Assessing physiological responses and oxidative stress effects in Rhamdia voulezi exposed to high temperatures

• Published in: Fish physiology and biochemistry Vol. 50; no. 2; pp. 617 - 633
• Main Authors: da Silva, Diego Ortiz, Ratko, Jonathan, Côrrea, Ana Paula Nascimento, da Silva, Niumaique Gonçalves, Pereira, Diego Mauro Carneiro, Schleger, Ieda Cristina, Neundorf, Ananda Karla Alvez, de Souza, Maria Rosa Dmengeon Pedreiro, Herrerias, Tatiana, Donatti, Lucélia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.04.2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: acute exposure; Animal Anatomy; Animal Biochemistry; Animal Physiology; Animals; antioxidant activity; antioxidant biomarkers; Antioxidants; Antioxidants - metabolism; Biological stress; Biomarkers; Biomarkers - metabolism; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Brazil; Carbonyls; Catalase; Catalase - metabolism; Catfishes - metabolism; Damage; Economic importance; Endemic species; Exposure; Fish; Freshwater & Marine Ecology; Gills; Gills - metabolism; Glucose 6 phosphate dehydrogenase; Glucosephosphate dehydrogenase; Glutathione; Glutathione - metabolism; Glutathione peroxidase; Glutathione Peroxidase - metabolism; Glutathione reductase; Glutathione transferase; Glutathione Transferase - metabolism; glutathione-disulfide reductase; Heat stress; Heat tolerance; High temperature; Histology; Kidneys; Life Sciences; Lipid Peroxidation; Lipids; Liver; Morphology; NADP-glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase; Oxidative stress; Oxidative Stress - physiology; Peroxidase; Peroxidation; Phosphates; Physiological effects; Physiological responses; Physiology; Reactive oxygen species; Reductases; Rhamdia; Rhamdia voulezi; rivers; Superoxide dismutase; Superoxide Dismutase - metabolism; Temperature; Temperature effects; thiols; Zoology; Brazil; Reactive oxygen species; Jundiá; Subtropical fish; Heat stress; Catfish; Environmental stress
• ISSN: 0920-1742; 1573-5168; 1573-5168
• DOI: 10.1007/s10695-023-01294-2

Exposure to high temperatures induces changes in fish respiration, resulting in an increased production of reactive oxygen species. This, in turn, affects the enzymatic and non-enzymatic components of antioxidant defenses, which are essential for mitigating cellular stress. Rhamdia voulezi , an economically important fish species endemic to Brazil’s Iguaçu River, served as the subject of our study. Our goal was to assess enzymatic antioxidant biomarkers (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione S-transferase, glutathione reductase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase), non-protein thiol levels (reduced glutathione), and markers of oxidative damage (lipoperoxidation and carbonylation) in the liver, gills, and kidneys of R. voulezi after acute exposure to high temperatures (31°C) for 2, 6, 12, 24, and 96 h. Control groups were maintained at 21°C. Our findings revealed that the liver exhibited increased superoxide dismutase levels up to 12 h and elevated glutathione S-transferase levels at 12 and 96 h at 31°C. In the gills, superoxide dismutase levels increased up to 24 h, along with increased lipoperoxidation at 2, 6, 12, and 96 h of exposure to high temperatures. The kidneys responded to heat stress at 12 h, with an increase in superoxide dismutase and catalase activity, and lipid peroxidation was observed at 2 and 6 h at 31°C. The three tissues evaluated responded differently to heat stress, with the liver demonstrating greater physiological adjustment to high temperatures. The intricate interplay of various antioxidant defense biomarkers and oxidative damage suggests the presence of oxidative stress in R. voulezi when exposed to high temperatures.