Dried blood spots (DBS), created by applying and drying a whole blood sample onto filter paper, provide a simple and minimally invasive procedure for collecting, transporting, and storing blood. Because DBS are ideal for use in field and resource-limited settings, we aimed to develop a simple and accurate DBS-based approach for assessing mercury (Hg) exposure and dietary carbon sources for landlocked Arctic char, a sentinel fish species in the Arctic. We collected liquid whole blood (from the caudal vein), muscle, liver, and brains of Arctic char (n=36) from eight lakes spanning a Hg gradient in the Canadian High Arctic. We measured total Hg concentrations ([THg]) of field-prepared DBS and Arctic char tissues. Across a considerable range, [THg] of DBS (0.04 μg/g to 3.38 μg/g ww) were highly correlated with [THg] of all tissues (r2 range = 0.928 to 0.996). We also analyzed the compound specific carbon isotope ratios (expressed as δ13 C values) of essential amino acids (CSIA-EAAs) isolated from DBS, liquid whole blood, and muscle. The δ13 C values of five EAAs (δ13 CEAAs ; isoleucine, leucine, phenylalanine, valine, threonine) from DBS were highly correlated with δ13 CEAAs of liquid whole blood (r2 range = 0.693 to 0.895) and muscle (r2 range = 0.642 to 0.881). The patterns of δ13 CEAAs of landlocked Arctic char were remarkably consistent across sample types and indicate EAAs are most likely of algal origin. Because a small volume of blood (~50 µL) dried on filter paper can be used to determine Hg exposure levels of various tissues and to fingerprint carbon sources, DBS sampling may decrease the burdens of research and may be developed as a non-lethal sampling technique. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

中文翻译：

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对内陆北极红点鲑 (Salvelinus alpinus) 进行干血点采样，用于估算汞暴露量和必需氨基酸的稳定碳同位素指纹图谱。


干血斑 (DBS) 是通过将全血样本涂在滤纸上并干燥而产生的，为收集、运输和储存血液提供了一种简单且微创的程序。由于 DBS 非常适合在野外和资源有限的环境中使用，因此我们的目标是开发一种简单而准确的基于 DBS 的方法，用于评估内陆北极红点鲑（北极的一种哨兵鱼类）的汞 (Hg) 暴露和膳食碳源。我们从加拿大高北极地区横跨汞梯度的八个湖泊中收集了北极红点鲑 (n=36) 的液体全血（来自尾静脉）、肌肉、肝脏和大脑。我们测量了现场制备的 DBS 和北极炭组织的总汞浓度 ([THg])。在相当大的范围内，DBS 的 [THg]（0.04 μg/g 至 3.38 μg/g ww）与所有组织的 [THg] 高度相关（r2 范围 = 0.928 至 0.996）。我们还分析了从 DBS、液体全血和肌肉中分离的必需氨基酸 (CSIA-EAA) 的化合物特定碳同位素比率（表示为 δ13 C 值）。来自 DBS 的五种 EAA（δ13 CEAA；异亮氨酸、亮氨酸、苯丙氨酸、缬氨酸、苏氨酸）的 δ13 C 值与液体全血（r2 范围 = 0.693 至 0.895）和肌肉（r2 范围 = 0.642 至 0.881）的 δ13 CEAA 高度相关。 ）。内陆北极红点炭的 δ13 CEAA 模式在不同样本类型中非常一致，表明 EAA 最有可能源自藻类。由于在滤纸上干燥的少量血液 (~50 µL) 可用于确定各种组织的汞暴露水平并确定碳源指纹，因此 DBS 采样可以减轻研究负担，并可发展为非致死采样技术。本文受版权保护。版权所有。