Glutathione S-transferase, catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and lipid peroxidation as biomarkers of oxidative stress in snails: A review

Abstract

Antioxidant defense plays a crucial role in the response of an organism to pollutants. Several
processes stimulate the production of free radicals or deplete the antioxidant defense, which if not regulated properly, may cause oxidative stress in the organisms, leading to damage in DNA, proteins or lipids. Free radicals are also beneficial as it plays an important role in defense against infectious agents, and signal transduction. Hence a delicate balance between antioxidants and free radicals is required. Oxidative stress biomarkers are very useful in disease etiology and environmental toxicological studies. The increase in anthropogenic activities and environmental awareness has resulted in an explosive increase of research in the field of oxidative stress. Snails are excellent organisms for environmental biomonitoring and contribute a major proportion of the invertebrate biomass. In our article, we have summarized the research carried out using glutathione S-transferase (GST), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and lipid peroxidation (LPO) in snails exposed to various toxicants and their implication in the environmental monitoring programs. In the end, we have discussed different factors affecting the variations in oxidative biomarkers response for a better understanding of the phenomenon.