Circulating thyroid hormones and associated metabolites in white whales (Delphinapterus leucas) determined using isotope-dilution mass spectrometry

Martin Hansen; Gro D Villanger; Thea Bechshoft; Milton Levin; Heli Routti; Kit M Kovacs; Christian Lydersen

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2017.03.027

Circulating thyroid hormones and associated metabolites in white whales (Delphinapterus leucas) determined using isotope-dilution mass spectrometry

Environ Res. 2017 Jul:156:128-131. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2017.03.027. Epub 2017 Mar 22.

Authors

Martin Hansen¹, Gro D Villanger², Thea Bechshoft³, Milton Levin⁴, Heli Routti⁵, Kit M Kovacs⁵, Christian Lydersen⁵

Affiliations

¹ Molecular Toxicology, Energy and Resources Group, Endocrinology, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Mental and Physical Health, Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: [email protected].
³ Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Alberta, Canada.
⁴ University of Connecticut, Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Sciences, Storrs, CT, USA.
⁵ Norwegian Polar Institute, N-9296 Tromsø, Norway.

PMID: 28342348
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2017.03.027

Abstract

Blood was sampled from nine free-ranging white whales (beluga whale, Delphinapterus leucas) from Svalbard, Norway during the summers of 2013 and 2014. Total concentrations of eleven thyroid hormones and metabolites were measured in serum using a novel liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry analytical method. Measurements of these compounds in plasma gave the same results as in serum. The three hormones found in highest concentrations were 3,3',5-triiodothyronine (T₃), 3,3',5'-triiodothyronine (rT₃) and thyroxine (T₄). Traces of associated metabolites were also found.

Keywords: Beluga whale; Endocrine disruption; LC-MS/MS; Reverse-T(3); Thyronamines.

Publication types

Comparative Study
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Beluga Whale / metabolism*
Blood Chemical Analysis / methods*
Chromatography, Liquid*
Female
Male
Mass Spectrometry*
Plasma / chemistry
Serum / chemistry
Svalbard
Thyroid Hormones / blood*
Thyroid Hormones / metabolism

Substances

Thyroid Hormones