Biochemical and molecular biomarkers in integument biopsies of free-ranging coastal bottlenose dolphins from southern Brazil

Adverse effects of exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) threaten the maintenance of odontocete populations. In southern Brazil, coastal bottlenose dolphins from the Laguna Estuarine System (LES) and Patos Lagoon Estuary (PLE) were sampled using remote biopsies during the winter and summe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chemosphere (Oxford) 2019-06, Vol.225, p.139-149
Main Authors: Righetti, Barbara Pacheco Harrison, Mattos, Jacó Joaquim, Siebert, Marília Nardelli, Daura-Jorge, Fábio Gonçalves, Bezamat, Carolina, Fruet, Pedro Friedrich, Genoves, Rodrigo Cezar, Taniguchi, Satie, da Silva, Josilene, Montone, Rosalinda Carmela, Simões-Lopes, Paulo César de Azevedo, Bainy, Afonso Celso Dias, Lüchmann, Karim Hahn
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biomarker response
Bottlenose dolphins
Organic contaminants
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Summary:Adverse effects of exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) threaten the maintenance of odontocete populations. In southern Brazil, coastal bottlenose dolphins from the Laguna Estuarine System (LES) and Patos Lagoon Estuary (PLE) were sampled using remote biopsies during the winter and summer months. Levels of bioaccumulated POPs were measured in the blubber. The activities of glutathione S-transferase (GST), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were also quantified, as were the mRNA transcript levels of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), AhR nuclear translocator (ARNT), cytochrome P450 1A1-like (CYP1A1), metallothionein 2A (MT2A), GST-π, GPx-4, GR, interleukin 1 alpha (IL-1α), and major histocompatibility complex II (MHCII) in the skin. In general, levels of POPs were similar among sites, sexes, ages and seasons. For most animals, total polychlorinated biphenyl (ΣPCBs) levels were above the threshold level have physiological effects and pose risks to cetaceans. The best-fitting generalized linear models (GLMs) found significant associations between GR, IL-1α and GPx-4 transcript levels, SOD and GST activities, and total polybrominated diphenyl ether (ΣPBDEs) and pesticide levels. GLMs and Kruskal-Wallis analyses also indicated that there were higher transcript levels for most genes and lower GST activity in the winter. These results reinforce the need to consider the influence of environmental traits on biomarker values in wildlife assessments. •PCB levels were above the threshold established as risk limit for Tursiops truncatus.•Transcript levels of GR, GPx-4 and IL-1α were associated with PBDEs and pesticides.•Higher GST activity was associated with higher pesticides levels.•Data suggests a putative influence of seasonality on biomarker responses.
ISSN:0045-6535
1879-1298
DOI:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.02.179