Several authors identified polychaetes as a group of marine invertebrates that respond rapidly to anthropogenic stressors. Furthermore, several studies have demonstrated that environmental pollution lead to the impoverishment of benthic communities with species replacement and biodiversity loss, but very few studies have investigated biochemical and physiological alterations that species undergo in response to Arsenic (As) exposure. Therefore, the present study assessed the toxicity induced in the polychaete Diopatra neapolitana after a long-term (28days) exposure to different As concentrations (0.0, 0.05, 0.25 and 1.25mg/L). For this biochemical and physiological alterations were evaluated. Biochemical analysis included the measurement of different biomarkers such as glutathione S-transferase (GST), lipid peroxidation (LPO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), reduced glutathione (GSH) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG) were assessed in order to evaluate oxidative stress. Physiological analyzes included the observation of polychaetes regenerative capacity and the quantification of organisms total protein (PROT) and glycogen (GLY) content. The results obtained allowed to confirm the suitability of these biomarkers to identify the toxicity caused by As and moreover revealed that D. neapolitana is a good bioindicator of As pollution.
Keywords: Arsenic; Biomarkers; Oxidative stress; Polychaete; Regenerative capacity; Sediment.
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