ABSTRACT
Studies of the phylogenetic peculiarities of defense systems’ evolution in fi sh are very important for understanding the adaptive mechanisms to damage factors of the environment especially anthropogenic pollution which play a key role in aquatic ecosystems transformation and degradation in recent years. In the organism, xenobiotics bind to specifi c cellular receptors localized on the membranes and in cytoplasm or in subcellular organelles and cause the negative events in cells and tissues, damage organ and organism itself. Biochemical markers respond to the toxic activity of pollutants, detect the type of toxicity and in some cases the level and vector of response correlate with the level of pollution (Adams, 2005; Amado et al., 2006a,b; Stroka and Drastichova, 2004). According to the WHO (1993), biomarkers can be subdivided into three groups (van der Oost et al., 2003):
“Biomarkers of exposure: covers the detection and measurement of an exogenous substance or its metabolite or product of an interaction between a xenobiotic agent and some target molecule or cell that is measured in a compartment within an organism; Biomarkers of effect: includes measurable biochemical, physiological or other alterations within tissues or body fl uids of an organism that can be recognized as associated with an established or possible health impairment or disease; Biomarkers of susceptibility: indicates the inherent or acquired ability of an organism to respond to the challenge of exposure to a specifi c xenobiotic substance, including genetic factors and changes in receptors which alter the susceptibility of an organism to that exposure.”
