Bioscience Methods 2024, Vol.15, No.4, 173-183 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/bm 173 Research Report Open Access Effects of Exposure to Sublethal Concentrations of Hexavalent Chromium on the Redox Homeostasis of Periwinkle (Tympanotonos fuscatus Linnaeus) Olufemi S. Salami , Olufemi S. Bamidele, Chris O. Adedire, Joseph A. Adeyemi 1 Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, Federal University of Technology, Akure, P.M.B. 704, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria 2 Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, Federal University of Technology, Akure, P.M.B. 704, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria 3 Department of Clinical Analyses, Toxicology and Food Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Avenida do Cafe’ s/no, CEP 14040-903 Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil Corresponding author, ossalami@futa.edu.ng, olufemisalami25@yahoo.com Bioscience Methods, 2024, Vol.15, No.4 doi: 10.5376/bm.2024.15.0018 Received: 01 Jul., 2024 Accepted: 15 Aug., 2024 Published: 28 Aug., 2024 Copyright © 2024 Salami et al., This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Salami O.S., Bamidele O.S., Adedire C.O., Adeyemi J.O., 2024, Effects of exposure to sublethal concentrations of hexavalent chromium on the redox homeostasis of periwinkle (Tympanotonos fuscatus Linnaeus) , Bioscience Methods, 15(4): 173-183 (doi: 10.5376/bm.2024.15.0018) Abstract The imbalance between the rate of production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the ability of the body to scavenge harmful free radicals (ROS) results in oxidative stress. Hexavalent chromium (Cr6+) is a toxic oxidation state of chromium that induces oxidative stress at high concentrations. In this study, periwinkles were exposed to sublethal concentrations (0.42, 0.84, and 4.2 mgl-1) of Cr6+ for 30 days while the unexposed animals served as control (0 mgl-1). Thereafter, the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase, and the levels of reduced glutathione as well as lipid peroxidation were determined using standard procedures. The results show that there was a concentration-dependent significant increase in the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase in the exposed animals compared to the control. The levels of reduced glutathione and lipid peroxidation decreased significantly in the exposed animals compared to the control. The results indicate that exposure to sublethal concentrations of Cr6+ can modulate redox homeostasis of periwinkles and consequently result in oxidative stress. The stress pattern shown by periwinkles in the presence of chemical stressor, Cr6+ can be an indicator for chemical pollutant in the environment. Keywords Lipid peroxidation; Antioxidant enzymes; Oxidative stress; Hexavalent chromium; Periwinkles 1 Introduction Periwinkle, Tympanotonos fuscatus Linnaeus, is a marine gastropod commonly found in intertidal zones and shallow brackish water (Melatunan, 2012; Levakin et al., 2013). It is an edible small snail with low fat and calorie content. Periwinkle is consumed by many all over the world. It plays a vital role to many coastal dwellers in several parts of the world where it serves as food and a source of income (Chioma et al., 2021). Periwinkles are rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals (Ehigiator and Oterai, 2012; Elegbede et al., 2023). Specifically, the protein content of its soft body has been shown to range from 15 to 25% of the dry weight (Db et al., 2017; Johnnie et al., 2020). The populations of periwinkles and other aquatic animals are threatened by various human activities, during which the levels of toxic metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, etc. might become elevated in the environment, thus exposing resident aquatic organisms to stress that may ultimately lead to death (Barone, 2013; Ekpo and Essien-Ibok, 2013; Baki et al., 2018). Aquatic molluscs including periwinkles have been employed as model organisms in ecotoxicological studies where they serve as bioindicators for toxic metal pollution; due to their ecological importance, relative abundance, and sensitivity to environmental changes (Otitoloju, 2002; Gupta and Singh, 2011; Krull and Newman, 2022). Hexavalent chromium (Cr6+) is one of the four oxidation states of chromium that is toxic, water-soluble, and a pollutant of public health concern (Garg et al., 2016; Shahpiri et al., 2021, Aliu et al., 2023). It is widely used in industries for leather tanning, electroplating, dyeing of fabrics etc. (Nigussie et al., 2012; Coetzee et al., 2020; Musah et al., 2021), as such it is not uncommon to detect Cr6+ at elevated levels in water bodies (Arunachalam et al., 2013; Fagbohun, 2016). The toxic effects of hexavalent chromium on aquatic animals are well stated, they include alterations in the condition index and protein metabolism, histopathological damages, cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, and reproductive impairments (Neves et al., 2015; Aliu et al., 2023; Salami et al., 2023).
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