Antioxidant Response in Aquatic Animals

A special issue of Antioxidants (ISSN 2076-3921).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 December 2025 | Viewed by 4824

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Unidad Multidisciplinaria de Docencia e Investigación, Facultad de Ciencias, UNAM, Puerto de Abrigo s/n, Sisal 97356, Mexico
Interests: antioxidant system and nutrition and culture

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are produced via mitochondrial respiration in all tissues in aquatic organisms, are deactivated by the antioxidant enzyme system, which constitutes superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and catalase (CAT), among other enzymes. This system is responsible for protecting cell membranes and preventing lipid peroxidation. This system is especially important in the case of the gills, in which there is gas exchange activity and ammonia excretion, since these processes release a high amount of ROS, which need to be controlled through the antioxidant system. This Special Issue welcomes original research and reviews on the antioxidant system in aquatic animals. Articles pertaining to invertebrates, such as shrimp and mollusks, and vertebrates, such as freshwater and marine fish, are welcome. This research covers both in vitro and in vivo studies related to any of the following topics: nutrition; immunology and physiology related to the presence of reactive species scavenging radicals or the modulation of their production; antioxidant defense systems and pathways; inflammation; mitochondrial disfunction; cell death; and differential expression in the antioxidant system.

Prof. Dr. Martha Gabriela Gaxiola-Cortes
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • antioxidant system
  • respiration
  • nutrition
  • culture
  • fish
  • aquatic animals
  • reactive oxygen species (ROS)
  • superoxide dismutase (SOD)

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 2592 KiB  
Article
Comprehensive Evaluation of Growth Performance, Hematological Parameters, Antioxidant Capacity, Innate Immunity, and Disease Resistance in Crucian Carp (Carassius auratus) Lacking Intermuscular Bones
by Ran Zhao, Jianqiang Zhu, Shaowu Li, Zhipeng Sun, Tingting Zhang, Jing Wang, Xianhu Zheng, Youyi Kuang and Di Wang
Antioxidants 2025, 14(4), 443; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox14040443 - 8 Apr 2025
Viewed by 358
Abstract
The presence of intermuscular bones severely affects the edibility and value-added processing of crucian carp (Carassius auratus), becoming a constraint to the high-quality development of its industry. Our previous study identified bmp6 as the key osteogenic regulator and successfully developed a [...] Read more.
The presence of intermuscular bones severely affects the edibility and value-added processing of crucian carp (Carassius auratus), becoming a constraint to the high-quality development of its industry. Our previous study identified bmp6 as the key osteogenic regulator and successfully developed a new crucian carp strain lacking intermuscular bones (WUCI) using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. To accelerate its industrialization, we comprehensively assessed WUCI’s growth performance, hematological parameters, antioxidant capacity, innate immunity, and disease resistance. The results demonstrated that the WUCI exhibited significant growth performance compared to the wild-type crucian carp (WT), with significantly higher weight gain (WG) and specific growth rate (SGR) (p < 0.05) from one month to four months of age. The α-amylase (α-AL) activity of the liver and intestines of WUCI was significantly higher than that of WT. WUCI also displayed enhanced intestinal antioxidant capacity, with superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities significantly higher than those in WT (p < 0.05). The malondialdehyde (MDA) content in the spleen of WUCI was significantly lower than that of WT (p < 0.05); no differences were observed in the liver and intestines (p > 0.05). Additionally, hepatic acid phosphatase (ACP) activity in WUCI was significantly higher than that in WT (p < 0.05). In contrast, splenic ACP and intestinal alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities were significantly lower than those in WT (p < 0.05). Notably, the iron concentration in the serum was significantly higher in WUCI than in the WT (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, WUCI exhibited significantly lower a expression of hepcidin, TF, and TFR1 mRNA in the liver compared to WT (p < 0.05), while FPN mRNA expression was significantly higher (p < 0.05). Routine blood tests revealed significantly lower WBC in WUCI compared to that of WT (p < 0.05). Following an Aeromonas hydrophila challenge, WT demonstrated a rapid transcriptional induction of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6) and immunoregulatory mediators (IL-10, TGF-β), with mRNA levels reaching maximal expression at 24 h post-infection (hpi) followed by progressive attenuation. In contrast, WUCI exhibited a delayed immune activation profile characterized by the peak expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-10 transcripts after 72 hpi, with the maximum transcript abundance remaining lower than corresponding peak values observed in WT at 24 hpi. Finally, we observed that the mortality rate of WUCI was slightly higher post A. hydrophila infection when compared to WT, but was not significant (p > 0.05). In conclusion, this study provides a comprehensive evaluation of WUCI, revealing its distinct growth advantages, physiological adaptations, and immune function, presenting its potential for aquaculture breeding applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidant Response in Aquatic Animals)
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15 pages, 4977 KiB  
Article
Effects of Seaweed Polysaccharide on the Growth and Physiological Health of Largemouth Bass, Micropterus salmoides
by Dongyu Huang, Jiaze Gu, Hualiang Liang, Mingchun Ren and Chunyu Xue
Antioxidants 2025, 14(1), 52; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox14010052 - 4 Jan 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 695
Abstract
A seven-week trial was designed to evaluate the effects of dietary seaweed polysaccharide (SP) supplementation on the growth performance and physiological health of largemouth bass. The results reveal that the 0.05SP group showed the best growth performance. The mRNA expression levels of tor [...] Read more.
A seven-week trial was designed to evaluate the effects of dietary seaweed polysaccharide (SP) supplementation on the growth performance and physiological health of largemouth bass. The results reveal that the 0.05SP group showed the best growth performance. The mRNA expression levels of tor, 4ebp1, and igf1 genes were remarkably down-regulated in the 0.15SP and 0.2SP groups compared to the control group. The CAT activities were significantly increased in the 0.05SP and 0.1SP groups, and the GSH-Px activity was increased in the 0.15SP group. The expression of the immune response-related gene nfκb was significantly down-regulated in the 0.1SP group, and those of tnfα and il-8 were at the maximum in the control group. Moreover, the expression of il-10 in the 0.15SP and 0.2SP groups was significantly down-regulated. Furthermore, endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS)-related expression of atf6 was the highest in the control group. Furthermore, the chopα and bax expression levels in the 0.15SP and 0.2SP groups were significantly down-regulated compared with other groups. In addition, the highest expression level of bcl-xl was observed in the 0.15SP group. Finally, the quadratic regression analysis of antioxidant, immune, and ERS core parameters (CAT, nf-κb, and bcl-xl) determined 0.06–0.11% to be the optimal SP supplemental level in largemouth bass diets. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidant Response in Aquatic Animals)
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25 pages, 25188 KiB  
Article
Biomonitoring of Heavy Metal Toxicity in Freshwater Canals in Egypt Using Creeping Water Bugs (Ilyocoris cimicoides): Oxidative Stress, Histopathological, and Ultrastructural Investigations
by Lamia M. El-Samad, Esraa A. Arafat, Ola Mohamed Nour, Nessrin Kheirallah, Mohammed E. Gad, Mohamed Hagar, Zeinab A. El-Moaty and Mohamed A. Hassan
Antioxidants 2024, 13(9), 1039; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox13091039 - 27 Aug 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2007
Abstract
The abundance of metal pollutants in freshwater habitats poses serious threats to the survival and biodiversity of aquatic organisms and human beings. This study intends for the first time to assess the pernicious influences of heavy metals in Al Marioteya canal freshwater in [...] Read more.
The abundance of metal pollutants in freshwater habitats poses serious threats to the survival and biodiversity of aquatic organisms and human beings. This study intends for the first time to assess the pernicious influences of heavy metals in Al Marioteya canal freshwater in Egypt, compared to Al Mansoureya canal as a reference site utilizing the creeping water bug (Ilyocoris cimicoides) as an ecotoxicological model. The elemental analysis of the water showed a significantly higher incidence of heavy metals, including cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), and lead (Pb), in addition to the calcium (Ca) element than the World Health Organization’s (WHO) permitted levels. The Ca element was measured in the water samples to determine whether exposure to heavy metals-induced oxidative stress engendered Ca deregulation in the midgut tissues of the creeping water bug. Remarkably, increased levels of these heavy metals were linked to an increase in chemical oxygen demand (COD) at the polluted site. Notably, the accumulation of these heavy metals in the midgut tissues resulted in a substantial reduction in antioxidant parameters, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and ascorbate peroxidase (APOX), along with a marked rise in malondialdehyde (MDA), cytochrome P450, and protein carbonyl levels. These results clearly indicate a noticeable disturbance in the antioxidant defense system due to uncontrollable reactive oxygen species (ROS). Notably, the results demonstrated that oxidative stress caused disturbances in Ca levels in the midgut tissue of I. cimicoides from polluted sites. Furthermore, the comet and flow cytometry analyses showed considerable proliferations of comet cells and apoptotic cells in midgut tissues, respectively, exhibiting prominent correlations, with pathophysiological deregulation. Interestingly, histopathological and ultrastructural examinations exposed noticeable anomalies in the midgut, Malpighian tubules, and ovarioles of I. cimicoides, emphasizing our findings. Overall, our findings emphasize the potential use of I. cimicoides as a bioindicator of heavy metal pollution in freshwater to improve sustainable water management in Egypt. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidant Response in Aquatic Animals)
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16 pages, 3935 KiB  
Article
Exploration of the Synergistic Regulation Mechanism in Cerebral Ganglion and Heart of Eriocheir sinensis on Energy Metabolism and Antioxidant Homeostasis Maintenance under Alkalinity Stress
by Meiyao Wang, Jun Zhou, Gangchun Xu and Yongkai Tang
Antioxidants 2024, 13(8), 986; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox13080986 - 14 Aug 2024
Viewed by 977
Abstract
(1) The development and utilization of the vast saline–alkali land worldwide is an important way to solve the worsening food crisis. Eriocheir sinensis, due to its strong osmotic regulation capability and its characteristics of being suitable for culturing in alkaline water, has [...] Read more.
(1) The development and utilization of the vast saline–alkali land worldwide is an important way to solve the worsening food crisis. Eriocheir sinensis, due to its strong osmotic regulation capability and its characteristics of being suitable for culturing in alkaline water, has become a potential aquaculture species in saline–alkali water. The brain and heart are the key tissues for signal transduction and energy supply under environmental stress. (2) This study is the first to explore the synergistic regulatory molecular mechanism by integrated analysis on cerebral ganglion proteomics and heart metabolomics of Eriocheir sinensis under alkalinity stress. (3) The results indicate that the cerebral ganglion and heart of E. sinensis were closely related in response to acute alkalinity stress. The differential regulatory pathways mainly involved regulation of energy metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and homeostasis maintenance. Importantly, alkalinity stress induced the regulation of antioxidants and further adjusted longevity and rhythm in the cerebral ganglion and heart, reflecting that the cerebral ganglion and heart may be the key tissues for the survival of Eriocheir sinensis under an alkalinity environment. (4) This study provides a theoretical reference for research on the regulation mechanism of E. sinensis under alkalinity condition and contributes to the development of aquaculture in saline–alkali water. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidant Response in Aquatic Animals)
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