Carp hepatocytes used to study the molecular mechanisms that pollutants have on aquatic animals

Common carp is inherently sensitive to changes in water quality. Therefore, Common carp is widely used as an animal model for aquatic toxicology. In addition, carp hepatocytes are more and more often used as a valuable in vitro model to study the molecular mechanisms responsible for the toxic effects of pollutants.

4-tert-butylphenol (4-tBP) is widely used in the synthesis of coatings, polymers and plastics. In 2019, The European Union has classified 4-tBP as a substance of very high concern. The substance is mainly distributed in water. 

Researchers from Northeast Agricultural University in Harbin and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science in Beijing have recently published a study using primary carp hepatocytes to study the molecular mechanisms of 4-tBP toxicity in aquatic organisms. Their findings suggest that 4-tBP exposure induced ferroptosis in hepatocytes through oxidative stress and iron overload. The study was published in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.113944