Anna B Pearson, Luis A Hückstädt, Stephen T Kinsey, Todd L Schmitt, Todd R Robeck, Judy St Leger, Paul J Ponganis, Michael S Tift
Certain deep-diving marine mammals (i.e., northern elephant seal ( Mirounga angustirosis ), Weddell seal ( Leptonychotes weddellii )) have blood carbon monoxide (CO) levels that are comparable to those of chronic cigarette smokers. Most CO produced in humans is a by-product of heme degradation, which is released when red blood cells (RBC) are destroyed. Elevated CO can occur in humans when RBC lifespan decreases. The contribution of RBC turnover to CO concentrations in marine mammals is unknown. Here, we report the first RBC lifespans in two healthy, marine mammal species with different diving capacities and heme stores, the shallow diving bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ) and deep-diving beluga ( Delphinapterus leucas ), and relate the lifespans to the levels of CO in blood and breath...
November 20, 2023: American Journal of Physiology. Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology