{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,22]],"date-time":"2026-07-22T12:04:35Z","timestamp":1784721875531,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,17]],"date-time":"2026-07-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1784246400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Ambito Territoriale di Caccia (ATC) Avellino","award":["000019-2026-CIARCIA-DAMIANO-ALTRO_R_001_002"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["000019-2026-CIARCIA-DAMIANO-ALTRO_R_001_002"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Toxics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Wild boars (Sus scrofa) are reliable bioindicator species for assessing environmental pollution. In this pilot study, we measured concentrations of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), selenium (Se), zinc (Zn), and lead (Pb) in liver, diaphragm, and testicular tissues from wild boars collected across seven districts of Avellino province (liver\/diaphragm: n = 87; testicles: n = 50). Pb reached its highest median value in the diaphragm (0.43 mg\/kg w.w.; maximum 14.80 mg\/kg), while Cd showed a pronounced affinity for hepatic tissue (median 0.15 mg\/kg; maximum 0.62 mg\/kg). Zn was the most abundant element overall, particularly in the diaphragm (median 20.51 mg\/kg; maximum 46.81 mg\/kg). Se concentrations were generally below the detection limit (&lt;0.001 mg\/kg), with only occasional outliers. Sex-related differences were evident: males accumulated more Pb in the liver, while females had higher levels of Cd and As. Spatial patterns identified AVMFS009 and AVAR009 as hotspots for Cu, Zn, and Cd, while AVCP003 emerged as the main hotspot for As. Overall, the results reinforce the role of wild boars as effective bioindicators in southern Italy.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/toxics14070626","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,20]],"date-time":"2026-07-20T07:54:13Z","timestamp":1784534053000},"page":"626","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Bioaccumulation of Heavy Metals and Metalloids in Tissues of Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) in the Campania Region, Southern Italy: A Pilot Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7798-7710","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sara","family":"Damiano","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples \u201cFederico II\u201d, 80137 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1789-7603","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Francesca Paola","family":"Nocera","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples \u201cFederico II\u201d, 80137 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0788-4107","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Consiglia","family":"Longobardi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples \u201cFederico II\u201d, 80137 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-8683-4711","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Valeria","family":"Iervolino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples \u201cFederico II\u201d, 80137 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carlo","family":"Romei","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples \u201cFederico II\u201d, 80137 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Angela","family":"Amoresano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples \u201cFederico II\u201d, 80137 Naples, Italy"},{"name":"Consorzio Interuniversitario Istituto Nazionale Biostrutture e Biosistemi-INBB, Via dei Carpegna 19, 80165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carolina","family":"Fontanarosa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples \u201cFederico II\u201d, 80137 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0718-7424","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gennaro","family":"Battaglia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples \u201cFederico II\u201d, 80137 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-7812-8107","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rossana","family":"Schena","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples \u201cFederico II\u201d, 80137 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-1695-5095","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Annunziata","family":"Romano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples \u201cFederico II\u201d, 80137 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4731-7510","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nadia","family":"Piscopo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples \u201cFederico II\u201d, 80137 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Antonio","family":"Raffaele","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Local Management Hunting Authority (ATC), Province of Avellino, Campania Region, 83100 Avellino, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Giuseppe","family":"Rizzo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Local Management Hunting Authority (ATC), Province of Avellino, Campania Region, 83100 Avellino, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5569-8774","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Serena","family":"Montagnaro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples \u201cFederico II\u201d, 80137 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4121-4905","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Roberto","family":"Ciarcia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples \u201cFederico II\u201d, 80137 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"476","DOI":"10.1016\/j.scitotenv.2016.06.166","article-title":"Heavy metals in drinking water: Occurrences, 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