A Study on Developmental Toxicity and Behavioral Safety Using Ethanolic Extract of Pedalium murex L. on Zebrafish Embryos

Abstract

Many are returning to nature from synthetics in search of safety and stability. Herbs are the sole way to combat synthetic drugs' side effects. Toxicity testing may reveal herb hazards, allowing for the prevention of potentially hazardous side effects. Due to the short time needed for investigations, transparency of embryos, short life cycle, high fertility, and similarity of genetic data, the zebrafish embryotoxicity model is at the forefront of toxicology research. The zebrafish animal model is utilised to enhance aquaculture output and biomedicine. Pedalium murex L. is a key traditional medicinal herb. Future drug development reference studies must evaluate toxicity factors. In this study, we tested the ethanolic extract of P. murex (EEPM) on zebrafish embryos up to 72 hours post-fertilisation (hpf). This is the first study of EEPM on zebrafish embryos. At 24 hpf, embryos grow and move normally. With more plant extract, the heart rate was normal at 48 hpf. At 72 hpf, no afflicted embryos had a tail, eye, head, or heart development. This is the first study to investigate the visible impact of EEPM on zebrafish embryos. The present research found that the higher dose of EEPM significantly raised the heartbeat in the embryo of zebrafish. It happened due to the small oedema in the heart muscle. Besides these, there is no other damage to the muscle. As a result, the current investigation demonstrated that the prospective use of P. murex is risk-free and has the potential to be used for the development of novel drugs in a clinical trial.