title: Cadmium and mercury accumulation in European hare (Lepus europaeus): age-dependent relationships in renal and hepatic tissue.
abstract: A total of 63 European hares have been collected from five Serbian agricultural regions. The hares assayed were divided into four age groups (3-6 months, 12 months, 12-24 months, and 24-36 months) and investigated upon presence at cadmium (Cd) and mercury (Hg) in the kidney and liver. The positive significant correlation (Ps-Pearson's coefficient) between Cd concentrations in the kidney and liver within age group the 3-6 months was found (Ps = 0.81, p < 0.001). Differences between Cd content in the kidney in comparison to liver were significant within all presented age groups (p < 0.001). Differences between recorded Hg levels in the kidney were not significant between presented age groups (p > 0.05). Statistically significant differences were registered between Hg content in the liver of the hares aged 24-36 and 12 months (p < 0.05). There were no statistically significant correlations registered between Hg concentrations in the kidney and liver within any particular age group (p > 0.05). The strong statistically significant associations were registered between Cd and Hg content in the liver (Cd L/Hg L) in the age group 3-6 and 12-24 months (Cd L/Hg L, Ps = 0.94; p < 0.001 and Ps = 0.91; p < 0.001, respectively). The polynomial regression model used for graphing the observed data seems to be a method for modeling the relationship between measured Cd and Hg concentrations in the liver and kidney as first approximation for bioaccumulation in hares.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology, Kacanskog 13, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia, zoran@inmesbgd.com.
authors.forename: Zoran
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Petrović
authors.forename: Vlado
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Teodorović
authors.forename: Spomenka
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Djurić
authors.forename: Dragan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Milićević
authors.forename: Danijela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vranić
authors.forename: Mirjana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lukić
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D002104:Cadmium / Q000737:chemistry*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D034621:Hares; D007668:Kidney / Q000737:chemistry*; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry*; D008297:Male; D008628:Mercury / Q000737:chemistry*; D055771:Serbia
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D002104:Cadmium; D008628:Mercury