Advancing One Health Toxicology Through the Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) Model

Translational toxicology faces a persistent model selection dilemma, as no single organism can serve as a universal surrogate. Within the holistic One Health paradigm, this review evaluates the common carp (Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus, 1758) as a versatile comparative model. A comparative evaluation of its somatic, ecological, and genomic attributes alongside benchmark teleosts like zebrafish, Danio rerio (Hamilton, 1822), highlights how the carp’s cosmopolitan distribution, benthivorous sediment-dwelling behaviour, and allotetraploid genome (Cs4R/4R-WGD) enable its survival in severely impacted aquatic environments precluded to less tolerant species, permitting continuous biomonitoring of environmental pollutants—among them heavy metals and emerging contaminants, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). A curated narrative synthesis reveals that while C. carpio is thoroughly established as an in situ environmental bioindicator (Sentinel Model) and an aquaculture cornerstone linking pollution to human dietary hazards (Consumer Link), its utility as a translational surrogate (Biomedical Surrogate) remains an emerging frontier. Grounded in evolutionary homology, its large somatic mass eliminates tissue pooling, enabling multi-organ pathobiological profiling and establishing multi-compartment systems, such as the kidney, as multipurpose biomarker organs. Ultimately, C. carpio offers unexploited potential to bridge laboratory mechanistic toxicology and planetary risk assessment.