@conference{
author = "Mitić, Bojan and Vranković, Jelena and Stojanović, Dalibor and Pavlović, Slađan and Borković-Mitić, Slavica",
year = "2023",
abstract = "Sex-specific physiology includes a set of physiological traits that differ markedly
between males and females of the same species. In addition to the most obvious
differences between the sexes, such as reproductive roles controlled by sex-specific
endocrine systems, it has been demonstrated that the sexes may also differ in their
oxidative physiology. Centipedes, like other animals, possess a suite of antioxidant
enzymes (AOEs) and non-enzymatic antioxidants that delay, prevent, or remove
oxidative damage to target molecules. The aim of the present study was to
investigate sex-specific differences in the antioxidant defence system in three
centipede species from the Balkan Peninsula.
Here, we measured the activity of the following AOEs: superoxide dismutase
(SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), glutathione reductase
(GR), and glutathione S-transferase (GST), as well as the concentrations of sulfhydryl
(SH) groups and glutathione (GSH) in males and females of Eupolybothrus
transsylvanicus, Cryptops anomalans, and Clinopodes flavidus. In addition, we
measured lipid peroxidation (LPO) and protein carbonyl (PCO) concentrations in the
species studied to investigate whether sex-specific trends in the activity of AOEs may
lead to the occurrence of oxidative damage.
E. transsylvanicus, C. anomalans and C. flavidus were collected by hand from
under stones and bark on Ada Ciganlija Island (Belgrade, Serbia) in October 2022.
The sexes were distinguished by external characteristics or by dissection of genital
appendages. The biochemical and statistical analyses were performed following our
previous work in the field.
Overall, the most significant differences were found between E. transsylvanicus
and C. anomalans in the following parameters: SOD, CAT, GR, SH groups, LPO, and
PCO; then between C. anomalans and C. flavidus (GSH-Px, GR, SH groups, LPO, and
PCO), whereas the least significant differences were between E. transsylvanicus and
C. flavidus (GSH-Px only). Besides, SOD, GSH-Px and GSH showed significant
differences between males and females of E. transsylvanicus. In C. anomalans, GSHPx and GSH were significantly divided by sex, while in C. flavidus this was true only
for GST. Moreover, all measured AOEs in E. transsylvanicus had higher values in
males, while in the other two species the situation was reversed – the studied
parameters were higher in females.
Thus, the level of antioxidant defences depends on the species and sex of the
centipedes studied. Our results also suggest that females of centipedes that exhibit
parental care, such as C. anomalans and C. flavidus, have better antioxidant status
than males. This provides a starting point for future research on the evolutionary
causes of sex specificity in the oxidative physiology of centipedes.",
publisher = "Bogotá: Universidad Nacional De Colombia",
journal = "Program and Abstracts:19th International Congress Of Myriapodology; 2023 Aug 7-12; Bogotá, Colombia",
title = "Antioxidant defences in centipedes (Chilopoda): a question of sex",
url = "https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_ibiss_6121"
}
