title: Exposure to Persistent Organic Pollutants Reduces Testosterone Concentrations and Affects Sperm Viability and Morphology during the Mating Peak Period in a Controlled Experiment on Farmed Arctic Foxes (Vulpes lagopus).
abstract: We investigated testosterone production and semen parameters in farmed Arctic foxes by dietary exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) for 22 months. Eight male foxes were given a diet of POP-contaminated minke whale blubber, whereas their eight male siblings were fed a control diet containing pig fat as the main fat source. The minke whale-based feed contained a ∑POPs concentration of 802 ng/g ww, whereas the pig-based feed contained ∑POPs of 24 ng/g ww. At the end of the experiment, ∑POP concentrations in adipose tissue were 8856 ± 2535 ng/g ww in the exposed foxes and 1264 ± 539 ng/g ww in the control foxes. The exposed group had 45-64% significantly lower testosterone concentrations during their peak mating season compared to the controls (p ≤ 0.05), while the number of dead and defect sperm cells was 27% (p = 0.07) and 15% (p = 0.33) higher in the exposed group. Similar effects during the mating season in wild Arctic foxes may affect mating behavior and reproductive success. On the basis of these results, we recommend testosterone as a sensitive biomarker of POP exposure and that seasonal patterns are investigated when interpreting putative endocrine disruption in Arctic wildlife with potential population-level effects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre (ARC), Aarhus University, Faculty of Science and Technology , Frederiksborgvej 399, P.O. Box 358, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-5723-5263
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sonne
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Hormone Laboratory , Oslo University Hospital, NO-0514 Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Peter A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Torjesen
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Polar Institute , Fram Centre, NO-9296 Tromsø, Norway.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fuglei
authors.affiliation: Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada , Burlington, Ontario, Canada L7S 1A1.
authors.forename: Derek C G
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-6631-9776
authors.initials: DCG
authors.lastname: Muir
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre (ARC), Aarhus University, Faculty of Science and Technology , Frederiksborgvej 399, P.O. Box 358, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark.|Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology , NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway.|Department of Arctic Technology, The University Centre in Svarbard , P.O. Box 156, NO-9171 Longyearbyen, Norway.
authors.forename: Bjørn Munro
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Jenssen
authors.affiliation: Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT the Arctic University of Norway , NO-9037 Tromsø, Norway.
authors.forename: Even H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Jørgensen
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre (ARC), Aarhus University, Faculty of Science and Technology , Frederiksborgvej 399, P.O. Box 358, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark.
authors.forename: Rune
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dietz
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences , NO-1433 Ås, Norway.
authors.forename: Øystein
authors.initials: Ø
authors.lastname: Ahlstrøm
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001110:Arctic Regions; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D005589:Foxes; D008297:Male; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D013552:Swine; D013739:Testosterone / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D013739:Testosterone