Bioaccumulation and metabolic impact of environmental PFAS residue on wild-caught urban wetland tiger snakes (Notechis scutatus)

D C Lettoof; T V Nguyen; W R Richmond; H E Nice; M M Gagnon; D J Beale

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165260

Bioaccumulation and metabolic impact of environmental PFAS residue on wild-caught urban wetland tiger snakes (Notechis scutatus)

Sci Total Environ. 2023 Nov 1:897:165260. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165260. Epub 2023 Jul 1.

Authors

D C Lettoof¹, T V Nguyen², W R Richmond³, H E Nice³, M M Gagnon⁴, D J Beale⁵

Affiliations

¹ School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Brand Drive, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia; Environment, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Centre for Environment and Life Sciences, Floreat, WA 6014, Australia. Electronic address: damian.lettoof@csiro.au.
² Environment, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Ecosciences Precinct, Dutton Park, Qld 4102, Australia; NTT Institute of High Technology, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, 300A Nguyen Tat Thanh, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Viet Nam.
³ Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, Government of Western Australia, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia.
⁴ School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Brand Drive, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia.
⁵ Environment, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Ecosciences Precinct, Dutton Park, Qld 4102, Australia.

PMID: 37400030
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165260

Abstract

PFAS contamination of urban waters is widespread but understanding the biological impact of its accumulation is limited to humans and common ecotoxicological model organisms. Here, we combine PFAS exposure and bioaccumulation patterns with whole organism responses and omics-based ecosurveillance methods to investigate the potential impacts of PFAS on a top predator of wetlands, the tiger snake (Notechis scutatus). Tiger snakes (18 male and 17 female) were collected from four wetlands with varying PFAS chemical profiles and concentrations in Perth, Western Australia. Tiger snake livers were tested for 28 known PFAS compounds, and Σ28PFAS in liver tissues ranged between 322 ± 193 μg/kg at the most contaminated site to 1.31 ± 0.86 μg/kg at the least contaminated site. The dominant PFAS compound detected in liver tissues was PFOS. Lower body condition was associated with higher liver PFAS, and male snakes showed signs of high bioaccumulation whereas females showed signs of maternal offloading. Biochemical profiles of snake muscle, fat (adipose tissue), and gonads were analysed using a combination of liquid chromatography triple quadrupole (QqQ) and quadrupole time-of-flight (QToF) mass spectrometry methodologies. Elevated PFAS was associated with enriched energy production and maintenance pathways in the muscle, and had weak associations with energy-related lipids in the fat tissue, and lipids associated with cellular genesis and spermatogenesis in the gonads. These findings demonstrate the bioavailability of urban wetland PFAS in higher-order reptilian predators and suggest a negative impact on snake health and metabolic processes. This research expands on omics-based ecosurveillance tools for informing mechanistic toxicology and contributes to our understanding of the impact of PFAS residue on wildlife health to improve risk management and regulation.

Keywords: Environmental metabolic profiling; Lipidomics; Metabolomics; Multi-omics; Non-model ecotox; PFOS.

MeSH terms

Animals
Bioaccumulation
Elapidae / metabolism
Female
Fluorocarbons* / metabolism
Humans
Lipids
Male
Wetlands*

Substances

Lipids
Fluorocarbons

Supplementary concepts

Notechis scutatus