In aquatic toxicology, cytotoxicity tests using continuous fish cell lines have been suggested as a tool for (1) screening or toxicity ranking of anthropogenic chemicals, compound mixtures and environmental samples, (2) establishment of structure-activity relationships, and (3) replacement or supplementation of in vivo animal tests. Due to the small sample volumes necessary for cytotoxicity tests, they appear to be particularly suited for use in chemical fractionation studies. The present contribution reviews the existing literature on cytotoxicity studies with fish cells and considers the influence of cell line and cytotoxicity endpoint selection on the test results. Furthermore, in vitro/in vivo correlations between fish cell lines and intact fish are discussed.

During recent years, fish cell lines have been increasingly used for purposes beyond their meanwhile established role for cytotoxicity measurements. They have been successfully introduced for detection of genotoxic effects, and cell lines are now applied for investigations on toxic mechanisms and on biomarkers such as cytochrome P450 1 A. The development of recombinant fish cell lines may further support their role as a bioanalytical tool in environmental diagnostics.