Contamination by metals is among the most pervasive anthropogenic threats to the environment. Despite the ecological importance of marine apex predators, the potential negative impacts of metal bioaccumulation and biomagnification on the health of higher trophic level species remains unclear. To date, most toxicology studies in sharks have focused on measuring metal concentrations in muscle tissues associating human consumption and food safety, without further investigating potential impacts on shark health. To help address this knowledge gap, the present study evaluated metal concentrations in the gills, muscle, liver and rectal gland of coastal sharks opportunistically sampled from Brazilian waters and tested for potential relationships between metal bioaccumulation and general shark health and homeostatic balance metrics. Results revealed high metal concentrations in all four tissue types, with levels varying in relation to size, sex, and life-stage. Metal concentrations were also associated with serum biomarkers (urea, lactate, ALT, triglycerides, alkaline phosphatase, and phosphorus) and body condition, suggesting potential negative impacts on organismal health.

金属污染是对环境最普遍的人为威胁。尽管海洋顶点捕食者具有生态重要性，但金属生物积累和生物放大作用对营养级别较高的物种健康的潜在负面影响仍不清楚。迄今为止，大多数对鲨鱼的毒理学研究都集中在测量肌肉组织中的金属浓度，从而与人类食用和食品安全相关联，而没有进一步调查对鲨鱼健康的潜在影响。为了帮助解决这一知识鸿沟，本研究评估了从巴西水域随机抽取的沿海鲨鱼的腮，肌肉，肝和直肠腺中的金属浓度，并测试了金属生物蓄积与一般鲨鱼健康和体内平衡指标之间的潜在关系。结果显示，所有四种组织类型中的金属浓度都很高，其含量随大小，性别和生命阶段的不同而不同。金属浓度还与血清生物标志物（尿素，乳酸，ALT，甘油三酸酯，碱性磷酸酶和磷）和身体状况相关，表明对生物健康有潜在的负面影响。