Abstract
Biochemical biomarkers are commonly used in environmental monitoring programs due to their sensitivity to certain pollutants. From this perspective, their responses can be used as indicators of environmental quality. The present study aimed to determine the activity of the catalase (CAT) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) enzymes in grasshoppers Abracris flavolineata (De Geer, 1773) from two forest remnant areas in Serra da Jiboia (BA) and compare them between males and females. The specimens were collected at two sites in Serra da Jiboia (Bahia, Brasil), named ‘Baixa de Areia’ and ‘Baixa Grande’. The animals were actively collected in the morning using a sweep net and a 2.5 h sampling effort. In total, 160 individuals were collected, with 80 individuals from each sampling site, 50 males and 30 females. After identification, an incision was made in the lateral region of the abdomen to remove the midgut, which was used to extract the CAT and GST enzymes. The results obtained demonstrated that CAT and GST activity did not vary significantly between sampling areas. However, with regard to sex, enzyme activity was significantly higher in males (p<0.005) in both locations. This is a pioneer study on the responses of CAT and GST activity in grasshoppers in Brazil.
Highlights
Invertebrates are important ecosystem components, and several taxa are often used for environmental biomonitoring purposes (Hsu et al, 2006; Zaoralova et al, 2020)
Catalase (CAT) is an antioxidant enzyme that acts against Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) by converting H2O2 to H2O and O2 and is mainly involved in the reduction of H2O2 produced by the long-chain fatty acid metabolism in peroxisomes (Birben et al, 2012; Afiyanti & Chen, 2014; Pierezan et al 2017)
The enzyme glutathione S-transferase (GST) is a biochemical marker involved in the cellular detoxification of electrophilic compounds that highlights early signs of stress caused by pollutants
Summary
Invertebrates are important ecosystem components, and several taxa are often used for environmental biomonitoring purposes (Hsu et al, 2006; Zaoralova et al, 2020) From this perspective, insects are prone to normal levels of oxidative stress imposed by their aerobic lifestyle (Barbehenn, 2003). Several biomarker enzymes can be used to assess oxidative stress in animals From this perspective, catalase (CAT) is an antioxidant enzyme that acts against ROS by converting H2O2 to H2O and O2 and is mainly involved in the reduction of H2O2 produced by the long-chain fatty acid metabolism in peroxisomes (Birben et al, 2012; Afiyanti & Chen, 2014; Pierezan et al 2017). The enzyme glutathione S-transferase (GST) is a biochemical marker involved in the cellular detoxification of electrophilic compounds that highlights early signs of stress caused by pollutants
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