Metal(loid) exposure assessment and biomarker responses in captive and free-ranging European brown bear (Ursus arctos)

• Published in: Environmental Research
• Main Authors: Lazarus, Maja, Orct, Tatjana, Sergiel, Agnieszka, Vranković, Lana, Filipović Marijić, Vlatka, Rašić, Dubravka, Reljić, Slaven, Aladrović, Jasna, Zwijacz-Kozica, Tomasz, Zięba, Filip, Jurasović, Jasna, Erk, Marijana, Maślak, Robert, Selva, Nuria, Huber, Đuro
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Zenodo 2020
• Subjects: Blood; Hair; Terrestrial mammal; Oxidative stress; Elements; Ursus arctos
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2020.109166

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. Financing for this research included the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Croatia through Institutional Funding, the European Commission under the "HUNT" project of the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (grant no. 212160), "LIFE DINALP BEAR" project (grant No. LIFE13 NAT/SI/ 000550), the Research Council of Norway under the project "The role of natural resources in sustainable rural livelihoods in the western Balkans. The distribution and flow of costs and benefits" (application No. ES459363), EuroNatur (grant no. HR-17-500-08), Bernd Thies Foundation and annual grants from Plitvice Lakes National ...