Understanding the toxic mechanisms by which organisms cope to environmental stressful conditions is a fundamental question for ecotoxicology. In this study, we evaluated biochemical responses and hydrocarbons bioaccumulation of the mangrove oyster Crassostrea brasiliana exposed for 96 h to four sublethal concentrations of diesel fuel water-accommodated fraction (WAF). For that purpose, enzymatic activities (SOD, CAT, GPx, GR, G6PDH, GST and GGT), HSP60 and HSP90 immunocontent and lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels were determined in the gill and digestive gland of oysters and related to the hydrocarbons accumulated in the whole soft tissues. The results of this study revealed clear biochemical responses to diesel fuel WAF exposure in both tissues of the oyster. The capacity of C. brasiliana to bioaccumulate aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons in a dose-dependent manner is a strong indication of its suitability as a model in biomonitoring programs along the Brazilian coast, which was also validated by the response of the antioxidant defenses, phase II biotransformation and chaperones. HSP60 levels and GGT activity were the most promising biomarkers in the gill, while GST and GR activities stood out as suitable biomarkers for the detection of diesel toxicity in the digestive gland. The decrease of SOD activity and HSP90 levels may also reflect a negative effect of diesel exposure regardless the tissue. The present results provide a sound preliminary report on the biochemical responses of C. brasiliana challenged with a petroleum by-product and should be carefully considered for use in the monitoring of oil and gas activities in Brazil.
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