Combined Effects of Elevated Temperature and Crude Oil Pollution on Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis in Sea Cucumber (Apostichopus japonicus, Selenka).

Xishan Li,Zhonglei Ju,Yali Gao,Deqi Xiong,Chengyan Wang,Guoxiang Liao,Nan Li

doi:10.3390/ijerph18020801

Abstract

Currently, global climate change and oil pollution are two main environmental concerns for sea cucumber (Apostichopus japonicus) aquaculture. However, no study has been conducted on the combined effects of elevated temperature and oil pollution on sea cucumber. Therefore, in the present study, we treated sea cucumber with elevated temperature (26 °C) alone, water-accommodated fractions (WAF) of Oman crude oil at an optimal temperature of 16 °C, and Oman crude oil WAF at an elevated temperature of 26 °C for 24 h. Results showed that reactive oxygen species (ROS) level and total antioxidant capacity in WAF at 26 °C treatment were higher than that in WAF at 16 °C treatment, as evidenced by 6.03- and 1.31-fold-higher values, respectively. Oxidative damage assessments manifested that WAF at 26 °C treatment caused much severer oxidative damage of the biomacromolecules (including DNA, proteins, and lipids) than 26 °C or WAF at 16 °C treatments did. Moreover, compared to 26 °C or WAF at 16 °C treatments, WAF at 26 °C treatment induced a significant increase in cellular apoptosis by detecting the caspase-3 activity. Our results revealed that co-exposure to elevated temperature and crude oil could simulate higher ROS levels and subsequently cause much severer oxidative damage and cellular apoptosis than crude oil alone on sea cucumber.

Highlights

Sea cucumber (Apostichopus japonicus, Selenka) is one of the typical marine benthic species, mainly inhabiting along the Northern Pacific coast (e.g., Russia, Japan, and northern China) [1,2]
In the present study, we explored the combined effects of elevated temperature and crude oil exposure on oxidative stress and apoptosis in the body wall of sea cucumber
Our results revealed that elevated temperature enhanced the stimulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and its secondary responses related to oxidative stress caused by crude oil to sea cucumber

Summary

Introduction

Sea cucumber (Apostichopus japonicus, Selenka) is one of the typical marine benthic species, mainly inhabiting along the Northern Pacific coast (e.g., Russia, Japan, and northern China) [1,2]. For its high value in nutrition and pharmaceuticals, sea cucumber is considered as one of the most commercially valuable species among seafoods [3]. It has become one of the most numerous aquaculture species in China, with a total annual production of over 210,000 t in 2018 [4,5]. Sea cucumber is mainly cultured by pond farming, pen culture, and sea ranching in the coastal zones of the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea of China [2,6]. Numerous studies have suggested that sea cucumber, with high acute sensitivities to environmental

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Conclusion