Lipid Peroxidation in Hepatopancreas, Gill, and Hemolymph of Male and Female Crabs Platyxanthus Orbignyi after Air Exposure

Abstract

Levels of lipid peroxidation in hepatopancreas (HP), gill (G), and hemolymph (HYM) of stone violaceous crab Platyxanthus orbignyi (Milne Edwards and Lucas (1843)) were performed to examine the effect of short exposure to air. After four hours animals were collected, 14 from exposure to air and 10 from seawater were dissected and their lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels were evaluated using the ferrous oxidation-xylenol orange (FOX) method, in gill, hepatopancreas, and hemolymph. The total mortality of those crabs was evaluated after seven hours at 22 ± 1 °C on exposure to air conditions. Levels of LPO in hepatopancreas (female/male = 4.68 ± 1.60/5.12 ± 1.59 Eq-H2O2/g wet tissue) and hemolymph (female/male = 1.48 ± 1.42/1.28 ± 1.06 Eq-H2O2/g wet tissue) displayed no significant differences, in contrast, gills displayed significant differences (male/female = 5.63 ± 0.83/4.63 ± 0.44 Eq-H2O2/g wet tissue, p < 0.05). The results showed that air exposure in the short term in this study induces a different response in oxidative stress levels and damage could be accompanied by accumulation of peroxide lipids (LOOH). These results suggest that different organs can show different responses to oxidative stress between male and female crabs to this species.