ABSTRACT
The present study reports unique data on concentrations of several classes of organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in blubber biopsies from healthy living fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) from the Gulf of California, Mexico, one of the most isolated and unstudied population in the world. OC levels in this population were generally lower than levels reported in fin whales from other regions. The rank order of OCs were SigmaDDTs (range from 300 to 2400 ng g(-1) lw) > SigmaPCBs (range from 40 to 290 ng g(-1) lw) > SigmaHCHs (range from
Subject(s)
Fin Whale/metabolism , Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated/pharmacokinetics , Pesticides/pharmacokinetics , Polychlorinated Biphenyls/pharmacokinetics , Water Pollutants, Chemical/pharmacokinetics , Adipose Tissue/chemistry , Animals , California , Environmental Monitoring , Female , Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated/analysis , Male , Mexico , Pesticides/analysis , Polychlorinated Biphenyls/analysis , Water Pollutants, Chemical/analysisABSTRACT
Vitellogenin (VTG) is considered as a marker of endocrine disruption. A Western blot method for VTG quantification in Caretta caretta turtle plasma was developed using anti-VTG antibody for Chelonia mydas. A screening of samples (n = 61) collected in the southern Mediterranean Sea around Lampedusa Island, Italy, was performed. The antibody showed a good cross-reactivity with C. caretta VTG, suggesting a certain conservation of the core of the protein in different sea turtle species. The optimal operative condition for Western blot analysis consists of using diluted plasma at 1:50. In field samples, a certain mismatch with morphological sexing was observed, and VTG was detected in young animals. These results suggest the possibility of a precocious activation of VTG-encoding genes before sexual maturation and/or exposure to endocrine disrupter substances.
Subject(s)
Blotting, Western/methods , Turtles/blood , Vitellogenins/blood , Animals , Antibodies/chemistry , Antibodies/immunology , Ecosystem , Female , Logistic Models , Male , Mediterranean Sea , Vitellogenins/immunologyABSTRACT
We report concentrations of several classes of organochlorines (OCs) in the blubber of California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) from the Gulf of California. Summed OC levels measured in 34 wild-ranging animals were, in general, lower than those previously reported in sea lions from the eastern Pacific. The rank order of OCs was SigmaDDTs (mean=3400 ng g(-1 ) lipid weight [lw]) > SigmaPCBs (1400 ng g(-1 ) lw) > SigmaHCHs (50 ng g(-1 ) lw) >or= SigmaCHLORs (46 ng g(-1 ) lw). The most abundant OC measured was the DDT metabolite, p,p'-DDE. No significant differences in OC profiles were found between genders or rookeries. Although the mean concentrations of OCs measured in adult males and females were similar, only adult females had significantly higher (p<0.05) mean blubber concentrations of summation SigmaDDTs and summation SigmaHCHs than pups.
Subject(s)
Adipose Tissue/metabolism , Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated/analysis , Pesticides/analysis , Polychlorinated Biphenyls/analysis , Sea Lions/metabolism , Water Pollutants, Chemical/analysis , Adipose Tissue/chemistry , Animals , Environmental Monitoring , Female , Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated/pharmacokinetics , Male , Mexico , Pacific Ocean , Pesticides/pharmacokinetics , Polychlorinated Biphenyls/pharmacokinetics , Water Pollutants, Chemical/pharmacokineticsABSTRACT
The Baja California Peninsula, Mexico serves an important role for feeding and developing sea turtles. High concentrations of metals detected in green turtles (Chelonia mydas) from Magdalena Bay prompted an investigation into the sources of metals in the region. We compared metal concentrations in sea turtle tissues with plant species found in their stomach contents, and with the same species of plants collected inside a sea turtle refuge area known as Estero Banderitas. Differences in the metal concentrations between marine plant species were minimal. Principal components analysis of the percent contribution of individual metals to the overall metal signature of each plant or tissue sample generated three principal components that explained 80.7% of the total variance in the data. The plant samples collected within Estero Banderitas formed a separate grouping from the green turtle tissue samples and the plants from the stomach contents. The plants in the stomach contents contained greater percent contributions of Cd and Zn than the plants collected inside the bay, while Pb and Mn contributed more to the metal profiles in the bay samples. The metal profiles in the sea turtle tissues more closely resembled the stomach contents than the same species of plants collected within Estero Banderitas, and suggest that sea turtles collected inside Magdalena Bay use foraging resources outside of the Estero Banderitas region. This work supports the suggestion that metal profiles can be used as "environmentally acquired markers" to improve our understanding of the extent of sea turtle foraging areas.
Subject(s)
Metals, Heavy/analysis , Turtles/metabolism , Water Pollutants, Chemical/analysis , Alismatales/chemistry , Animals , Diet , Environmental Monitoring , Eukaryota/chemistry , Feeding Behavior , Gastrointestinal Contents/chemistry , Kidney/chemistry , Kidney/metabolism , Liver/chemistry , Liver/metabolism , Metals, Heavy/metabolism , Mexico , Water Pollutants, Chemical/metabolism , Zosteraceae/chemistryABSTRACT
Analysis of hematological and biochemical parameters, including oxidative stress indicators, is an invaluable tool in wildlife health assessment, particularly for threatened or endangered species. This study was aimed at obtaining baseline information of oxidative stress indicators in eastern Pacific green turtles (Chelonia mydas agassizii) from a relatively undisturbed habitat at Bahía Magdalena, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Tissues were analyzed for superoxide radical (O(2)(*-) production, lipid peroxidation (measured as thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, TBARS), and antioxidant enzyme activity (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione S-transferase (GST)). Overall levels for all variables were within ranges reported for other reptile species. Results suggest differences in oxidative metabolism among tissues (p< or =0.05). Liver, lung and muscle had the highest levels of O(2)(*-) production. Liver revealed the highest TBARS levels. Liver and muscle showed the highest SOD activity, while liver and kidney had the highest CAT and GST activities. These data provide baseline values of the oxidative stress indicators in tissues from eastern Pacific green turtles. Development of a biomarker system to assess the health of wildlife species, especially one that could detect early exposure to environmental pollutants or emerging diseases, would provide a useful tool in the long-term conservation of the species.
Subject(s)
Biomarkers/metabolism , Environmental Monitoring/methods , Oxidative Stress/physiology , Superoxides/metabolism , Turtles/metabolism , Animals , Catalase/metabolism , Environmental Exposure/analysis , Glutathione Transferase/metabolism , Lipid Peroxidation/physiology , Liver/metabolism , Lung/metabolism , Muscle, Skeletal/metabolism , Superoxide Dismutase/metabolism , Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances/metabolismABSTRACT
Black turtle plasmatic vitellogenin (VTG) was purified from 17beta-estradiol-induced males using ion-exchange chromatography. The isolated protein was identified as VTG by its glycolipoprotein nature and amino acid sequence homology with other vertebrate VTG. It was characterized as a 500-kDa dimer composed of two identical, 200- to 240-kDa monomers. Polyclonal antibodies raised against black turtle VTG showed high titer and specificity, as demonstrated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blot analysis, respectively. The range of the assay was estimated to be between 15 ng/ml and 2 microg/ml, and the inter- and intra-assay coefficients of variation were 9.4 and 7.3%, respectively. Black turtle antibody cross-reacted with VTG of two other sea turtle species, Caretta caretta (loggerhead) and Eretmochelys imbricata (hawksbill), extending the applicability of the assay as part of a sea turtle health assessment program.
Subject(s)
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Turtles , Vitellogenins/analysis , Vitellogenins/isolation & purification , Animals , Antibodies , Biomarkers/analysis , Biomarkers/chemistry , Endocrine Disruptors/poisoning , Estradiol/physiology , Male , Rabbits , Sensitivity and Specificity , Vitellogenins/chemistryABSTRACT
Heavy metals were assessed in four species of sea turtles from the Baja California Peninsula, Mexico, representing the first report of heavy metal concentrations in tissues of post-yearling sea turtles from the Eastern Pacific. Concentrations of Cd measured in C. mydas kidney (653 microg/g dry wt) were the highest ever reported for any sea turtle species. Cd accumulated preferentially in kidney and the ratios of kidney to liver Cd in Baja California turtles were among the highest reported for sea turtles globally. Zn, Ni, and Mn concentrations were also significantly higher in kidney than other tissues, while Cu and Fe were greatest in liver, and all metals were lowest in muscle. With the exception of one value (69.9 microg/g in kidney of C. caretta), Pb was low in all tissues from Baja California. In comparisons across species, kidney of C. mydas had greater Zn and Ni concentrations as compared to other species, although there was no difference in liver metal levels among the species. Positive correlations were detected in the concentrations of Cd, Cu and Ni with the straight carapace length of C. caretta.
Subject(s)
Metals, Heavy/pharmacokinetics , Turtles , Animals , Environmental Exposure , Environmental Monitoring , Metals, Heavy/chemistry , Mexico , Pacific Ocean , Species Specificity , Tissue Distribution , Turtles/metabolismABSTRACT
We measured organochlorine residues in three species of sea turtles from the Baja California peninsula, Mexico. Seventeen of 21 organochlorine pesticides analyzed were detected, with heptachlor epoxide and gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane the most prevalent (14 (40%) and 11 (31%) of the 35 tissue samples, respectively). PCBs were detected in all but one of the 9 turtles studied, with congener 18 the most commonly detected (8 (23%) of the samples). The dioxin-like congeners 118 and 180 were detected in 4 (11%) and 3 (9%) of the samples, respectively. Percent contribution of congeners was negatively correlated to their octanol-water partition coefficients, with kidney and muscle containing more lower-chlorinated congeners than liver or adipose samples. Levels of organochlorines detected in the present study were low, potentially attributable to the feeding habits of the predominant species collected in this study (herbivorous) and/or the samples obtained in an unindustrialized region.