Development and validation of a fathead minnow liver cell line for environmental testing

林业、纸浆和造纸制造以及城市垃圾处理设施等第一产业雇用了大量加拿大人。它们的活动使用大量的水，当它们将水返回环境时，水中可能含有影响动物成功繁殖能力的化学物质。肥头小鱼是一种模型物种，用于预测水道中其他动物的健康状况。行业和政府监管机构使用活的小鱼来筛选水生污水的毒性。然而，这些测试既昂贵又繁琐。脊椎动物中参与环境污染物解毒的主要器官是肝脏，它对低水平的这些物质非常敏感。

Primary industries such as forestry, pulp and paper manufacturing and municipal waste treatment facilities employ significant numbers of Canadians. Their operations use large amounts of water and when they return it to the environment it may contain chemicals that affect the ability of animals to successfully reproduce. The fathead minnow is a model species used in experiments to predict the health of other animals in waterways. Industry and government regulatory agencies use live minnows to screen aquatic effluents for toxicity. However, these tests are expensive and cumbersome. The primary organ in vertebrates involved in detoxification of environmental contaminants is the liver, and it is very sensitive to low levels of these