Effect of the temperature of air exposure on the oxidative stress status of commercial male southern king crab Lithodes santolla

Abstract

Live transport to markets requires a baseline on the effects of temperature during air-exposure and the subsequent recovery in water. Our aim was to analyze the physiological effect of 24 h of air exposure in commercial male Lithodes santolla at different temperatures and subsequent re-immersion. Three groups of animals were air-exposed at three temperatures (4 °C, 8 °C and 12 °C) for 24 h, and then re-submersed for 12 h. The control group was kept in water at 8 °C. Samples of haemolymph were extracted after air exposure and re-immersed. We measured superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), ascorbic acid (AA), and protein oxidation (PO). Animals exposed at 12 °C died during emersion. Almost all measured parameters changed with air exposure and temperature. The total recovery of most of the analyzed oxidative stress parameters was attained only at 8 °C, where SOD, CAT and GPx, AA, glucose, and pH returned to values similar to the control group. In animals exposed at 4 °C, only SOD and AA returned to basal levels. Acclimation temperature is an important parameter to consider in the shipping-stock chain of L. santolla, since changes in temperature might be an extra factor of stress during recovery of the animal, besides the reperfusion itself.