Biochemical responses and DNA damage in red sea bream from coastal Fujian Province, China

Relationships between measures of oxidative stress and adaptive antioxidant defenses were studied in red sea bream (Pagrus major, RSB) caged at eight locations along the Fujian coast, China. Oxidative damage in tissues was investigated by measuring concentrations of protein carbonyl (CP) and reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid peroxidation (LPO), acetyl cholinesterase activity (AChE), concentration of thiol groups and activities of enzymes associated with antioxidant defense. Magnitudes of antioxidant defense parameters were significantly, positively correlated with oxidative stress. Significantly greater ROS, LPO and CP content was observed in most tissues of RSB caged at three locations relative to those at the other locations. RSB caged at one location, Meizhou, exhibited significantly more DNA damage than did RSB caged at other locations. AChE activities in liver, kidney and muscle were statistically different among locations. Multivariate analyses were used to categorize the environmental quality of different locations. The battery of measures of oxidative stress proved to be a useful integrator of oxidative stresses that could be compared among locations.