Combined Metabolomics and Network Toxicology to Explore the Molecular Mechanism of Phytolacca acinose Roxb-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Zebrafish Larvae in Vivo

The uses of zebrafish (Danio rerio) as an in vivo model for toxicological studies: A review based on bibliometrics

An in vivo model is necessary for toxicology. This review analyzed the uses of zebrafish (Danio rerio) in toxicology based on bibliometrics. Totally 56,816 publications about zebrafish from 2002 to 2023 were found in Web of Science Core Collection, with Toxicology as the top 6 among all disciplines. Accordingly, the bibliometric map reveals that "toxicity" has become a hot keyword. It further reveals that the most common exposure types include acute, chronic, and combined exposure. The toxicological effects include behavioral, intestinal, cardiovascular, hepatic, endocrine toxicity, neurotoxicity, immunotoxicity, genotoxicity, and reproductive and transgenerational toxicity. The mechanisms include oxidative stress, inflammation, autophagy, and dysbiosis of gut microbiota. The toxicants commonly evaluated by using zebrafish model include nanomaterials, arsenic, metals, bisphenol, and dioxin. Overall, zebrafish provide a unique and well-accepted model to investigate the toxicological effects and mechanisms. We also discussed the possible ways to address some of the limitations of zebrafish model, such as the combination of human organoids to avoid species differences.

4-hydroxylonchocarpin and corylifol A: The potential hepatotoxic components of Psoralea corylifolia L

Psoralea corylifolia L. (P. corylifolia) has attracted increasing attention because of its potential hepatotoxicity. In this study, we used network analysis (toxic component and hepatotoxic target prediction, proteinprotein interaction, GO enrichment analysis, KEGG pathway analysis, and molecular docking) to predict the components and mechanism of P. corylifolia-induced hepatotoxicity and then selected 4-hydroxylonchocarpin and corylifol A for experimental verification. HepG2 cells were treated with low, medium, and high concentrations of 4-hydroxylonchocarpin or corylifol A. The activities of ALT, AST, and LDH in cell culture media and the MDA level, SOD activity, and GSH level in cell extracts were measured. Moreover, apoptosis, ROS levels, and mitochondrial membrane potential were evaluated. The results showed that the activities of ALT, AST, and LDH in the culture medium increased, and hepatocyte apoptosis increased. The level of MDA increased, and the activity of SOD and level of GSH decreased, and the ROS level increased with 4-hydroxylonchocarpin and corylifol A intervention. Furthermore, the mitochondrial membrane potential decreased in the 4-hydroxylonchocarpin and corylifol A groups. This study suggests that 4-hydroxylonchocarpin and corylifol A cause hepatocyte injury and apoptosis by inducing oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction, suggesting that these compounds may be the potential hepatotoxic components of P. corylifolia.