Non-mammalian vertebrate embryos as models in nanomedicine.

ABSTRACT

Various in vivo biological models have been proposed for studying the interactions of nano-materials in biological systems. Unfortunately, the widely used small mammalian animal models (rodents) are costly and labor intensive and generate ethical issues and antagonism from the anti-vivisectionist movement. Recently, there has been increasing interest in the scientific community in the interactions between nano-materials and non-mammalian developmental organisms, which are now being recognized as valid models for the study of human disease. This review examines and discusses the biomedical applications and the interaction of nano-materials with embryonic systems, focusing on non-mammalian vertebrate models, such as chicken, zebrafish and Xenopus. FROM THE CLINICAL EDITOR Animal models are critical components of preclinical biomedical research. This review discusses the feasibility and potential applications of non-mammalian vertebral animals, such as zebrafish, xenopus, and chicken as animal models in nanomedicine research.