Oxidative stress physiology in Scylla serrata for environmental health assessment

Abstract

The oxidative stress (OS) condition and antioxidant level as a function of pH, few major elements, temperature, turbidity, organic carbon, sediment, and water salinity are vital to understanding the redox homeostasis of inhabiting animals. These parameters are also used to monitor environmental health. A spatiotemporal redox antioxidant system, followed by discriminant function analysis about the aforementioned abiotic factors, was investigated in the muscle, gill, and hepatopancreas of the mud crab, Scylla serrata, sampled from the Indian coastal belt along the Bay of Bengal (Tamil Nadu and Odisha) and the Arabian Sea (Gujarat) as a measure of environmental health assessment. Results revealed that the redox homeostasis of mud crabs significantly varied with seasonal fluctuations of abiotic factors and sediment chemistry. The level of superoxide dismutase and the non-protein-SH group were negatively correlated, whereas other antioxidant molecules with lipid peroxidation levels were positively correlated with abiotic factors. Only the activities of glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase were strongly correlated with all the abiotic factors. The hepatopancreas was found to be the most susceptible organ to OS. The lipid peroxidation level was 20–25 times higher in hepatopancreatic tissue than that in other tissues. The antioxidant level was elevated to 200% during the summer compared to the rainy season. Thus, the results of redox homeostasis in S. serrata may be useful for monitoring the ecotoxic effects of estuarine and marine environments and managing the inhabiting species.