2. Academic Validation
  3. A Novel Functional Method of Protector Screening for Zebrafish Lateral Line Hair Cells via the Acoustic Escape Response

A Novel Functional Method of Protector Screening for Zebrafish Lateral Line Hair Cells via the Acoustic Escape Response

  • Neurosci Bull. 2025 May 6. doi: 10.1007/s12264-025-01406-3.
Ling Zheng 1 2,  Qiaosen Shen 3,  Tong Zhao 2,  Qingsong Liu 2,  Zihao Huang 2,  Feng Zhao 4,  Mengqian Zhang 2,  Yongdong Song 5,  Daogong Zhang 6 7 8,  Dong Liu 9,  Fangyi Chen 10 11
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, Heilongjiang, China.
  • 2 Department of Biomedical Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
  • 3 School of Life Science, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
  • 4 Experimental Center, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, 250000, China.
  • 5 Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Shandong Provincial ENT Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, 250000, China.
  • 6 Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Shandong Provincial ENT Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, 250000, China. Zhangdaogong1978@163.com.
  • 7 Shandong Provincial Vertigo & Dizziness Medical Center, Jinan, 250000, China. Zhangdaogong1978@163.com.
  • 8 Vertigo Disease Research Lab, Shandong Institute of Otorhinolaryngology, Jinan, 250000, China. Zhangdaogong1978@163.com.
  • 9 School of Life Science, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China. liud@sustech.edu.cn.
  • 10 Department of Biomedical Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China. chenfy@sustech.edu.cn.
  • 11 Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Advanced Biomaterials, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China. chenfy@sustech.edu.cn.
PMID: 40329138 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-025-01406-3
Abstract

Zebrafish larvae are useful for identifying chemicals against lateral line (LL) hair cell (HC) damage and this type of chemical screen mainly focuses on searching for protectors against cell death. To expand the candidate pool of HC protectors, a self-built acoustic escape response (AER)-detecting system was developed to apply both low-frequency near-field sound transmission and AER image acquisition/processing modules. The device quickly confirmed the changed LL HC functions caused by most known ototoxins, protectors, and neural transmission modifiers, or knockdown of LL HC-expressing genes. With ten devices wired in tandem, five 'hit' chemicals were identified from 124 cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors to partially restore cisplatin-damaged AER in less than a day. AS2863619, ribociclib, and SU9516 among the hits, protected the HCs in the mouse cochlea. Therefore, using free-swimming larval zebrafish, the self-made AER-detecting device can efficiently identify compounds that are protective against HC damage, including cell death and loss-of-function.

Keywords

Acoustic escape response; Functional screening; Hair cell; Lateral line; Low-frequency sound; Zebrafish.

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