Abstract
To evaluate the nutritional status and the environmental exposure to toxic elements of the wild boar Sus scrofa L. (n = 20) from northwestern (NW) Russia, we determined the contents of the essential (Co, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, and Zn) and toxic (Cd and Pb) elements in the muscle, kidney, and liver. A second aim was to study the interactions between these elements and several antioxidants, namely, the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase, and the contents of glutathione (GSH), retinol, and α-tocopherol. A third aim was to assess whether the meat and offal of the wild boar are suitable for consumption or unsuitable due to the level of toxic elements. According to reference values of elements reported for domestic pigs, the wild boar from NW Russia was deficient in most of the essential elements (Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, and Zn) but had optimal values of Fe and Mg. The concentrations of Cd and Pb were lower than the values reported for pigs and wild boars living in heavily polluted areas. The correlations between antioxidants and elements could indicate that mineral balance in the body is regulated by antioxidants, among which the SOD activity, GSH, and retinol levels are the most sensitive parameters. Our assessment indicates that consumption of wild boar meat and liver, either rarely (4 times a year) or regularly (monthly), does not pose a health risk to adults and children, although wild boar kidney is not suitable for consumption.
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Acknowledgements
The research was carried out using the equipment of the Core Facility of the Karelian Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences. We are deeply grateful to M.Y. Shilyaev (Inspector of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, Lakhdenpoh’ya, Russia) for help in organizing sample collection.
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The study was performed under state order (project FMEN-2022–0003).
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All the authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Svetlana Kalinina, Danila Panchenko, Viktor Ilyukha, Irina Baishnikova, Ekaterina Antonova, and Kseniya Nikerova. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Svetlana Kalinina and all the authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. Conceptualization, review, and editing were performed by Andrea Canfield. All the authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Kalinina, S., Panchenko, D., Ilyukha, V. et al. Elements and antioxidants in wild boar from northwestern Russia. Eur J Wildl Res 68, 22 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-022-01570-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-022-01570-1