Dicentrarchus labrax L. Kidney antioxidant responses, lipid and dna damage at five different sites within the aveiro lagoon

Abstract

Several decades of anthropogenic influence on the Ria de Aveiro, have contributed to its water quality degradation. Thus, the present field study was carried out to investigate kidney antioxidants, lipid peroxidative and genotoxic responses in juvenile Dicentrarchus labrax L. was captured at five stations of Aveiro lagoon with different types and/or levels of environmental contamination: Torreira (TOR- assumed as reference site), Gafanha (GAF), Laranjo (LAR), Rio Novo do Príncipe (RIO) and Vagos (VAG). The activity of the antioxidant enzymes (catalase-CAT, glutathione peroxidise-GPx, glutathione reductase- GR) and glutathione S-transferase- GST) and non-enzymes (total non-protein thiols –NP-SH and total glutathione-GSHt) were used as environmental biomarkers on D. labrax. Damage was assessed as DNA strand breakage and lipid peroxidation (LPO). An overall induction in enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants was observed in sea bass at GAF, RIO and LAR expressed as significant high kidney CAT, GPx, GR activities as well as NP-SH and GSHt; however at VAG only CAT activity was significantly increased. Among the surveyed sites, kidney genotoxicity was observed at GAF and VAG; whereas LPO increase was only observed at GAF site. According to “integrated biomarker responses” index, the most and the least affected sites were GAF and TOR, respectively. The combination of protection and damage responses assessed in D. labrax kidney was an adequate strategy for the environmental health evaluation.