Xenobiotics Metabolism in Fish

Abstract

Research on xenobiotics metabolism in aquatic organisms was initiated from the view point of comparative biochemistry and physiology with mammalian species in the latter half of 1960's decade. Recently, it was drawn much attentions from the pollution aspects on both environmental fate and ecotoxicology of chemical substances. This review is described on the oxidative biotransformation of xenobiotics in fish liver mainly focusing on the role of hepatic cytochrome P-450 dependent mixed function oxidase system. Whereas fish is situated in the top of the trophic level of aquatic ecosystem and also important protein sources for human being. Many literatures demonstrated the presense of environmental contaminants having inducibility of the mixed function oxidase system in a wide variety of fish species. Also, some works on the metabolism of diisopropylnaphthalene (a substitute of PCBs for carbonless paper solvent) are introduced briefly.