Abstract
High levels of organochlorine contaminants (OCs) have been found in arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) from Lake Ellasjøen, Bjørnøya (Norwegian Arctic). The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential genotoxic effect of environmental organochlorine contaminant exposure in arctic char from Ellasjøen compared with arctic char from the low-contaminated Lake Laksvatn nearby. Blood was analyzed using agarose gel electrophoresis and image data analysis to quantify the fraction of total DNA that migrated into the gel (DNA-FTM) as a relative measure of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). Analysis by GC-MS of muscle samples showed an average 43 times higher concentration of ΣOCs in arctic char from Ellasjøen (n = 18) compared with Laksvatn char (n = 21). Char from Lake Ellasjøen had a much higher frequency of DSBs, as measured by DNA-FTM, than char from Lake Laksvatn. Principal component analysis and multiple linear regressions show that there was a significant positive relationship between DSBs and levels of organochlorine contaminants in the char. In addition, DSBs were less frequent in reproductively mature char than in immature char. The results suggest that organochlorine contaminants are genotoxic to arctic char. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019;38:2405-2413. © 2019 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of SETAC.
Highlights
Freshwater fish from certain Arctic locations have been reported to contain high levels of organochlorine contaminants (OCs), with Σpolychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) higher than 1000 ng g−1 lipid weight in some cases (Evenset et al 2004; Christensen and Evenset 2011; Bytingsvik et al 2015)
A higher level of double‐strand breaks (DSBs) was found in char from the high‐contaminated Lake Ellasjøen compared with the reference lake, Laksvatn (Mann‐ Whitney U, p < 0.001; Figure 1A)
Individuals of similar age were significantly heavier in Lake Laksvatn than in Lake Ellasjøen
Summary
Freshwater fish from certain Arctic locations have been reported to contain high levels of organochlorine contaminants (OCs), with Σpolychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) higher than 1000 ng g−1 lipid weight in some cases (Evenset et al 2004; Christensen and Evenset 2011; Bytingsvik et al 2015). Compared with avian and mammalian top not that well studied, there are reports showing a clear and significant relationship between DNA damage and exposure to organochlorine contaminants (Binelli et al 2008; Marabini et al 2011; Fenstad et al 2014, 2016). Genotoxic effects of chemical exposure are of great concern because alteration in the genetic material may have severe consequences for individuals and populations (Friedberg et al 2006; Brown et al 2009; Bickham 2011). Accumulation of DNA damage and mutations may lead to neurodegenerative diseases, accelerate the aging process, and have negative effects on reproduction wileyonlinelibrary.com/ETC
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