Hepatocellular carcinoma and fatty infiltration in the Atlantic tomcod, Microgadus tomcod (Walbaum)

Abstract

The livers of Atlantie lomcod, Microgadus tomcod (Walbaum), from the Hudson and Paweatuek Rivers were evaluated histologically and described using paraffin and plastic sections. Fatty infiltration, basophilic foci, areas of cellular alteration and hepatoeellular carcinoma were widespread in Hudson River samples, ln fact, no truly normal tissues were found. Paweatuek samples had variable levels of lipid and a low prevalence of other alterations. Evaluation of the histological evidence suggests that hepatocellular carcinoma in Hudson River tomcod results from multiple DNA lesions and that areas of cellular alteration give rise to the larger, more invasive form of hepatocellular carcinoma. Glutaraldehyde and OsOj fixed livers were used to determine differences in cell types and lipid levels. Paweatuek samples possessed hepatocytes and dark cells forming the parenchymal tissue, whereas Hudson samples lacked dark cells. Hepatic lipid levels were significantly higher in Hudson River fish than in Paweatuek fish, 36 3 and 11 07o respectively. The elevated hepatic lipid levels in Hudson River tomcod may represent a metabolic response to detoxification.

New nephron development in fish from polluted waters: a possible biomarker

“…Both species of fish have been reported to exhibit high levels of liver pathologies purportedly associated with environmental contamination (Klauda et aL 1981;MacLeod et al 1981;Baumann and Harshbarger 1985;Dey et al 1986;Maccubbin et al 1988;Baumann 1989;Cormier et al 1989;Harshbarger and Clark 1990;Black and Baumann 1991). The tomcod population in the Hudson River (Dey et al 1986;Cormier et al 1989) and the brown bullhead population in the Cuyahoga and Black Rivers (Baumann et al 1982;Baumann and Harshbarger 1985;Baumann and Mac 1988;Baumann et al 1990) have elevated incidences of liver cancer and papillomas.…”

“…Both species of fish have been reported to exhibit high levels of liver pathologies purportedly associated with environmental contamination (Klauda et aL 1981;MacLeod et al 1981;Baumann and Harshbarger 1985;Dey et al 1986;Maccubbin et al 1988;Baumann 1989;Cormier et al 1989;Harshbarger and Clark 1990;Black and Baumann 1991). The tomcod population in the Hudson River (Dey et al 1986;Cormier et al 1989) and the brown bullhead population in the Cuyahoga and Black Rivers (Baumann et al 1982;Baumann and Harshbarger 1985;Baumann and Mac 1988;Baumann et al 1990) have elevated incidences of liver cancer and papillomas. Although all three impacted rivers have multiple contaminant inputs, the Hudson River is known to have high levels of halogenated compounds such as polychlorinated biphenyls and pesticides (Klauda et al 1981;MacLeod et al 1981) and the Cuyahoga and Black Rivers have substantial impacts from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from coking operations (West et al 1984;Fabacher and Baumann 1985;Fabacher et al 1988;Baumann 1989).…”

Vacuolation, proliferation and neoplasia in the liver of Boston Harbor winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus)

“…Examination of the ultrastrcture of fish liver from contaminated sites has included studies of the English sole (Stehr et al., 1988 and 1990) where the ultrastrcture of hepatocellular and cholangiocellular carcinomas were described, the tomcod (Cormer 1986 andCormer et al 1989), where an elevation of lipid content was seen in hepatocytes of fish from a contamnated site, and the European flounder (Kohler 1989), where fish removed from a contamiated area were monitored for their capacity to regenerate healthy livers.…”

Issues Related to the Use of Fish Models in Toxicologic Pathology: Session Introduction

“…In laboratory tests, medaka exposed to extracts and fractions of PAH-contaminated sediments from tributaries of the Great Lakes, including the Black River, developed liver neoplasia (11). Similarly, epizootics of hepatic neoplasia have been reported from Atlantic tomcod from the Hudson River (7,41). Those liver neoplasms have been associated with elevated tissue levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) (22).…”