Article
Subcellular Cadmium, Lead and Mercury Compartmentalization in Guiana Dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) From Southeastern Brazil
Registro en:
HAUSER-DAVIS, Rachel Ann et al. Subcellular Cadmium, Lead and Mercury Compartmentalization in Guiana Dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) From Southeastern Brazil. Frontiers in Marine Science, v. 7, Article 584195, p. 1-8, Dec. 2020.
2296-7745
10.3389/fmars.2020.584195
Autor
Hauser-Davis, Rachel Ann
Figueiredo, Livia
Lemos, Leila
Moura, Jailson Fulgêncio de
Rocha, Rafael C. C.
Saint Pierre, Tatiana
Ziolli, Roberta L.
Siciliano, Salvatore
Resumen
Marine mammals are considered excellent ocean health sentinels and are ubiquitously
exposed to chemical contaminants worldwide. The Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis)
is a near-threatened dolphin species from Brazil with unknown population size data.
This indicates the need for assessments regarding deleterious effects that may arise
from exposure to chemical contamination, especially metals. After entry in the organism,
these compounds are subject to internal subcellular compartmentalization, which in turn
alters their bioavailability. However, almost no assessments regarding subcellular metal
contents in marine mammals are available. In this context, metal compartmentalization
was determined in three subcellular fractions for three toxic elements, Cd, Hg and Pb,
by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in Guiana dolphin kidney
and liver samples from Southeastern Brazil. Differential metal-detoxification mechanisms
were observed for the three elements, where metallothionein (MT) detoxification was
postulated for only for Pb, while Cd and Hg were poorly associated to MT, and mostly
present in the insoluble fraction, indicating low bioavailability. This is the first report on
subcellular metal compartmentalization in Guiana dolphins and indicates that critical
biochemical detoxification data is obtained through subcellular fraction analyses in
marine mammals. This indicates an emerging study field for this type of assessment,
which may, in turn, aid in conservation efforts.