Interactions of Environmental Chemicals and Natural Products With ABC and SLC Transporters in the Digestive System of Aquatic Organisms.

An organism's diet is a major route of exposure to both beneficial nutrients and toxic environmental chemicals and natural products. The uptake of dietary xenobiotics in the intestine is prevented by transporters of the Solute Carrier (SLC) and ATP Binding Cassette (ABC) family. Several environmental chemicals and natural toxins have been identified to induce expression of these defense transporters in fish and aquatic invertebrates, indicating that they are substrates and can be eliminated.

Xenobiotic metabolism and transport in .

has emerged as a major model in biomedical and environmental toxicology. Numerous papers on toxicology and pharmacology in have been published, and this species has now been adopted by investigators in academic toxicology, pharmacology, and drug discovery labs. has also attracted the interest of governmental regulatory agencies charged with evaluating the safety of chemicals.

Strengths and limitations of morphological and behavioral analyses in detecting dopaminergic deficiency in Caenorhabditis elegans.

In order to develop a better understanding of the role environmental toxicants may play in the onset and progression of neurodegenerative diseases, it has become increasingly important to optimize sensitive methods for quickly screening toxicants to determine their ability to disrupt neuronal function. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans can help with this effort. This species has an integrated nervous system producing behavioral function, provides easy access for molecular studies, has a rapid lifespan, and is an inexpensive model.