Pangolin scales as a potential retrospective biomonitoring matrix for environmental and rescue-associated chemical exposures in endangered wildlife.

Abstract

Pangolins are among the world's most trafficked and endangered mammals, yet their exposure to emerging organic contaminants (EOCs) remains largely uncharacterized. Their keratinous scales represent an untapped matrix for potentially non-invasive biomonitoring. This study developed and validated a modified QuEChERS-based extraction coupled with liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF/MS) for suspect screening and targeted quantification of EOCs in pangolin scales. The workflow was applied to scales collected from 18 deceased wild Formosan pangolins (Manis pentadactyla pentadactyla) with and without documented rescue histories. A total of 57 EOCs spanning six chemical classes were tentatively identified, reflecting environmental contamination and rescue-associated pharmaceutical exposure. Eight EOCs were further confirmed as targets. The method achieved recoveries of 70-120%, relative standard deviations ≤ 20%, and method detection limits ranging from 0.1 to 2.0 µg kg-1. Target EOC concentrations spanned more than four orders of magnitude, from 0.84 µg kg-1 (isoxaflutole) to 15,400 µg kg-1 (enrofloxacin). Compositional and quantitative EOC patterns showed substantial inter-individual variation and rescue-associated pharmaceutical signatures. This study provides the first report of multiple EOC residues in pangolin scales, supporting their further evaluation as a potential retrospective biomonitoring matrix for wildlife conservation across the family Manidae.

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