Developmental anomalies induced by a non-selective COX inhibitor (ibuprofen) in zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Effects of ibuprofen (a non-selective COX inhibitor) on the embryonic development, hatching success, larval growth, behavioral pattern and survival competence were studied in Danio rerio. Embryos at 2/4 celled stage were exposed to graded doses (0, 1, 5, 10, 50 and 100 μg/L distilled water) of ibuprofen in triplicate sets (n = 30). The experiment was repeated thrice. The results indicate that developing embryos tolerated lower (1 and 5 μg/L) doses of the drug readily but, exposure to higher doses (>10 μg/L) caused retarded development, decreased hatching rate and growth, cardiac anomalies, spinal curvature, pectoral fin malformation and behavioral alterations resulting in greater mortality of experimental embryos. This study suggests that, ibuprofen which is marketed as over-the-counter (OTC) drug is embryotoxic at least at higher (>10 μg/L) dose level to zebrafish embryos.