Higher plasma oxidative damage and lower plasma antioxidant defences in an Arctic seabird exposed to perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids

• Published in: Environmental Research
• Main Authors: Costantini, David, Blévin, Pierre, Herzke, Dorte, Moe, Borge, Gabrielsen, Geir Wing, Bustnes, Jan Ove, Chastel, Olivier
• Other Authors: Physiologie moléculaire et adaptation (PhyMA), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé - UMR 7372 (CEBC), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-La Rochelle Université (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Norwegian Institute for Air Research (FRAM), High North Research Centre on Climate and the Environment, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Norwegian Polar Institute, 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 2019
• Subjects: Kittiwake; PFASs; Antioxidants; Birds; Svalbard; [SDE]Environmental Sciences; Arctic; rissa tridactyla
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-02238536; https://hal.science/hal-02238536/document; https://hal.science/hal-02238536/file/Costantini%20et%20al.%20-%202019%20-%20Higher%20plasma%20oxidative%20damage%20and%20lower%20plasma%20an.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2018.10.003

International audience Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) may cause detrimental effects on physiological function and reproduction of Arctic animals. However, there is a paucity of information on the link between PFASs and oxidative stress, which can have potential detrimental effects on key fitness traits, such as cellular homeostasis or reproduction. We have examined the correlations between multiple blood-based markers of oxidative status and several perfluoroalkyl acids (i.e., with 8 or more carbons) in male Arctic black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) during the pre-laying period. Higher protein oxidative damage was found in those birds having higher concentrations of perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA), perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTriA) and perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTeA). Lower plasmatic non-enzymatic micro-molecular antioxidants were found in those birds having higher concentrations of perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA), PFDoA and PFTeA. Effect size estimates showed that the significant correlations between PFASs and oxidative status markers were intermediate to strong. The non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity (including antioxidants of protein origin) was significantly lower in those birds having higher plasma concentration of linear perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOSlin). In contrast, the activity of the antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase in erythrocytes was not associated with any PFAS compounds. Our results suggest that increased oxidative stress might be one consequence of long-chain PFASexposure. Experimental work will be needed to demonstrate whether PFASs cause toxic effects on free-living vertebrates through increased oxidative stress.