Toxicokinetics of selenium in the slider turtle Trachemys scripta

Selenium (Se) is an essential element that can be harmful for wildlife. However, its toxicity in poikilothermic amniotes, including turtles, remains poorly investigated. The present study aims at identifying selenium toxicokinetics and toxicity in juvenile slider turtles (age: 7 months), Trachemys scripta, dietary exposed to selenium, as selenomethionine SeMet, for eight weeks. Non-destructive tissues (i.e. carapace, scutes, skin and blood) were further tested for their suitability to predict selenium levels in target tissues (i.e. kidney, liver and muscle) From conservation perspective. 130 juvenile yellow-bellied slider turtles were assigned in three groups of 42 individuals each (i.e. control, SeMet1 and SeMet2). These groups were subjected to a feeding trial including an eight-week supplementation period SP8 and a following four-week elimination period EP4. During the SP8, turtles fed on diet containing 1.1 ± 0.04, 22.1 ± 1.0 and 45.0 ± 2.0 µg.g-1 of selenium (control, SeMet1 and SeMet2, respectively). During the EP4, turtles fed on non-supplemented diet. At different time during the trial, six individuals per group were sacrificed and tissues collected (i.e. carapace, scutes, skin, blood, liver, kidney, muscle) for analyses. During the SP8 (Figure 1), both SeMet1 and SeMet2 turtles efficiently accumulated selenium from a SeMet dietary source. The more selenium was concentrated in the food, the more it was in the turtle body but the less it was removed from their tissues. Moreover, SeMet was found to be the more abundant selenium species in turtles’ tissues. Body condition (i.e. growth in mass and size, feeding behaviour and activity) and survival of the SeMet1 and SeMet2 turtles seemed to be unaffected by the selenium exposure. There were clear evidences that reptilian species are differently affected by and sensitive to selenium exposure but the lack of any adverse effects was quite unexpected

Toxycodynamiques des polluants et des métaux traces chez Chelonia mydas et Eretmochelys imbricata

Toxicodynamic of pollutants in poikilotherm species (turtles

Toxicodynamic of pollutants and trace elements in sea turtles

Toxicodynamic of pollutants in poikilotherm species (turtles

Ecotoxicologie des Polluants Organiques et Inorganiques chez les Chéloniens. Evaluation du Rique pour les Tortues Marines

Marine turtles are oviparous vertebrates subdivided in seven existing species widespread in most of the oceans. They are suffering from human activities and especially from fishery by-catch, egg harvesting, adult poaching, degradation of their habitats, environmental pollution and climate change. While direct threats (e.g. fishery by-catch) are often less challenging to identify and predict, indirect threats associated with environmental pollution often induce more insidious effects that can take longer to manifest and be more significant and lasting. Understanding the marine turtle risks to pollutant exposure is critical because a) pollutants are persistent and ubiquitous in the environment, b) all the marine turtle species are listed on the Red List of Threatened Species by the IUCN and c) pollutants were indicated to adversely threaten the marine turtles’ survival, especially the developing individuals. Despite decades of investigations and evidences of significant pollutant threats, few data is still being available for marine turtles. The present study proposed to assess pollutant exposure in the green Chelonia mydas and hawksbill Eretmochelys imbricata marine turtles nesting in Guadeloupe (French West Indies FWI, Caribbean Sea). Trace elements (e.g. selenium, mercury and cadmium) and organohalogen pollutants OHP (e.g. polychlorobiphenyls PCBs and chlordecone) were determined in dermis collected from the nesting females and in their eggs. A broad range of pollutants was detected in these tissues among which chlordecone. This was quite interesting because of the past history of chlordecone in the FWI. Results suggested that the green and hawksbill marine turtles fed on contaminated foraging ground, accumulated chlordecone in their body and then transferred it into their eggs during the egg formation. Both Guadeloupean marine turtle species appeared less exposed to OHP and trace elements than other marine turtle populations, except for other green marine turtle colonies (i.e. trace elements). The developing embryo risks to pollutant exposure were evaluated as those for the Guadeloupean inhabitants that consume marine turtle eggs. Little threat may be expected for the Guadeloupean inhabitants while some pollutants may affect the marine turtle embryos’ survival of both species (i.e. p,p’-DDE, cadmium, mercury and selenium). The present study was not the first to arise concern about embryo risks to selenium exposure as suggested by previous reptilian studies including marine turtles. As part of the present study, the toxicokinetics and dynamics of selenium were thus approached under laboratory conditions by using the slider turtle Trachemys scripta as model candidate. Juvenile turtles dietary exposed to selenium effectively accumulated selenium in their tissues but appeared unaffected by the exposure. Indeed, their body condition and antioxidant system were unaffected over the feeding trial. This was unexpected since the dietary levels used in the present study were indicated to induce sublethal effects in birds and other reptilian species. Selenium toxicity was initiated by oxidative stress leading to unusual production of oxidant species such as reactive oxygenated species. Therefore, turtles could tolerate high selenium levels due to specific trait of life (e.g. ability to deal with oxygen introduction after anoxic conditions associated with hibernation and/or diving). It is challenging to transpose results obtained from laboratory animals exposed to controlled conditions to wild individuals exposed to many environmental factors, even if species are closely related. The development life-stage further greatly affects the sensitivity of individuals to pollutant exposure. Nevertheless, the green and hawksbill marine turtle embryos could also tolerate high selenium exposure. This would contradict the risk assessment conducted in the present study but would be possible considering the food habits of both marine turtle species. These species are feeding on seagrasses and sponges which may expose the marine turtles to natural toxic compounds. Consequently, they could have developed adaptive strategies to deal with toxics in response to pressure at their foraging ground. To date, more works are needed to better understand the metabolism of selenium in turtles as well as to properly determine toxic thresholds of selenium for marine turtles. Finally, nondestructive collection techniques were tested for their suitability in assessing the turtle exposure to pollutants in both field and laboratory conditions. Keratinized tissues (i.e. carapace and skin) were proposed as promising tools and should warrant further investigations in researches aiming at the conservation of marine turtles. The present study provides several firsts such as the first baseline levels of a) pollutants in green and hawksbill marine turtles nesting in an area not investigated yet (i.e. Guadeloupe), b) OHP in the marine turtle dermis, c) OHP in hawksbill turtle eggs and d) chlordecone in marine turtle tissues. The first toxicological data on e) selenium kinetics and dynamics were further provided in turtles

Toxicokinetics of selenium in Chelonians: trophic exposure in Trachemys scripta scripta

peer reviewedBackground. Se is primordial for all development stages in oviparous species but can induce cellular damages (e.g. oxidative stress, histopathotoxicity) , embryo- and immunotoxicity (Usdi 1998; Hoffman 2002) , even at low concentration. Unlike birds and fishes, little is currently known on Se toxicology in reptiles, such as turtles. Most studies reported tissue burdens from field-captured or death animals but rarely provided an understanding of the dose, duration or pathway of exposure. Our present study aims to investigate toxicokinetic of Se through an in vivo and per os exposure of the yellow-bellied slider turtle Trachemys scripta scripta. Furthermore relationship between Se concentration in internal tissues (liver, kidney, muscle ) and external tissues (carapace, skin, blood) will evaluate usefulness of these last in the framework of non-invasive sampling in protected turtle species. Methodology. 160 yellow-bellied slider turtles, around four weeks old, were acquired in September 2010 and placed by pair in individual tank for a six-month acclimatization period. Lengths, as straight carapace length SCL, ranged from 1.7 to 6.4 cm. Three groups of 42 individuals each were designed. The feeding trial consisted in an eight-week supplementation period followed by a four-week depuration period. At some intervals during that time scale, six individuals per group were sacrificed and tissues were collected (carapace, scutes, skin, blood, liver, kidney, muscle) for selenium analysis. During the supplementation period, turtles were fed with diet containing 0 (control) , 23 or 47 µg.g-1 of selenium as seleno-L-methionine. During the depuration period, the remaining individuals were fed with non-supplemented control diet. Total selenium was investigated by ICPMS. Results and discussion. The Se-concentration in all collected tissues increased in a dose-dependent way over the course of the supplementation period. Se accumulation had no effect on survival, diet behavior or growth. Higher Se levels were observed in kidney, followed by muscle and blood. During the recovery period, Se levels decreased in tissues in a significantway except in blood, muscle and carapace. Blood, skin and carapace Se levels were positively correlated to those in kidney and muscle. Such relationships were also observed between liver and carapace, and blood. Results suggested a Se transfer through the food intake and the potential use of carapace and skin as relevant tools in non-invasive biomonitoring studies

Development of an analytical strategy to measure major selenium-containing species in juvenile turtles (Trachemys scripta scripta) by SAX-HPLC-ICP MS

Sea turtles are exposed to many environmental elements such as selenium (Se). Sea turtles are listed under the Red List of threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It is thus mandatory to use low-invasive tissue collection (skin, carapace, blood ) for estimating Se exposure in these highly protected turtles. For this purpose, a biological modal Trachemys scripta scripta (or slider turtle) was selected. For two months, juvenile turtles were dietary exposed to Se by spiking the food with Selenomethionine (SeMet) or Methionine as control groups. Individuals were sacrificed after different time of exposure and tissues (skin, liver, muscle, carapace and blood) collected to perform Se speciation and determine some biological endpoints. An analytical strategy was developed to cope with the very low amount of available sample. It is briefly consisting by reduction, alkylation and proteolysis of the entire freeze-dried tissues followed by sample clean-up using ultra-filtration membrane. Then anion exchange HPLC using salt and pH gradient was developed to prevent the introduction of organic solvents, which cause severe fooling of ICP MS and avoid ultra-trace analyses of sea water in routine analysis. This method successfully achieved the detection and quantification at ppm level of expected species (i.e SeMet, selenocysteine, inorganic Se) and also unknown species but their relative amounts were time and tissues dependent

Exposition aux polluants organochlorés chez Chelonia mydas (Antilles françaises)

Toxicodynamique des polluants chez les amniotes sauropsidés (chéloniens

Do persistent organic pollutants represent a threat to marine turtles, Chelonia mydas and Eretmochelys imbricata, nesting in Guadeloupe (Lesser Antilles)?

Ecotoxicology of pollutants and trace elements in chelonian