Fossi Maria Cristina, Limonta Giacomo, Baini Matteo, Urban R Jorge, Athanassiadis Ioannis, Martin Jonathan W, Papazian Stefano, Rosso Massimiliano, Panti Cristina
Department of Physical Sciences, Earth and Environment, University of Siena, Siena 53100, Italy.
National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo 90133, Italy.
Environ Sci Technol. 2025 Jun 17;59(23):11477-11492. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.5c00844. Epub 2025 Jun 2.
Cetaceans face numerous anthropogenic chemical stressors in global oceans, yet there is a lack of studies that simultaneously assess their cumulative exposure to both legacy and emerging contaminants and their combined effects. To evaluate the susceptibility of fin whale () to chemical pollution, this study employed for the first time a multidiagnostic molecular approach that integrates chemical exposomics and gene expression analysis in live-sampled skin and blubber biopsies from two distinct populations: the endangered Mediterranean subpopulation (Italy) and the vulnerable population from the Sea of Cortez (Mexico). Both marine regions are biodiversity hotspots characterized by different anthropogenic impacts, making them ideal for the assessment of heterogeneous contaminants exposure and their effects. Results revealed distinct exposure profiles in the two populations, with Mediterranean fin whales exhibiting higher concentrations of legacy pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), as well as plasticizers, perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), while both populations showed traces of pharmaceuticals and lifestyle-related chemicals (e.g., paracetamol, diclofenac, nicotine, UV filters) and other substances not previously reported in whales. Supported by 32 network correlations with gene expression relevant to transcriptional regulation, endocrine disruption, lipid homeostasis, and inflammation, our findings suggest that complex anthropogenic chemical exposures may compromise the health and reproductive viability of the endangered Mediterranean fin whales, affirming their importance as a global sentinel species, which reflects marine ecosystem integrity within the "One Health" framework.
鲸类在全球海洋中面临着众多人为化学应激源，但缺乏同时评估它们对传统污染物和新兴污染物的累积暴露及其综合影响的研究。为了评估长须鲸（）对化学污染的易感性，本研究首次采用了一种多诊断分子方法，该方法将化学暴露组学和基因表达分析整合到来自两个不同种群的活体采样皮肤和鲸脂活检样本中：濒危的地中海亚种群（意大利）和科尔特斯海（墨西哥）的脆弱种群。这两个海洋区域都是生物多样性热点地区，具有不同的人为影响特征，使其成为评估异质污染物暴露及其影响的理想区域。结果显示，两个种群的暴露情况各不相同，地中海长须鲸体内的多氯联苯（PCBs）等传统污染物以及增塑剂、全氟烷基物质（PFAS）浓度较高，而两个种群都检测到了痕量药物和与生活方式相关的化学物质（如对乙酰氨基酚、双氯芬酸、尼古丁、紫外线过滤器）以及其他此前未在鲸鱼体内报道过的物质。在与转录调控、内分泌干扰、脂质稳态和炎症相关的基因表达的32个网络相关性的支持下，我们的研究结果表明，复杂的人为化学暴露可能会损害濒危地中海长须鲸的健康和繁殖能力，证实了它们作为全球哨兵物种的重要性，这反映了“同一健康”框架内的海洋生态系统完整性。
