Screening of anti-cancer agent using zebrafish: Comparison with the MTT assay

The MTT (3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay is a classical method for screening cytotoxic anti-cancer agents. Candidate drugs from the MTT assay need in vivo models to test their efficiency and to assess the absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity of the drugs. An in vivo screening model could increase the rate of development of anti-cancer drugs. Here, we used zebrafish to screen a library of 502 natural compounds and compared the results with those from an MTT assay of the MCF7 breast cancer cell line. We identified 59 toxic compounds in the zebrafish screen, 21 of which were also identified by the MTT assay, and 28 of which were already known for their anti-cancer and apoptosis-inducing effects. These compounds induced apoptosis and activated the p53 pathway in zebrafish within 3 h treatment. Our results indicate that zebrafish is a simple, reliable and highly efficient in vivo tool for cancer drug screening, and could complement the MTT assay.

► We compare zebrafish and MTT assay for anti-cancer drug screening.
► The anti-cancer compounds induce apoptosis and activate p53 pathway in zebrafish.
► Zebrafish is a simple, reliable and high efficiency tool for cancer drug screening.
► Zebrafish could be used as complement for MTT assay.