Blood kinetics of lipophilic and proteinophilic pollutants during two types of long-term fast in king penguins

• Published in: Environmental Science & Technology
• Main Authors: Mollier, Margaux, Bustamante, Paco, Martinez-Alvarez, Ignacio, Schull, Quentin, Labadie, Pierre, Budzinski, Hélène, Cherel, Yves, Carravieri, Alice
• Other Authors: LIttoral ENvironnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), La Rochelle Université (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Environnements et Paléoenvironnements OCéaniques (EPOC), Observatoire aquitain des sciences de l'univers (OASU), Université Sciences et Technologies - Bordeaux 1 (UB)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Sciences et Technologies - Bordeaux 1 (UB)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), MARine Biodiversity Exploitation and Conservation - MARBEC (UMR MARBEC ), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Montpellier (UM), Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé - UMR 7372 (CEBC), La Rochelle Université (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), ANR-16-CE34-0005,ILETOP,Impact des polluants historiques et émergents sur les prédateurs supérieurs marins de l'Arctique(2016)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2024
• Subjects: Subantarctic; breeding; molt; PFAS; plasma; POPs; seabird; weight loss; [SDE]Environmental Sciences; King Penguins
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-04565171; https://hal.science/hal-04565171/document; https://hal.science/hal-04565171/file/Mollier%20et%20al%202024%20ES%26T.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.3c10822

International audience In vertebrates, fasting is an intricate physiological process associated with strong metabolic changes, yet its effect on pollutant residues variation is poorly understood. Here, we quantified long-term changes in plasma concentrations of 20 organochlorine and 16 perfluoroalkyl pollutants in king penguins Aptenodytes patagonicus during the breeding and molting fasts, which are marked by low and high levels of protein catabolism, respectively, and by strong lipid use. The profile of measured pollutants in plasma was dominated by perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS, initial relative contribution of 60%). Initial total pollutant concentrations were similar in molting (3.3-5.7 ng g-1 ww) and breeding penguins (range 4.2-7.3 ng g-1 wet weight, ww). Long-term fasting (25 days) for molting and breeding led, respectively, to a 1.8- and 2.2-fold increase in total plasma pollutant concentrations, though the rate and direction of change was compound-specific. Hexachlorbenzene (HCB) and PFOS concentrations increased in plasma (net mobilization) during both types of fast, likely due to lipid use. Plasma perfluoroundecanoate (PFUnDA) and perfluorotridecanoate (PFTrDA) concentrations increased in breeders (net mobilization), but decreased in molting individuals (net excretion), suggesting a significant incorporation of these pollutants into feathers. This study is a key contribution to our understanding of pollutant variation in blood during long-term fasting in wildlife.