New Orleans Lizards Hold Key to Unlocking Lead Poisoning Resistance โ- couldโข Benefit โฃHumans?
New Orleans, LA โข – In a โstunningโ discovery that challenges our understanding of toxicity, brown โanole lizardsโฃ in New โOrleansโ are thriving despite carrying the highest blood-lead levels ever recorded in a vertebrate. The groundbreaking research, published inโฃ Environmental Research, reveals these invasiveโ lizards possess an remarkable tolerance to โคlead contamination – a โฃlevel that would be lethal to moast othreโฃ animals.
“What’s astounding is that these lizards โaren’t just surviving, they’re thriving with a lead burden that would be catastrophicโฃ for most other animals,” explains Alex Gunderson, โassistant professor of ecology โขand evolutionary biologyโข at Tulane University โand lead author of the study.
Record-Breakingโ Lead Levels, โฃNo Visible Impact
Researchers foundโค the lizards’ blood lead levels โคsignificantly exceededโข all previously documented values in fish, amphibians, birds,โค reptiles, and mammals. Despite this extreme exposure, tests measuring balance,โ sprint speed, and endurance -โ all typically impairedโ by lead poisoning – showed no โคmeaningful declineโค in performance.
“These animals are โฃperforming at full capacity despite record-setting lead levels, making themโข one of the most, if not โthe most, lead-tolerant animals known toโฃ science,” says PhD student Annelise Blanchette, a key contributor โto the research.
How โAre โThey Doing It?
The study delved into the biological mechanisms behind this remarkable resilience. Transcriptomic analyses of brain and liver โขtissue revealed only minor โeffects from leadโ exposure, with altered โgenesโฃ primarily linked โคtoโข metal ion regulation and โoxygen transport.โค This suggests theโ lizards have evolved,โฃ or โare utilizing existing mechanisms, to effectivelyโข manage and โคmitigate โฃthe toxic effectsโ of โขlead.
Implications for Human Healthโค & Environmental Concerns
While researchers caution against assuming humans can develop the same resistance, the findings are profoundly significant. The discovery โขunderscores the โฃpersistent legacy of โlead contamination in urban environmentsโ like Newโ Orleans, and raises โthe โpossibility of uncovering novel strategies for combating lead โpoisoning in both humans and wildlife.
“We needโ to reevaluate what we know about toxicity โthresholds inโ vertebrates,” Gunderson states. “If we can figure out what’s protecting them, we might uncover strategies that could helpโค mitigate heavy metal poisoning in people and other species.”
The brown anole, an invasive โspecies from theโข Caribbean, has rapidly become more prevalent in New Orleans over theโ past two decades, surpassing the native green anole in โขpopulation. Thisโ research highlights the complex โways organisms adapt to polluted environments, and the urgent need to โขaddress ongoing leadโค exposure, notably in vulnerable communities.
Learn More:
Research Article: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2025.122531
Tulane News Release: https://news.tulane.edu/pr/lead-resistant-lizards-new-orleans-could-hold-clues-combating-lead-pois
Previous Coverage on Lead Exposure: https://www.futurity.org/epa-lead-exposure-poisoning-2419012-2/
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