An integrated microfluidic array system for evaluating toxicity and teratogenicity of drugs on embryonic zebrafish developmental dynamics

Seeking potential toxic and side effects for clinically available drugs is considerably beneficial in pharmaceutical safety evaluation. In this article, the authors developed an integrated microfluidic array system for phenotype-based evaluation of toxic and teratogenic potentials of clinical drugs by using zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos as organism models. The microfluidic chip consists of a concentration gradient generator from upstream and an array of open embryonic culture structures by offering continuous stimulation in gradients and providing guiding, cultivation and exposure to the embryos, respectively. The open culture reservoirs are amenable to long-term embryonic culturing. Gradient test substances were delivered in a continuous or a developmental stage-specific manner, to induce embryos to generate dynamic developmental toxicity and teratogenicity. Developmental toxicity of doxorubicin on zebrafish eggs were quantitatively assessed via heart rate, and teratological effects were characterized by pericardial impairment, tail fin, notochord, and SV-BA distance /body length. By scoring the teratogenic severity, we precisely evaluated the time- and dose-dependent damage on the chemical-exposed embryos. The simple and easily operated method presented herein demonstrates that zebrafish embryo-based pharmaceutic assessment could be performed using microfluidic systems and holds a great potential in high-throughput screening for new compounds at single animal resolution.