Xie Zhenhui, Zhang Xiyang, Xie Yanqing, Wu Jiaxue, Wu Yuping
School of Marine Sciences, Zhuhai Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresources and Environment, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, Pearl River Estuary Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-Sen University. Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai 519082, China.
School of Marine Sciences, Zhuhai Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresources and Environment, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, Pearl River Estuary Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-Sen University. Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai 519082, China.
J Hazard Mater. 2023 Jan 5;441:129939. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129939. Epub 2022 Sep 7.
Phthalate esters (PAEs) are ubiquitous environmental contaminants, arising growing public concern. Nevertheless, information on the exposure and risks of PAEs in wildlife remains limited. Here, we conducted the first investigation of the occurrences, spatiotemporal trends, and potential risks of twelve metabolites of PAEs (mPAEs) in 74 humpback dolphins from the northern South China Sea during 2005-2020. All twelve mPAEs (∑mPAEs: 9.6-810.7 ng g wet weight) were detected in the dolphin liver, and seven major mPAEs showed increasing trends during the study period, indicating high PAE contamination in the coastal environment of South China. Monoethylhexyl phthalate accounted for over half of the ∑mPAE concentrations. The accumulation of mPAEs in the dolphins was neither age-dependent nor sex-specific. Compared to parent PAEs, mPAEs generally induced higher agonistic effects on the dolphin peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha/gamma (PPARA/G) as master regulators of lipid homeostasis. Although short-term in vitro assays revealed no significant activation of dolphin PPARA/G by tissue-relevant doses of mPAEs, long-term in vivo evidence (i.e., correlations between hepatic mPAEs and blubber fatty acids) suggested that chronic exposure to mPAEs might have impacted lipid metabolism in the dolphin. This study highlighted the potential health risks of PAE exposure on marine mammals.
邻苯二甲酸酯（PAEs）是普遍存在的环境污染物，日益引起公众关注。然而，关于野生动物体内PAEs的暴露情况和风险的信息仍然有限。在此，我们首次对2005年至2020年期间南海北部74头中华白海豚体内12种PAEs代谢物（mPAEs）的存在情况、时空趋势及潜在风险进行了调查。在海豚肝脏中检测到了所有12种mPAEs（∑mPAEs：9.6 - 810.7 ng/g湿重），并且在研究期间7种主要mPAEs呈上升趋势，表明中国南方沿海环境中PAE污染严重。邻苯二甲酸单乙基己酯占∑mPAE浓度的一半以上。mPAEs在海豚体内的积累既不依赖年龄也无性别特异性。与母体PAEs相比，mPAEs通常对作为脂质稳态主要调节因子的海豚过氧化物酶体增殖物激活受体α/γ（PPARA/G）产生更高的激动作用。虽然短期体外试验显示与组织相关剂量的mPAEs未显著激活海豚PPARA/G，但长期体内证据（即肝脏mPAEs与鲸脂脂肪酸之间的相关性）表明，长期暴露于mPAEs可能影响了海豚的脂质代谢。本研究突出了PAE暴露对海洋哺乳动物的潜在健康风险。
