title: Hg and Se exposure in brain tissues of striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) and bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) from the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic Seas.
abstract: In this study we analyzed Hg and Se concentrations in dolphin brain tissues of fifteen specimens of striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) and eight specimens of bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) stranded in the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic Seas, in order to assess the toxicological risks associated with Hg exposure. High Hg concentrations were found in brain tissues of both analyzed specie (1.86-243 mg/kg dw for striped dolphin and 2.1-98.7 mg/kg dw for bottlenose dolphin), exceeding levels associated with marine mammals neurotoxicity. Althougth the results clearly suggest that the protective effects of Se against Hg toxicity occur in cetaceans' brain tissues, a molar excess of mercury with respect to selenium was found, particularly in adult specimens of Stenella coeruleoalba. On contrary, negligible neurotoxicological risks were found for Tursiops truncatus specimens, due to detoxification processes. Data obtained allowed to prove a more marked neurotoxicological risk for adult specimens of Stenella coeruleoalba in both Tyrrhenian and Adriatic Seas.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e del Mare (DiSTeM), Università degli Studi di Palermo, CoNISMa -Palermo, Via Archirafi, 26, 90123, Palermo, Italy. antonio.bellante@unipa.it.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bellante
authors.affiliation: CNR-Istituto per l'Ambiente Marino Costiero, Via del Mare 3, Capo Granitola, Campobello di Mazara, TP, 91021, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: D'Agostino
authors.affiliation: CNR-Istituto per l'Ambiente Marino Costiero, Via del Mare 3, Capo Granitola, Campobello di Mazara, TP, 91021, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Traina
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e del Mare (DiSTeM), Università degli Studi di Palermo, CoNISMa -Palermo, Via Archirafi, 26, 90123, Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Piazzese
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Ingegneria (Dip.Inge.), Università degli Studi di Messina, Contrada Di Dio, 98166, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Francesca
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Milazzo
authors.affiliation: CNR-Istituto per l'Ambiente Marino Costiero, Via del Mare 3, Capo Granitola, Campobello di Mazara, TP, 91021, Italy.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sprovieri
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D050681:Bottle-Nosed Dolphin / Q000378:metabolism*; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D007558:Italy; D008628:Mercury / Q000378:metabolism*; D012643:Selenium / Q000378:metabolism*; D050706:Stenella / Q000378:metabolism*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D008628:Mercury; D012643:Selenium
keywords: Brain; Mercury; Neurotoxicity; Selenium; Stenella coeruleoalba; Tursiops truncatus