Institut National de Recherche Scientifique - Institut Armand-Frappier, 531 boulevard des Prairies, Laval, Quebec H7V 1B7, Canada.
Toxicology. 2010 Apr 11;270(2-3):66-76. doi: 10.1016/j.tox.2010.01.014. Epub 2010 Jan 29.
Although, heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been reported at high levels in marine mammals, little is known about the toxic effects of some of these contaminants. In this study, we assessed the immunotoxic and genotoxic effects of seven heavy metals (arsenic, vanadium, selenium, iron, zinc, silver and chromium) and one PAH (benzo[a]pyrene or B[a]P) on a lymphoma B cell line from harbour seal (Phoca vitulina). A significant reduction in lymphocyte proliferation was registered following an exposure to 0.05 microM of B[a]P, 5 microM of arsenic or selenium, 50 microM of vanadium, 100 microM of silver and 200 microM of iron. On the contrary, zinc increased the lymphoproliferative response at 200 microM. Decreased phagocytosis was observed at 20 microM of arsenic, 50 microM of B[a]P or selenium, 200 microM of zinc and 500 microM of vanadium. Micronuclei induction occurred with 0.2 microM of B[a]P, 100 microM of vanadium and with 200muM of arsenic or selenium. Exposure to 50muM of arsenic decreased G(2)/M phase of the cell cycle. Chromium did not induce any effects at the concentrations tested. Concentrations of heavy metals (except silver and vanadium) and B[a]P inducing an toxic effect are within the environmental ranges reported in the blood tissue of pinnipeds. The reduction of some functional activities of the harbour seal immune system may cause a significant weakness capable of altering host resistance to disease in free-ranging pinnipeds.
尽管海洋哺乳动物体内的重金属和多环芳烃（PAHs）含量已经很高，但对于其中一些污染物的毒性影响却知之甚少。在本研究中，我们评估了七种重金属（砷、钒、硒、铁、锌、银和铬）和一种多环芳烃（苯并[a]芘或 B[a]P）对海豹淋巴瘤 B 细胞系的免疫毒性和遗传毒性。暴露于 0.05 μM 的 B[a]P、5 μM 的砷或硒、50 μM 的钒、100 μM 的银和 200 μM 的铁后，淋巴细胞增殖明显减少。相反，锌在 200 μM 时增加了淋巴细胞增殖反应。在 20 μM 的砷、50 μM 的 B[a]P 或硒、200 μM 的锌和 500 μM 的钒时，吞噬作用下降。微核诱导发生在 0.2 μM 的 B[a]P、100 μM 的钒和 200 μM 的砷或硒时。暴露于 50 μM 的砷降低了细胞周期的 G2/M 期。在测试的浓度下，铬没有引起任何影响。引起毒性作用的重金属（银和钒除外）和 B[a]P 的浓度在鳍足类动物血液组织中报告的环境范围内。海豹免疫系统的一些功能活动的减少可能导致显著的虚弱，从而改变自由放养鳍足类动物对疾病的抵抗力。
