Abstract
Animals living in the near-shore marine environment are predisposed to contact with chemical contaminants through land- and ocean-based activities. The release of petroleum hydrocarbons into the marine environment is a stressor to this environment and its resident wildlife. The stress response to chemical threats is dependent on an intact hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which also may be a target to the effects of these chemicals. Ranch mink (Mustela vison) were used as surrogates for sea otters (Enhydra lutris) to examine the development of adrenal hypertrophy after chronic, oral exposure to low concentrations of bunker C fuel oil. Animals were fed three different concentrations of fuel oil (48, 520, and 908 ppm) or mineral oil (control) for 60-62 days. At the end of the exposure, blood and fecal samples were collected and organs were weighed and examined microscopically. In all fuel oil groups, exposure resulted in adrenal hypertrophy, an adaptation suggestive of adrenal activation. However, concentrations of serum and fecal glucocorticoids and serum progesterone were not elevated over control values. Hematologic parameters and serum chemistries showed no changes consistent with increased adrenal activity. In addition, adrenal glands from animals fed the higher concentrations of fuel oil contained large numbers of heavily vacuolated cells. We conclude that petroleum hydrocarbons are inducing an adrenal insufficiency that leads to the adaptive enlargement of the gland. This would increase the susceptibility of fuel oil-exposed animals to the deleterious effects of other environmental stressors.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 337-347 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology |
| Volume | 54 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Feb 2008 |
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Keywords
- Adrenal insufficiency
- Bunker C fuel oil
- Mustela vision
- Oral exposure
- Ranch mink
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Environmental Science(all)
- Environmental Chemistry
- Toxicology
- Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
- Pollution
Cite this
Chronic oral exposure to bunker C fuel oil causes adrenal insufficiency in ranch mink (Mustela vison). / Mohr, Frederick C; Lasley, B.; Bursian, S.
In: Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, Vol. 54, No. 2, 02.2008, p. 337-347.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Chronic oral exposure to bunker C fuel oil causes adrenal insufficiency in ranch mink (Mustela vison)
AU - Mohr, Frederick C
AU - Lasley, B.
AU - Bursian, S.
PY - 2008/2
Y1 - 2008/2
N2 - Animals living in the near-shore marine environment are predisposed to contact with chemical contaminants through land- and ocean-based activities. The release of petroleum hydrocarbons into the marine environment is a stressor to this environment and its resident wildlife. The stress response to chemical threats is dependent on an intact hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which also may be a target to the effects of these chemicals. Ranch mink (Mustela vison) were used as surrogates for sea otters (Enhydra lutris) to examine the development of adrenal hypertrophy after chronic, oral exposure to low concentrations of bunker C fuel oil. Animals were fed three different concentrations of fuel oil (48, 520, and 908 ppm) or mineral oil (control) for 60-62 days. At the end of the exposure, blood and fecal samples were collected and organs were weighed and examined microscopically. In all fuel oil groups, exposure resulted in adrenal hypertrophy, an adaptation suggestive of adrenal activation. However, concentrations of serum and fecal glucocorticoids and serum progesterone were not elevated over control values. Hematologic parameters and serum chemistries showed no changes consistent with increased adrenal activity. In addition, adrenal glands from animals fed the higher concentrations of fuel oil contained large numbers of heavily vacuolated cells. We conclude that petroleum hydrocarbons are inducing an adrenal insufficiency that leads to the adaptive enlargement of the gland. This would increase the susceptibility of fuel oil-exposed animals to the deleterious effects of other environmental stressors.
AB - Animals living in the near-shore marine environment are predisposed to contact with chemical contaminants through land- and ocean-based activities. The release of petroleum hydrocarbons into the marine environment is a stressor to this environment and its resident wildlife. The stress response to chemical threats is dependent on an intact hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which also may be a target to the effects of these chemicals. Ranch mink (Mustela vison) were used as surrogates for sea otters (Enhydra lutris) to examine the development of adrenal hypertrophy after chronic, oral exposure to low concentrations of bunker C fuel oil. Animals were fed three different concentrations of fuel oil (48, 520, and 908 ppm) or mineral oil (control) for 60-62 days. At the end of the exposure, blood and fecal samples were collected and organs were weighed and examined microscopically. In all fuel oil groups, exposure resulted in adrenal hypertrophy, an adaptation suggestive of adrenal activation. However, concentrations of serum and fecal glucocorticoids and serum progesterone were not elevated over control values. Hematologic parameters and serum chemistries showed no changes consistent with increased adrenal activity. In addition, adrenal glands from animals fed the higher concentrations of fuel oil contained large numbers of heavily vacuolated cells. We conclude that petroleum hydrocarbons are inducing an adrenal insufficiency that leads to the adaptive enlargement of the gland. This would increase the susceptibility of fuel oil-exposed animals to the deleterious effects of other environmental stressors.
KW - Adrenal insufficiency
KW - Bunker C fuel oil
KW - Mustela vision
KW - Oral exposure
KW - Ranch mink
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=38349189704&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=38349189704&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00244-007-9021-5
DO - 10.1007/s00244-007-9021-5
M3 - Article
C2 - 17763884
AN - SCOPUS:38349189704
VL - 54
SP - 337
EP - 347
JO - Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology
JF - Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology
SN - 0090-4341
IS - 2
ER -