Aspects of antioxidant status in the polychaete Arenicola marina:tissue and subcellular distribution, and reaction to environmental hydrogen peroxide and elevated temperatures

Abstract

Solar radiation leads to hydrogen peroxide (H202) accumulation in shallow intertidal surface waters dunng daytime tidal emersion periods. The lugworm Arenjcola marina irrigates its sedimentary tubes with surface water containing variable H 2 0 2 concentrations. We studied aspects of the antioxidant status of the intertidal polychaete A. marina in response to seasonal variations of oxidative stress in its environment. Antioxidant enzyme activities [superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reductase (GR) and catalase] and v~tamin E were concentrated chiefly In the chloragog and to a lesser extent in body wall tissue. Response to experimental H 2 0 2 exposure (5 1.lmol I-') was confined to the chloragog tissue and consisted of elevated catalase activity. On a subcellular level, the major part of enzymatic antioxidants examined was found in the cytosolic (77 % of SOD activity, 60% of GR activity, 41% of catalase activity, 87% of total glutathione) and the peroxisomal (56% of catalase activity) fractions, whereas the same antioxidants were virtually absent in mitochondria. Gradual acclimation of winter A. marina (5°C) to higher ambient temperatures (20°C) over 20 d resulted in a doubling of chloragog SOD activities, while catalase activity was not affected. Elevated in situ concentrations of photoproduced H202 during summer (1.7 pm01 1-l) coincided with a significant increase of chloragog catalase activities in young (winter-317.97 + 78.3 U mg-' protein, summer: 783.41 + 192.7 U mg-' protein, means * SD) and in adult (winter: 480.09 * 160.1 U mg-' protein, summer: 1165.5 * 207.5 U mg-' prote~n) lugworms. Seasonal differences in the SOD activities of adult worms (winter: 16.06 i 4.69 SOD units mg-' protein; summer: 23.29 * 3.31 SOD units mg-' protein) were attributed to the elevated sediment temperatures in intertidal areas during summer.

Antioxidant enzyme activities and markers of oxidative stress in the life cycle of earthworm,Eudrilus eugeniae

“…Significant increase in the CAT activity has been observed between juveniles and adult worms. Our results are in agreement with those of SaintDenis et al (1998) on earthworm species Eisenia fetida, wherein catalase activity increased with age, and also in Arenicola, where CAT activity is higher in older compared to younger lugworms (Buchner et al 1996). Previous studies by Di Giulio et al (1989) indicated that CAT activity could be induced under conditions of oxidative stress.…”

Sea ice protects the embryos of the Antarctic sea urchin Sterechinus neumayeri from oxidative damage due to naturally enhanced levels of UV-B radiation

“…In the present study two commonly used enzymatic markers of ROS scavenging capacity, SOD and CAT, were used to determine if S. neumayeri embryos are capable of increasing their ROS scavenging capacity to protect themselves from UV-B-induced oxidative damage. Our results clearly demonstrate that although S. neumayeri embryos contain moderate to high levels of both SOD and CAT, when compared with the developing eggs and larvae of other marine animals (Buchner et al, 1996;Rudneva, 1999;Korkina et al, 2000;Regoli et al, 2002), that exposure to UV-B induces a small but significant dose-dependent increase in both SOD and CAT activities. also found an increase in SOD activity when the embryos of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis were exposed to UV-B.…”

Oxidative stress and antioxidative defense in cephalopods: a function of metabolic rate or age?

“…The picture arising from the literature is similarly diverse. For example, GR activity in younger A. marina was higher than in older lugworms, while in the latter catalase activity was increased (Buchner et al, 1996). In contrast, catalase activity in M. edulis decreased with increasing age of the animals (Viarengo et al, 1991a).…”