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14.7
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Antioxidants
Special Issues
Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Defenses in Aquatic Animals
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Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Defenses in Aquatic Animals

A Special Issue of Antioxidants (ISSN 2076-3921) belonging to the section "Health Outcomes of Antioxidants and Oxidative Stress".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 1971

Editors

Prof. Dr. Cristina Elena Trenzado Romero

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Cellular Biology, University of Granada, 18072 Granada, Spain
Interests: animal welfare; fish nutrition; histology; metabolism; oxidative stress; plecoptera physiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Laura María Pantoja Echevarría

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Zoology, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
Interests: animal well-being; aquaculture; ecotoxicology; nutrition; oxidative stress; physiology; pollution; stable isotopes; trophic ecology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Currently, changes in aquatic conditions, interactions between different species that coexist in the same ecosystem, and other factors such as nutrition, pollutants, or anthropogenic activity are factors that can trigger physiological and metabolic responses in these organisms in order to restore their balance. However, this response, which may initially be beneficial, can cause an alteration in oxidative status if it persists over time, associated with an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the response of endogenous antioxidant defense systems.

This Special Issue aims to bring together studies that reflect the latest advances from a multidisciplinary perspective (molecular biology, enzymatic, histological studies, etc.) in terms of assessing the mechanisms involved in the antioxidant response, whether in natural environments, under experimental conditions or in aquaculture conditions. The fact that these parameters can be considered markers of well-being opens up a field of interest for improving the conditions in which these organisms live.

Prof. Dr. Cristina Elena Trenzado Romero
Dr. Laura María Pantoja Echevarría
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Antioxidants is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • aquatic animals
  • ecosystem
  • reactive oxygen species
  • aquaculture
  • oxidative stress

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 3401 KB  
Article
Physiological Responses in the Hepatopancreas of Litopenaeus vannamei to Carbonate Alkalinity Stress and Subsequent Recovery: Integration of Antioxidant, Immune, and Metabolic Profiles
by Ruijie Zhu, Meng Xiao, Falin Zhou, Zhe Pan, Jianhua Huang and Yafei Duan
Antioxidants 2026, 15(9), 1052; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15091052 - 23 Aug 2026
Viewed by 217
Abstract
High carbonate alkalinity (CA) is a major constraint on shrimp culture in saline–alkaline waters. The hepatopancreas is central to shrimp immunity and metabolic regulation. Litopenaeus vannamei underwent a 7-day exposure period to 5 mmol/L CA, followed by a subsequent 7-day recovery phase after [...] Read more.
High carbonate alkalinity (CA) is a major constraint on shrimp culture in saline–alkaline waters. The hepatopancreas is central to shrimp immunity and metabolic regulation. Litopenaeus vannamei underwent a 7-day exposure period to 5 mmol/L CA, followed by a subsequent 7-day recovery phase after removal of the stressor. The physiological regulatory mechanism of the hepatopancreas during CA stress and recovery was investigated by integrating multiple biological levels including histomorphology, antioxidant and immune indices, energy metabolism, and metabolite profiles. Results showed that CA stress induced structural changes in the hepatopancreas and triggered stress responses. Specifically, a significant upregulation was observed in genes involved in antioxidation (romo1, nrf2, gpx, hsp70), apoptosis (casp-9, casp-3), endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress (ire1, xbp1), immune defense (alf, crus, pen-3, lys, propo), and detoxification (cyp450). CA stress also increased osmoregulatory genes (ccp, nhe, ca, aqp, vatp, nka-β, nka-α), whereas clc and tip4 were suppressed. CA stress reduced the levels of energy-metabolism-related biochemical indicators, including glucose (GLU), pyruvic acid (PYR), lactic acid (LAC) and triglycerides (TG), while markedly inducing the expression of genes involved in carbohydrate metabolism (ldh, pdh, hk, pk), lipid metabolism (ampk, srebp, fas), the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle (mdh, cs, idh, odh, sdh, fh), and the electron transport chain (ETC) (ndh, cytc, coi, cco, atph). Moreover, the hepatopancreatic metabolic profile was remodeled, especially “phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis” and the metabolism of β-alanine, arachidonic acid, linoleic acid, and sphingolipids being substantially altered during both the stress and recovery phases. Several functional metabolites linked to stress responses were further pinpointed. Following stress relief, some physiological parameters partially recovered, yet overall function failed to return to normal. Collectively, CA stress compromised hepatopancreatic homeostasis by damaging morphological integrity, eliciting stress and immune responses, and perturbing energy metabolism and metabolite homeostasis; these adverse effects were not readily reversible in the short term. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Defenses in Aquatic Animals)
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15 pages, 10039 KB  
Article
Physiological and Transcriptomic Responses to Cold Stress in Taiwan Loach (Paramisgurnus dabryanus ssp. Taiwan)
by Wei Zhou, Jiale Chen, Yacheng Hu, Dezhi Li, Tengfei Yu and Huaishun Shen
Antioxidants 2026, 15(8), 1022; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15081022 - 17 Aug 2026
Viewed by 350
Abstract
The Taiwan loach (Paramisgurnus dabryanus ssp. Taiwan) is a popular cultured fish in southern China due to its rich nutritional content and rapid growth. Oxidative stress and homeostatic imbalance induced by low temperature are among the key factors restricting its large-scale aquaculture. [...] Read more.
The Taiwan loach (Paramisgurnus dabryanus ssp. Taiwan) is a popular cultured fish in southern China due to its rich nutritional content and rapid growth. Oxidative stress and homeostatic imbalance induced by low temperature are among the key factors restricting its large-scale aquaculture. Therefore, it is of great significance to investigate the oxidative stress damage and the adaptive mechanisms employed by this species in response to low temperature. In this study, the water temperature was lowered from 24 °C to 8 °C at a rate of 2 °C/h. Afterwards, the temperature was held at 8 °C for two durations: 12 h and 48 h. Antioxidant indices indicated that the Taiwan loach suffered from oxidative stress damage at the 12 h stage, but the antioxidant enzyme defense system was not fully activated. As the cold stress extended to 48 h, the activities of total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and catalase (CAT) increased significantly (p < 0.01). Histological observations revealed that the livers exhibited cellular vacuolation, sinusoid congestion and karyolysis under cold stress. Transcriptomic data revealed that the Taiwan loach underwent adaptive alterations in response to low temperature through diverse pathways. We speculate that, at low temperature, the Taiwan loach may, on the one hand, regulate lipid metabolism to maintain cell membrane fluidity and meet energy demands, and, on the other hand, reprogram protein synthesis and processing to avert the overaccumulation of misfolded proteins. In addition, it also adopts a strategy of lysine and polyamine accumulation. This study provides a novel theoretical basis for breeding cold-tolerant varieties of Taiwan loach and optimizing overwintering aquaculture management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Defenses in Aquatic Animals)
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16 pages, 3153 KB  
Article
Protein Disulfide Isomerase A6 (PDIA6) Restrains Heat-Induced Oxidative Damage in Haemocytes of the Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas)
by Pengcheng Sun, Ming Li, Peng Li, Yang Ma, Lei Gao, Xueshu Zhang, Lingling Wang and Linsheng Song
Antioxidants 2026, 15(8), 963; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15080963 - 1 Aug 2026
Viewed by 396
Abstract
Heat stress causes severe oxidative damage and immune cell death in marine bivalves, but its upstream regulators remain unclear. This study identified regulators linking heat stress to oxidative damage in Pacific oyster haemocytes. Under 30 °C exposure, the apoptosis rate of oyster haemocytes [...] Read more.
Heat stress causes severe oxidative damage and immune cell death in marine bivalves, but its upstream regulators remain unclear. This study identified regulators linking heat stress to oxidative damage in Pacific oyster haemocytes. Under 30 °C exposure, the apoptosis rate of oyster haemocytes increased from ~4.54% to 17.40% at 24 h, accompanied by elevated ROS, malondialdehyde, and lipid hydroperoxide and reduced SOD activity. GSEA and protein interaction analysis of the haemocyte transcriptome pinpointed protein disulfide isomerase A6 (CgPDIA6) as the hub gene linking endoplasmic reticulum stress, apoptosis, and oxidative stress. Single-cell in silico knockout placed CgPDIA6 at the head of a coupled SOD–peroxiredoxin relay (CgSOD1, CgSOD2, CgPRDX6) and shifted haemocytes toward a stress-activated state. This prediction was confirmed by RNAi knockdown, in which silencing CgPDIA6 aggravated heat-induced oxidative injury, reduced the expression of antioxidant-related genes (CgSOD1, CgSOD2, and CgPRDX6), and further suppressed SOD activity. Molecular dynamics simulations showed that heat destabilized its catalytic thioredoxin domains, compromising its protective function. These results demonstrate that CgPDIA6 protects haemocytes against heat-induced oxidative damage by sustaining antioxidant enzyme activity, providing insights into redox regulation and heat adaptation in mollusks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Defenses in Aquatic Animals)
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19 pages, 4098 KB  
Article
Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Defense Mechanisms in Sepia esculenta Larvae Induced by Co-Exposure to Environmental Cadmium and Copper
by Xueyu Zhu, Xiaokai Bao, Mingzhi Guo, Weijun Wang, Xiumei Liu, Jianmin Yang and Zan Li
Antioxidants 2026, 15(6), 695; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15060695 - 30 May 2026
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 576
Abstract
Cu and Cd, as common heavy metals occurring in the oceans, can induce oxidative stress and toxic responses in marine organisms. Important economic cephalopods inhabit the eastern coastal areas of China, and exposure to Cu and Cd poses a threat to their normal [...] Read more.
Cu and Cd, as common heavy metals occurring in the oceans, can induce oxidative stress and toxic responses in marine organisms. Important economic cephalopods inhabit the eastern coastal areas of China, and exposure to Cu and Cd poses a threat to their normal physiological activities, resulting in serious inhibition of their growth. However, the underlying toxicological mechanisms affecting these cephalopods’ larval stages remain to be elucidated. Here, indicators of oxidative stress and transcriptomics were employed to analyze the toxicological mechanisms of S. esculenta larvae exposed to Cd and Cu. GO and KEGG analysis results indicated that material transport, cellular processes, DNA replication, and other processes were inhibited. A comprehensive analysis of a protein–protein interaction network and KEGG pathways was used to explore the mechanism underlying the toxicity of co-exposure to Cu and Cd toward S. esculenta larvae. We found that Cu and Cd induce significant damage and oxidative stress. The results showed that among 20 identified key genes, ITGA4, LAMA1, and LAMC1, which are involved in the adhesion and connection between cells and the extracellular matrix; COL6A1, COL6A3, COL6A4, and COL6A6, which maintain the integrity of the extracellular matrix; and ABCA1, ABCC5, and ABCC7, which regulate the transmembrane transport of Cu and Cd were involved in the mechanism of toxicity. We suggest that co-exposure to the metals primarily inhibits the connection and adhesion between the cells of the larvae and disrupts the structure and function of the extracellular matrix. The results provide a foundation for understanding the toxicological mechanism of S. esculenta and should be of benefit to artificial breeding programs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Defenses in Aquatic Animals)
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