ECOSPHERE, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020, Antwerp, Belgium.
Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium.
Environ Pollut. 2023 Oct 15;335:122304. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122304. Epub 2023 Aug 4.
For the past 7 decades, PFAS have been used in many different products and applications, which has led to a widespread contamination of these compounds. Nevertheless at present, little is known about the effects of these compounds on avian wildlife. Therefore, this study investigated associations between PFAS concentrations in the plasma and the oxidative status (i.e. non-enzymatic antioxidants and biomarkers of oxidative stress) in great tits at two sites near a fluorochemical manufacturing facility. Different PFAS were detected in the blood plasma with a mean ΣPFAS of 16062 pg/μL at the site closest to the facility. The PFAS profile in the plasma consisted mainly of PFOS, PFOA, PFDA and PFDoDA, where concentrations were higher for these compounds at the site closest to the plant. Our results show a clear link between PFAS and the antioxidant status of the birds; total antioxidant capacity and peroxidase activity were higher near the plant site, while the glutaredoxin activity was higher further away. Additionally, positive associations were found between PFDoDA and glutathione-S-transferase activity, between PFOS and glutathione-S-transferase activity, between PFDA and peroxidase activity, and between PFOS and peroxidase activity. Lastly, a negative association was found between plasma PFDA concentrations and the total polyphenol content. Interestingly, malondialdehyde levels did not differ between sites, suggesting lipid peroxidation was not affected. Although our results suggest that great tits with elevated PFAS concentrations did not suffer oxidative damage, the antioxidant defence responses were significantly triggered by PFAS exposure. This implies that the great tits have managed to defend themselves against the possible oxidative damage coming from PFAS contamination, although the upregulated antioxidant defences may have fitness costs. Further, experiments are needed to investigate the specific mechanisms by which PFAS induce oxidative stress in avian species.
在过去的 70 年中，PFAS 被广泛应用于许多不同的产品和应用中，这导致了这些化合物的广泛污染。尽管目前人们对这些化合物对鸟类野生动物的影响知之甚少。因此，本研究调查了在靠近氟化学制造设施的两个地点，血浆中 PFAS 浓度与大山雀氧化状态（即非酶抗氧化剂和氧化应激生物标志物）之间的关系。在离工厂最近的地点检测到血液血浆中的不同 PFAS，其平均ΣPFAS 为 16062 pg/μL。血浆中的 PFAS 谱主要由 PFOS、PFOA、PFDA 和 PFDoDA 组成，这些化合物在离工厂最近的地点浓度更高。我们的结果表明 PFAS 与鸟类的抗氧化状态之间存在明显的联系；靠近工厂的地方总抗氧化能力和过氧化物酶活性较高，而谷胱甘肽还原酶活性较高。此外，还发现 PFDoDA 与谷胱甘肽-S-转移酶活性之间、PFOS 与谷胱甘肽-S-转移酶活性之间、PFDA 与过氧化物酶活性之间以及 PFOS 与过氧化物酶活性之间存在正相关关系。最后，发现血浆 PFDA 浓度与总多酚含量之间存在负相关关系。有趣的是，两个地点的丙二醛水平没有差异，这表明脂质过氧化没有受到影响。尽管我们的结果表明，具有较高 PFAS 浓度的大山雀没有遭受氧化损伤，但 PFAS 暴露显著触发了抗氧化防御反应。这意味着大山雀已经设法抵御了可能来自 PFAS 污染的氧化损伤，尽管上调的抗氧化防御可能会带来适应度成本。此外，需要进行实验来研究 PFAS 如何在鸟类物种中诱导氧化应激的具体机制。
