Liver as a Target Organ for Eco-Toxicological Studies

A range of contaminants including carcinogens, metals, bio-toxins, and persistent organic pollutants injure livers of fishes, and although some mechanisms of liver injury are unique to fish, most of the hepatic injury in these aquatic vertebrates arises from mechanisms similar to those observed in mammals [2]. An understanding of chemical hepato-toxicity requires an appreciation of anatomic and physiologic features of the liver. With respect to fish liver, although fish and mammalian liver are same in many features, there are some different futures between fish and mammals that may influence its interpretation [3].