Fish complement system components

Considerable interest has developed concerning the nature of the mixed function oxidase system in fish and the role that this system may play in the development of toxic responses in these animals. Studies have shown that components of the mixed function oxidase system are present in relatively high concentrations in fish liver (4, 5, 6) and that the enzyme systems in this organ are capable of many of the biotransformation reactions already described for the mammalian liver (7, 8, 9). The presence of this complement of enzymes in the livers of many fishes suggests that this organ too may be particularly sensitive to insult from sub lethal concentrations of many waterborne toxicants. For this reason, methods to evaluate liver function in fish may be particularly useful in identifying the sublethal effects of certain classes of toxicants. 

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