Metal(loid) exposure assessment and biomarker responses in captive and free-ranging European brown bear (Ursus arctos)
Creators
- 1. Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Zagreb, Croatia
- 2. Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland
- 3. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- 4. Ruđer Bošković Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
- 5. Tatra National Park, Kuźnice, Poland
- 6. Institute of Environmental Biology, University of Wrocław, Wrocław, Poland
- 7. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatiaeng
Description
We investigated the level of five non-essential metal(loid)s (As, Cd, Hg, Tl, Pb) and nine essential metals (Mg, Ca, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, Se, Mo) in hair and blood components of captive and free-ranging European brown bear populations in Croatia and Poland. Metal(loid) associations with biomarkers of oxidative stress (superoxide dismutase, SOD; glutathione-peroxidase, GSH-Px; malondialdehyde, MDA) and metal exposure (metallothionein, MT) were estimated in this top predatory mammal. Lead was the most abundant non-essential metal(loid) in both blood and hair, with 4 of 35 individuals having blood levels over 100 μg/L. A positive association was found between Pb level and SOD activity in blood. Free-ranging bears had higher blood SOD activity, Mn, Zn and Cd levels, hair Co, Cd, Tl and Pb compared to captive individuals, while the opposite was true for Mg and hair Ca thereby reflecting habitat and diet differences. With increasing age, animals showed lower levels of SOD activity and certain essential metals. Females had higher SOD activity and blood levels of some essential metals than males. Hair showed a higher Fe and Co level when sampled during the growth phase and was not predictive of non-essential metal(loid) blood levels. The established metal(loid) baseline values will enable future risk as- sessment in both captive and wild European brown bear populations.
Notes
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Lazarus et al 2020_Metal(loid) exposure assessment and biomarker responses in captive and free-ranging European brown bear (Ursus arctos).pdf
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Related works
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- Journal article: 32004830 (ean8)