Abstract
The relationship between the total carotenoid content and the state of the antioxidant (AO) complex was studied in tissues of the eurybiontic Black Sea bivalve mollusk Cerastoderma glaucum (Bruguière, 1789) from natural habitats which has a high oxidative stress tolerance. In the hepatopancreas, gills and foot, the total carotenoid content, glutathione peroxidase (GP), glutathione reductase (GR), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase activities, as well as the level of reduced glutathione (G-SH) and TBA-reactive products were determined. A direct correlation was established between the total carotenoid content and the GSH level (R2= 0.98) and GP activity (R2= 0.84). This reflects a possible synergistic interaction between these systems when performing AO functions. An inverse relationship was found between the total carotenoid content and SOD and catalase activities (R2= 0.97 and 0.98, respectively), which may relate to a possible competitive interrelationship of these two systems. The revealed correlations reflect specific interrelationships between carotenoids and the AO complex in the clam C. glaucum, as well as their role in the formation of adaptive responses of the mollusk to oxidative stress. They can also serve a starting point for further research aimed at obtaining biologically active substances with antioxidant properties from mollusk tissues.