Understanding CNS Effects of Antimicrobial Drugs Using Zebrafish Models

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Antimicrobial drugs, in addition to exerting antibiotic, antifungal, antiparasitic, or antiviral effects, may also affect the central nervous system and gut microbiota, thereby modulating brain and behavior. Zebrafish models can be used for studying the effects of antimicrobial drugs on the central nervous system. Here, we discuss recent findings on using zebrafish for assessing the effects of a wide range of antimicrobial drugs on brain and behavior in vivo. ABSTRACT: Antimicrobial drugs represent a diverse group of widely utilized antibiotic, antifungal, antiparasitic and antiviral agents. Their growing use and clinical importance necessitate our improved understanding of physiological effects of antimicrobial drugs, including their potential effects on the central nervous system (CNS), at molecular, cellular, and behavioral levels. In addition, antimicrobial drugs can alter the composition of gut microbiota, and hence affect the gut–microbiota–brain axis, further modulating brain and behavioral processes. Complementing rodent studies, the zebrafish (Danio rerio) emerges as a powerful model system for screening various antimicrobial drugs, including probing their putative CNS effects. Here, we critically discuss recent evidence on the effects of antimicrobial drugs on brain and behavior in zebrafish, and outline future related lines of research using this aquatic model organism.