Preliminary results of organochlorines levels and biomarker responses in skin biopsies of the common bottlenose dolphins from the Adriatic sea (Mediterranean sea)

The main objective of this study was to apply a sensitive non-lethal “multi-trial-diagnostic–tool” in skin biopsy of common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), combining molecular biomarkers (western blot of CYP1A1, CYP2B) with analysis of OCs, in subcutaneous blubber, to evaluate the toxicological status of this odontocete species in the Adriatic Sea (Mediterranean Sea). The results of these analyses were compared with those obtained on samples collected in two other areas: the Strait of Gibraltar and the Sicily Channel. The multi-trial biomarker tool applied to skin biopsies underlined differences in OCs and molecular biomarker responses between genders (male greater than female) and among these three areas, revealing a lower toxicological stress in the bottlenose dolphins of the central Adriatic Sea.