Fin Whale as a Sink of Legacy and Emerging Contaminants: First Integrated Chemical Exposomics and Gene Expression Analysis in Cetaceans.

ABSTRACT: 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 (Balaenoptera physalus) 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 heterogene

SUBMITTER: Fossi MC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12177919 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature