title: Lipophilicity of PCBs and fatty acids determines their mobilisation from blubber of weaned northern elephant seal pups.
abstract: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) exhibit lipophilic properties that lead to their bioaccumulation in adipose tissue. Following PCB exposition, northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) concentrate high amounts of these pollutants in their large adipose tissue stores. During lipolytic periods such as the post-weaning fast, fatty acids (FAs), which form triglycerides, and PCBs are both mobilised from adipose tissue. Our results showed that the degree of lipophilicity of FAs and PCBs impacted their release: the more lipophilic FAs and PCBs tended to be more conserved in blubber over the fast than the less lipophilic ones. This led to an enrichment of more lipophilic compounds within adipocytes with the progression of the fast. Life history patterns that include fasting may thus influence the profile of blubber lipids and contaminants.
authors.affiliation: Institut des Sciences de la Vie, UCLouvain, Croix du Sud 2/L7.05.08, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. Electronic address: caroline.louis@uclouvain.be.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Louis
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Toxicological Center, Campus Drie Eiken, Universiteit Antwerpen, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium.
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Covaci
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Sonoma State University, 1801 East Cotati Ave, Rohnert Park, CA 94928, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Crocker
authors.affiliation: Institut des Sciences de la Vie, UCLouvain, Croix du Sud 2/L7.05.08, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
authors.forename: Cathy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Debier
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000378:metabolism*; D046048:Seals, Earless / Q000378:metabolism*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls
keywords: Adipose tissue; Fatty acids; Lipolysis; Polychlorinated biphenyls