Acute and chronic toxic effects of Pb2 + on polychaete Perinereis aibuhitensis: Morphological changes and responses of the antioxidant system

Perinereis aibuhitensis was used to assess adverse biological effects caused by acute and chronic Pb2 + exposure in artificial seawater under controlled laboratory conditions. In 96-hr acute toxicity experiments, the morphological changes showed a positive time/dose-dependent tendency, and the 96-hr LC50 value of Pb2 + was 686.41 mg/L. The responses of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants in tissues including catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), malondialdehyde (MDA) and the content of total soluble protein (TSP), were investigated on days 1, 4, 7 and 10 after Pb2 + exposure under chronic toxicity testing. Results showed that the activation of the antioxidant system in P. aibuhitensis depended on the Pb2 + concentration and the duration of exposure time. Specifically, POD and SOD activities were induced on the first day of the exposure and decreased to the control level on day 10 after exposure. Therefore, these two indexes could be used to indicate oxidative stress associated with P. aibuhitensis exposure to Pb2 +.