Effects of Copper Exposure on Oxidative Stress, Apoptosis, Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress, Autophagy and Immune Response in Different Tissues of Chinese Mitten Crab (Eriocheir sinensis)

Abstract

High concentrations of copper (Cu2+) pose a great threat to aquatic animals. However, the mechanisms underlying the response of crustaceans to Cu2+ exposure have not been well studied. Therefore, we investigated the alterations of physiological and molecular parameters in Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) after Cu2+ exposure. The crabs were exposed to 0 (control), 0.04, 0.18, and 0.70 mg/L of Cu2+ for 5 days, and the hemolymph, hepatopancreas, gills, and muscle were sampled. The results showed that Cu2+ exposure decreased the antioxidative capacity and promoted lipid peroxidation in different tissues. Apoptosis was induced by Cu2+ exposure, and this activation was associated with the mitochondrial and ERK pathways in the hepatopancreas. ER stress-related genes were upregulated in the hepatopancreas but downregulated in the gills at higher doses of Cu2+. Autophagy was considerably influenced by Cu2+ exposure, as evidenced by the upregulation of autophagy-related genes in the hepatopancreas and gills. Cu2+ exposure also caused an immune response in different tissues, especially the hepatopancreas, where the TLR2-MyD88-NF-κB pathway was initiated to mediate the inflammatory response. Overall, our results suggest that Cu2+ exposure induces oxidative stress, ER stress, apoptosis, autophagy, and immune response in E. sinensis, and the toxicity may be implicated following the activation of the ERK, AMPK, and TLR2-MyD88-NF-κB pathways.

Assessment of Oxidative Stress in Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Exposed to Fenvalerate: Analysis of Antioxidant Enzyme Gene Expression and Enzyme Activity

“…Moreover, they attributed this reduction in antioxidant enzyme activities to the copper-induced escalation in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Another study conducted by Feng et al (2022) explored changes in physiological and molecular parameters in Chinese mitten crabs following exposure to copper. This investigation revealed that copper exposure led to oxidative stress, apoptosis, endoplasmic reticulum stress, autophagy, and an immune response in various tissues of Chinese mitten crabs.…”

FNBP4 is a Potential Biomarker Associated with Cuproptosis and Promotes Tumor Progression in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

“…Copper is an important nutrient involved in a variety of biological functions including mitochondrial respiration, oxidative stress, and cytotoxicity. [19][20][21] Dysregulation of copper homeostasis has been associated with tumor proliferation, angiogenesis, and metastasis, suggesting that copper may play a role in tumor progression. [22][23][24] Studies have found that liver copper content is closely related to HCC, and serum copper and ceruloplasmin levels could be used as markers for HCC detection.…”

Effects of Prometryn Exposure on Hepatopancreas Oxidative Stress and Intestinal Flora in Eriocheir sinensis (Crustacea: Decapoda)

“…On the other hand, neonicotinoid insecticide exposure can alter the activity of drug-metabolizing enzymes in the hepatopancreas (the major organ of drug metabolism) of Eriocheir sinensis , most commonly cytochrome P450, which acts as a class of the subtilisin family of proteins involved in phase I detoxification processes [ 28 ]. Cytochrome P450 is also considered to be an important and sensitive parameter for the detection of environmental toxicants [ 29 ]. After the first phase of detoxification, glutathione-S-transferase (GST) begins to participate in the second phase of detoxification by catalyzing the coupling reaction between glutathione (GSH) and toxic substances, which increases the water solubility of toxic compounds and thus facilitates their excretion from the body, ultimately achieving the detoxification effect [ 30 ].…”