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Marinković D, Relić R, Lakić N, Aničić M, Beuković D, Davidović V, Lavadinović V, Popović Z. Influence of age, habitat elevation, and distance to a thermal power plant on pathomorphological findings in the European brown hare ( Lepuseuropaeus P.). Vet Q 2023; 43:1-10. [PMID: 37869876 PMCID: PMC11003476 DOI: 10.1080/01652176.2023.2273887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The lifespan of the European hare (Lepus europaeus P.) is affected by a number of negative factors, including pollutants. In this paper, the individual and joint influence of age and habitat (elevation and distance from the thermal power plant - TPP) on pathomorphological findings of hares shot during three hunting seasons was investigated. Pathomorphological changes were found in 95.12% of hares. In hares up to 1 year of age, the changes were predominant in the lungs, and in older hares, in the kidneys. Degenerative changes in kidneys and liver and inflammatory changes in kidneys and lungs were considered important most in discussing the influence of chemical pollution. The proximity of TPP influenced the type of changes in the liver. A significant joint effect of age and elevation on the type of changes in the lungs of adult hares and on the heart of young hares was found. Elevation and distance from TPP had a joint effect on the occurrence of changes in the lungs, intestines, and heart in hares from the field farther from TPP. The results indicate that the hares were highly exposed to chemical pollutants that may affect their immunity, and lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darko Marinković
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Renata Relić
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Nada Lakić
- Department of Statistics, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Milan Aničić
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Dejan Beuković
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Vesna Davidović
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Vukan Lavadinović
- Laboratory for Hunting and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Forestry, University of Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Zoran Popović
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, Serbia
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García-Muñoz J, Cacciola NA, Plazzi F, Prado Míguez-Santiyán M, Rodríguez FS, López-Beceiro A, Fidalgo LE, Martínez-Morcillo S, Pérez-López M. Metal and metalloid concentrations in wild mammals from SW Europe: European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) and badger (Meles meles). ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:118855-118870. [PMID: 37922086 PMCID: PMC10697895 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-30615-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/05/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, there have been increasing ecological and global concerns associated to Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs). Thus, the relevance of wild mammals as biomonitors has been globally recognised. In the present study, Cd, Pb, Hg, Zn and As concentrations were quantified in European hedgehog and badger inhabiting SW Europe, and cumulative trends in relation to age and sex were evaluated. Liver and kidney samples were collected, mineralised and PTE content was determined by ICP-MS. Zn was the most abundant element quantified in both organs (239 and 89.8 mg kg-1 for hedgehogs and 179 and 164 mg kg-1 dw for badgers). In hedgehogs, very high Hg concentration were quantified (4.35 and 15.5 mg kg-1 dw in liver and kidney), and Cd was the most abundant for badgers (4.70 and 7.61 mg kg-1 dw in liver and kidney). Positive correlations were observed for the concentrations of PTE in the organs of both species. Age-dependence increased only Cd concentration, with levels in adult kidneys being significantly higher. In this study, European hedgehog and badger were used as biomonitors for the determination of PTEs to provide current reference values in relatively non-polluted areas of SW Europe, and to enhance the use of these species for future ecotoxicological studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier García-Muñoz
- Toxicology Area, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (Universidad de Extremadura), 10003, Cáceres, Spain.
| | - Nunzio Antonio Cacciola
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, Via F. Delpino 1, 80137, Naples, Italy
| | - Federico Plazzi
- Department of Biologia Evoluzionistica Sperimentale, University of Bologna, Via Selmi 3, 40126, Bologna, Italy
| | | | | | - Ana López-Beceiro
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (USC), 27003, Lugo, Spain
| | - Luis Eusebio Fidalgo
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (USC), 27003, Lugo, Spain
| | - Salomé Martínez-Morcillo
- Toxicology Area, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (Universidad de Extremadura), 10003, Cáceres, Spain
| | - Marcos Pérez-López
- Toxicology Area, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (Universidad de Extremadura), 10003, Cáceres, Spain
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Lazarus M, Orct T, Sekovanić A, Skoko B, Petrinec B, Zgorelec Ž, Kisić I, Prevendar Crnić A, Jurasović J, Srebočan E. Spatio-temporal monitoring of mercury and other stable metal(loid)s and radionuclides in a Croatian terrestrial ecosystem around a natural gas treatment plant. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2022; 194:481. [PMID: 35668141 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-022-10140-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The natural gas industry bears a certain contamination risk to human and biota due to, among others, mercury, arsenic, and naturally occurring radioactive material content in gas. We tracked multiple stabile metal(loid)s and radionuclides within the natural gas treatment plant Molve, Croatia, ecosystem during the last decade through a comprehensive monitoring of soil, earthworms, moss, livestock (blood, milk, hair, urine, and feces from cows), and wildlife animals (brain, muscle, liver, and kidney of European hare and pheasant). The level of mercury and other stable metal(loid)s has shown temporal variation, but without an obvious trend. The found spatial differences in soil and earthworms were based on the differing soil characteristics of the sampled locations and exceeded the maximal allowable concentration of arsenic and zinc for agricultural soil. The status of essential copper, selenium, and zinc in cows, hares, and pheasants inclined towards deficiency. The measured stable metal(loid) levels in soil and animal samples were generally in the same range of values reported in earlier decades from the same area or non-polluted areas across Europe. The consumption of local cow and game products (e.g., milk, meat) can be considered safe for human health, although game offal is advised to be avoided as a food item due to the low risk of lead and cadmium's adverse effects. Although the activity concentrations of some radionuclides in moss were higher than reported for pristine areas, transfer from soil to moss was assessed as average (except for lead-210). Radiological risk to human and biota around the gas treatment plant Molve was estimated as negligible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maja Lazarus
- Analytical Toxicology and Mineral Metabolism Unit, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska c. 2, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia.
| | - Tatjana Orct
- Analytical Toxicology and Mineral Metabolism Unit, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska c. 2, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Ankica Sekovanić
- Radiation Protection Unit, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska c. 2, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Božena Skoko
- Radiation Protection Unit, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska c. 2, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Branko Petrinec
- Radiation Protection Unit, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska c. 2, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Željka Zgorelec
- Department of General Agronomy, Division of Agroecology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, Svetošimunska cesta 25, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Ivica Kisić
- Department of General Agronomy, Division of Agroecology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, Svetošimunska cesta 25, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Andreja Prevendar Crnić
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Heinzelova 55, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Jasna Jurasović
- Analytical Toxicology and Mineral Metabolism Unit, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska c. 2, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Emil Srebočan
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Heinzelova 55, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia
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Kalisinska E, Lanocha-Arendarczyk N, Podlasinska J. Current and historical nephric and hepatic mercury concentrations in terrestrial mammals in Poland and other European countries. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 775:145808. [PMID: 33621879 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2020] [Revised: 02/06/2021] [Accepted: 02/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The long-term anthropogenic release of mercury (Hg) into the environment has led to contamination of the biosphere, with all forms of Hg showing toxic effects and the ability to accumulate in organisms. Since the 1970s, efforts have been made in Western Europe to reduce Hg emissions and for the economic use of Hg, leading to a reduction in Hg exposure to humans and entire ecosystems. The purpose of this research was to present the total mercury (THg) burden in three mustelids (the piscivorous Eurasian otter and American mink, and the invertebrativorous European badger) inhabiting north-western Poland (mostly floodplains) and other European countries (literature data). Moreover, we wanted to investigate whether reductions in the environmental Hg burden in Europe have resulted in reductions in liver and kidney levels in wild terrestrial mammals (Eurasian otter, wild boar, red deer, roe deer, cervids, leporids, rodents, and ecotrophic groups: piscivorous mustelids, non-mustelids whose diets include aquatic prey, canids and other carnivores, omnivores, herbivores), between samples collected before and after 2000. We revealed significantly higher nephric THg levels in roadkilled than in trapped American minks. As roadkilled piscivorous mustelids from the same floodplain had similar hepatic and nephric THg concentrations, we suggest that the European research on Hg ecotoxicology should more often use alien American mink instead of the protected Eurasian otter. Badgers inhabiting Polish and other European floodplains bioaccumulated higher amounts of THg than those from other areas, and as such, may be recommended as bioindicator of mercury soil contamination. Our analysis of abundant data on mammalian hepatic and nephric THg concentrations (excluding non-piscivores mustelids) showed that in 12 of 21 cases, Hg concentrations had dropped significantly since 2000. This data signals a reduction in Hg contamination in terrestrial mammals, such as the Eurasian otter, and may be reason for cautious optimism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elżbieta Kalisinska
- Department of Biology and Medical Parasitology, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Powstancow Wielkopolskich 72, 70-111 Szczecin, Poland.
| | - Natalia Lanocha-Arendarczyk
- Department of Biology and Medical Parasitology, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Powstancow Wielkopolskich 72, 70-111 Szczecin, Poland
| | - Joanna Podlasinska
- Department of Environmental Management, West Pomeranian University of Technology, Szczecin, Poland
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Wajdzik M, Halecki W, Kalarus K, Gąsiorek M, Pająk M. Relationship between heavy metal accumulation and morphometric parameters in European hare (Lepus europaeus) inhabiting various types of landscapes in southern Poland. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2017; 145:16-23. [PMID: 28692911 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2017.06.070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2017] [Revised: 06/26/2017] [Accepted: 06/28/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
To evaluate the influence of hazardous substances in the environment, studies of pollutant accumulation in wild living animals are needed. Studies dealing with heavy metal contamination in mammals usually focus on a single organ. We investigated accumulation of heavy metals as well as iron in European hare (Lepus europaeus) living in southern Poland, Małopolska Province. Hares were captured during the hunting season. We tested metal accumulation in 14 organs and tissues using 35 individuals with known body weight and sex inhabiting agricultural, industrial and other types of landscapes. To obtain deeper insight into contamination patterns, we used accumulation data from the liver since it is the most frequently investigated organ and prone to pollution accumulation. Based on the data obtained for the liver, we tested the impact of metal pollution on hare morphology, including body length and several skull cranimetric parameters. Metals content differed between organs. Moreover, individuals from industrial areas had higher Cd content in their body. We distinguished two groups of elements: the first group, Cd, Fe and Zn, revealed the highest toxic effect in the liver and kidneys; the second group, Cr, Ni, and Pb, accumulated primarily in the brain. Hares inhabiting industrial areas had higher concentration of Cd and Pb, and lower levels of Cr and Fe in their liver in comparison with those from agricultural and forest habitats. Heavy metals had an effect on body length that was negatively associated with Cr levels. Skull diastema length was associated positively with accumulation of Cd and Pb. We showed that hare organs and tissues could be used as bioindicators of environmental pollution by heavy metals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marek Wajdzik
- Department of Forest Biodiversity, University of Agriculture, Al. 29-Listopada 46, 31-425 Kraków, Poland
| | - Wiktor Halecki
- Department of Land Reclamation and Environmental Development, University of Agriculture, Al. Mickiewicza 24/28, 30-059 Kraków, Poland.
| | | | - Michał Gąsiorek
- Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection, University of Agriculture, Al. Mickiewicza 21, 31-120 Kraków, Poland
| | - Marek Pająk
- Department of Forest Ecology and Reclamation, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Al. 29 Listopada 46, 31-425 Kraków, Poland
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Bridges CC, Zalups RK. The aging kidney and the nephrotoxic effects of mercury. JOURNAL OF TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. PART B, CRITICAL REVIEWS 2017; 20:55-80. [PMID: 28339347 PMCID: PMC6088787 DOI: 10.1080/10937404.2016.1243501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Owing to advances in modern medicine, life expectancies are lengthening and leading to an increase in the population of older individuals. The aging process leads to significant alterations in many organ systems, with the kidney being particularly susceptible to age-related changes. Within the kidney, aging leads to ultrastructural changes such as glomerular and tubular hypertrophy, glomerulosclerosis, and tubulointerstitial fibrosis, which may compromise renal plasma flow (RPF) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR). These alterations may reduce the functional reserve of the kidneys, making them more susceptible to pathological events when challenged or stressed, such as following exposure to nephrotoxicants. An important and prevalent environmental toxicant that induces nephrotoxic effects is mercury (Hg). Since exposure of normal kidneys to mercuric ions might induce glomerular and tubular injury, aged kidneys, which may not be functioning at full capacity, may be more sensitive to the effects of Hg than normal kidneys. Age-related renal changes and the effects of Hg in the kidney have been characterized separately. However, little is known regarding the influence of nephrotoxicants, such as Hg, on aged kidneys. The purpose of this review was to summarize known findings related to exposure of aged and diseased kidneys to the environmentally relevant nephrotoxicant Hg.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christy C Bridges
- a Mercer University School of Medicine , Division of Basic Medical Sciences , Macon , Georgia , USA
| | - Rudolfs K Zalups
- a Mercer University School of Medicine , Division of Basic Medical Sciences , Macon , Georgia , USA
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