Multiple-stressor effects in an apex predator: combined influence of pollutants and sea ice decline on lipid metabolism in polar bears.

ABSTRACT: There is growing evidence from experimental and human epidemiological studies that many pollutants can disrupt lipid metabolism. In Arctic wildlife, the occurrence of such compounds could have serious consequences for seasonal feeders. We set out to study whether organohalogenated compounds (OHCs) could cause disruption of energy metabolism in female polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from Svalbard, Norway (n = 112). We analyzed biomarkers of energy metabolism including the abundance profiles of nine lipid-related genes, fatty acid (FA) synthesis and elongation indices in adipose tissue, and concentrations of lipid-related variables in plasma (cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, triglycerides). Furthermore, the plasma metabolome and lipidome were characterized by low molecular weight metabol

SUBMITTER: Tartu S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5705648 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature