Evaluation of fatty acids and carnitine as biomarkers of PFOS exposure in biota (fish and dolphin) from Galveston Bay and the northwestern Gulf of Mexico.

Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol

Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, 200 Seawolf Parkway, Galveston, TX 77553, USA; Department of Oceanography, Texas A&M University, 3146 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, USA; Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology, Texas A&M University, 3146 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, USA.

Published: February 2024

AI Article Synopsis

  • PFOS is a common pollutant that poses various toxic risks to marine life, especially in urban and industrial coastal areas.
  • This study examined the relationship between PFOS exposure and levels of l-carnitine and fatty acids in fish and dolphins from Galveston Bay and the northern Gulf of Mexico, finding higher PFOS levels in these organisms.
  • Results indicated that l-carnitine is a more effective biomarker for PFOS exposure than fatty acids, as significant correlations between PFOS levels and carnitine were observed, which could indicate possible health issues like dyslipidemia.

Article Abstract

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) is a ubiquitous pollutant that elicits a wide range of toxic effects in exposed biota. Coastal zones in highly urbanized or industrial areas are particularly vulnerable to PFOS pollution. At present, information is lacking on biomarkers to assess PFOS effects on aquatic wildlife. This study investigated the efficacy of l-carnitine (or carnitine) and fatty acids as biomarkers of PFOS exposure in aquatic biota. The levels of PFOS, total and free carnitine, and 24 fatty acids (measured as fatty acid methyl esters or FAMEs) were measured in the liver, and muscle or blubber, of fish and dolphins sampled from Galveston Bay and the northern Gulf of Mexico (nGoM). Overall, bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) had the highest hepatic PFOS levels. Galveston Bay fish, gafftopsail catfish (Bagre marinus), red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), and spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus), had hepatic PFOS levels ∼8-13× higher than nGoM pelagic fish species, red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) and yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares). The multivariate analysis of PFOS liver body-burdens and biomarkers found carnitine to be a more modal biomarker of PFOS exposure than FAMEs. Significant positive correlation of hepatic PFOS levels with total carnitine was evident for biota from Galveston Bay (fish only), and a significant correlation between PFOS and total and free carnitine was evident for biota from the nGoM (fish and dolphins). Given the essential role of carnitine in mediating fatty acid β-oxidation, our results suggest carnitine to be a likely candidate biomarker of environmental PFOS exposure and indicative of potential dyslipidemia effects.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpc.2023.109817DOI Listing

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