Vanadium Accumulation in Pinnipeds

Vanadium in four species of pinnipeds (northern fur seals [Callorhinus ursinus], Steller sea lions [Eumetopias jubatus], harbor seals [Phoca vitulina], and ribbon seals [Phoca fasciata]) caught in the Northern Pacific was analyzed using ICP-MS to understand its accumulation and distribution. In northern fur seals, relatively high concentrations of vanadium were observed in the liver, hair, and bone. Ninety percent of the vanadium burden in the body was concentrated in these three tissues, which comprise <20% of total body weight. Hepatic vanadium concentrations in the four pinniped species were significantly correlated to age, although the levels varied with species. An increase in vanadium accumulation in the liver of northern fur seals was caused by an increase of retention in nuclei and mitochondria fraction in the cells. Vanadium concentrations in liver were significantly correlated with mercury, silver, and selenium concentrations in northern fur seals, Steller sea lions, and harbor seals.