Hydroxylated and Methylsulfonyl Polychlorinated Biphenyl Metabolites in Albatrosses From Midway Atoll, North Pacific Ocean

Abstract

Concentrations of hydroxylated metabolites of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) (OH-PCBs) and methylsulfonyl metabolites of PCBs (MeSO 2 -PCBs) were determined in plasma and liver of albatrosses collected from the Midway Atoll in the central North Pacific Ocean. The mean total concentrations of OH-PCBs in plasma of Laysan albatrosses (Diomedea immutabilis) and black-footed albatrosses (Diomedea nigripes) were 11.5 and 27.1 ng/g wet weight, respectively. Total concentrations of OH-PCBs were only one-to fivefold less than those of total PCBs. 4-hydroxy-2,2Ј,3,4Ј,5,5Ј,6-heptachlorinated biphenyl and 4-hydroxy-2,2Ј,3,4Ј,5,5Ј-hexachlorinated biphenyl were the predominant polychlorinated biphenylols, constituting 70 to 90% of the total OH-PCBs. Concentrations of MeSO 2 -PCBs in liver were between 10.6 and 77 ng/g, lipid weight, approximately 250 times less than those of total PCBs. The MeSO 2 -PCBs congeners retained in the liver were dominated by those having the methylsulfonyl group in the 3-position.

Polychlorinated Biphenyls and Their Hydroxylated Metabolites (OH-PCBs) in Pregnant Women from Eastern Slovakia

“…The distribution of individual OH-PCBs varied geographically (Figure 4). We found 4-OH-CB187 to be a primary OH-PCB metabolite in the maternal blood, consistent with results from other studies (Bergman et al 1994; Fängström et al 2002; Klasson-Wehler et al 1998; Meironyté Guvenius et al 2003; Soechitram et al 2004), whereas Sandau et al (2000) observed 4-OH-CB107 to be a primary congener. Sjödin et al (2000) also determined that 4-OH-CB107 was a primary congener in Baltic Sea fishermen.…”

Polychlorinated biphenyls and their hydroxylated metabolites in wild fish from wheatley Harbour Area of Concern, Ontario, Canada

“…These six congeners were also reported in a survey of hydroxylated phenolic contaminants in lake trout from various Ontario lakes [10], and from rainbow trout exposed to a mixture of PCBs in the laboratory [41]. Studies in humans, polar bears, seals, and birds have also reported a dominance of penta-to heptachlorinated hydroxylated homologs and the presence of specific congeners similar to those detected in the present study [8,9,12]. However, the identified congeners represented only approximately 17% of penta-OH-PCBs, 84% of tetra-OH-PCBs, and 88% of hexa-OH-PCBs at Wheatley Harbour, but 100% of tetra-, penta-, and hexa-OH-PCBs in Hillman Marsh.…”

“…Four of these congeners were also reported in the plasma of benthic fish species from the Detroit River, at concentrations as high as 65 ng/g for 3 0 -OH-CB138 [11]. Metabolites reported in the present study have also been noted in marine birds and mammals [9,[12][13][14]32]. Studies in humans, polar bears, seals, and birds have also reported a dominance of penta-to heptachlorinated hydroxylated homologs and the presence of specific congeners similar to those detected in the present study [8,9,12].…”

“…The metabolism of PCBs and retention of hydroxylated congeners is thought to vary among species and individuals, or both [8], but these also depend on the exposure profile [12]. The metabolism of PCBs and retention of hydroxylated congeners is thought to vary among species and individuals, or both [8], but these also depend on the exposure profile [12].…”

Simultaneous detection of multiple hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls from a complex tissue matrix using gas chromatography/isotope dilution mass spectrometry

“…In a former report, the levels of 4OH-CB107, 4OH-CB146, and 4OH-CB187 in the liver samples of harbor seals [23] and in the blood samples of gray seals [13] were higher than what we found. The potential parent PCBs of 4′OH-PCB107 and 4OH-CB101/4OH-CB120 are CB105, CB118, and CB101, respectively [14,15,18,35,36]. In the blubbers of Baikal seals, the concentration of CB101 was three orders of magnitude higher than those of CB105 and CB118, indicating that the concentration profiles of the metabolites reflected those of the corresponding parent PCBs.…”