Environmental impact on the antioxidant responses in Corbicula fluminea (Bivalvia: Veneroida: Corbiculidae) from the Danube River

Abstract

The present study aims to assess the biological effects of different environmental pollution on the Asian clam Corbicula fluminea. Biomarkers indicative of oxidative stress (superoxide dismutase, SOD; catalase, CAT; glutathione peroxidase, GPx; glutathione reductase, GR; and the phase II biotransformation enzyme glutathione-S-transferase, GST) were measured in clams collected within the Serbian sector of the Danube River Basin at three locations: Vinjica, Zemun and Bela stena. Clams from Vinjica exhibited significantly higher SOD, CAT and GST activities than clams from the other two locations (p<0.05), whereas GPx and GR activities do not have such a marked pattern. An alteration in the activity of SOD, CAT and GST reflects the presence of certain pro-oxidative chemicals that can lead to oxidative stress in clams at the Vinjica site. In conclusion, the noted antioxidant disparities among clam populations from different locations reflected physiological sensitivity of C. fluminea to environmental change, supporting its use as a sentinel organism in biomonitoring investigations.