Organohalogenated contaminants in white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) nestlings: An assessment of relationships to immunoglobulin levels, telomeres and oxidative stress

Biomagnifying organohalogenated compounds (OHCs)may have adverse effects on the health of birds, especially
marine avian top predators that accumulate high OHC loads. Contaminants may impair the humoral immunity
and also influence the antioxidant enzyme activity (i.e. oxidative stress). Moreover, physical conditions and
oxidative stress during development may reduce telomere lengths, one of the main mechanisms explaining
cell senescence. To examine the potential effects of environmental contaminants on physiological biomarkers
of health, OHCs with different ‘physicochemical’ properties were related to immunoglobulin Y levels (IgY; humoral
immunity), superoxide dismutase enzyme(SOD) activity in blood plasma, and telomere length (measured
in red blood cells) in individual 7–8 weeks old nestlings (n = 35) of white-tailed eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) in
the Norwegian Sub-Arctic. Different organochlorines (OCs) and perfluoroalkylated substances (PFASs) were
measured in blood plasma of nestlings, demonstrating higher concentrations of the emerging contaminants
(PFASs), notably perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), compared to legacy OCs. There were no relationships
between the contaminant loads and plasma IgY levels. Moreover, differences between years were found for
telomere lengths, but this was not related to contaminants and more likely a result of different developmental
conditions. However, therewere significant and negative relationships between the OC loadings and the SOD activity.
This suggests that some legacy OCs challenge the antioxidant capacity in nestlings of white-tailed eagles.
© 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
White-tailed eagle
Perfluoroalkyl substances
Organochlorines
Oxidative stress
Plasma immunoglobulin Y
Telomeres