, depleting oxygen levels, harming aquatic organisms, and disrupting food chains. Dye contamination can also persist in the environment for extended periods, leading to long-term ecological damage and threatening biodiversity. Therefore, the complex effects of dye pollutants on aquatic ecosystems have been comprehensively studied. Recently, zebrafish (Danio rerio) has proved to be an effective biomedical model for this study due to its transparent embryos allowing real-time observation of developmental processes and genetic proximity (approx. 87%) to humans for studying diverse biological responses. This review highlights the various toxicological effects of industrial dyes, including cardiovascular toxicity, neurotoxicity, genotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, and developmental toxicity. These effects have been observed at different developmental stages and dye concentrations in zebrafish. The review underscores that the structure, stability and chemical composition of dyes significantly influence toxicological impact, emphasizing the need for detailed investigation into dye degradation to better understand and mitigate the environmental and health risks posed by dye pollutants.