Bridging Traditional and Modern Medicine: The Role of Zebrafish in Ayurveda Drug Discovery

Ayurveda has been an integral part of healthcare delivery systems for centuries in different countries of the world in one or another form, offering therapeutic benefits in many disease conditions. However, suboptimal details in pharmacokinetic studies and inadequate scientific validation on safety, efficacy, and the mode of action of Ayurvedic drugs remain a critical area of research. Recently, the zebrafish (Danio rerio) vertebrate model has gained prominence as a versatile and powerful tool for studying the pharmacological and toxicological effects of plant-based compounds. Due to its genetic similarity to humans, rapid development, tiny size, optical clarity of embryos, and suitability for high-throughput screening, zebrafish serves as an effective model for evaluating the efficacy and safety of natural product (plant/processed metal/mineral) formulations. The present chapter explores the integration of time-tested concepts of Ayurveda, especially its therapeutic potential, with zebrafish research, emphasizing their role in disease modeling and drug discovery. This chapter will focus on the application of zebrafish models for assessing polyherbal formulations in neurological disorders, metabolic diseases, and toxicological evaluations. Given the growing interest in natural product-based therapeutics and the limitations of conventional drug discovery, this chapter underscores the relevance of zebrafish models in bridging the conceptual gaps between the traditional Indian system of medicine and the conventional or modern system of medicine, which would be of significant interest to researchers exploring novel treatment strategies, contributing to advancing translational medicine and global healthcare.