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. 2023 Aug 23;12(9):1659.
doi: 10.3390/antiox12091659.

Changes in pH and Nitrite Nitrogen Induces an Imbalance in the Oxidative Defenses of the Spotted Babylon (Babylonia areolata)

Ruixia Ding  1   2 , Rui Yang  1   2 , Zhengyi Fu  1   2   3 , Wang Zhao  1   2 , Minghao Li  1   2 , Gang Yu  1   2 , Zhenhua Ma  1   2   3 , Humin Zong  4
Affiliations

Changes in pH and Nitrite Nitrogen Induces an Imbalance in the Oxidative Defenses of the Spotted Babylon (Babylonia areolata)

Ruixia Ding et al. Antioxidants (Basel). .

Abstract

In order to reveal the acute toxicity and physiological changes of the spotted babylon (Babylonia areolata) in response to environmental manipulation, the spotted babylon was exposed to three pH levels (7.0, 8.0 and 9.0) of seawater and four concentrations of nitrite nitrogen (0.02, 2.7, 13.5 and 27 mg/L). The activities of six immunoenzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), catalase (CAT), acid phosphatase (ACP), alkaline phosphatase (AKP) and peroxidase (POD), were measured. The levels of pH and nitrite nitrogen concentrations significantly impacted immunoenzyme activity over time. After the acute stress of pH and nitrite nitrogen, the spotted babylon appeared to be unresponsive to external stimuli, exhibited decreased vigor, slowly climbed the wall, sank to the tank and could not stand upright. As time elapsed, with the extension of time, the spotted babylon showed a trend of increasing and then decreasing ACP, AKP, CAT and SOD activities in order to adapt to the mutated environment and improve its immunity. In contrast, POD and GSH-PX activities showed a decrease followed by an increase with time. This study explored the tolerance range of the spotted babylon to pH, nitrite nitrogen, and time, proving that external stimuli activate the body's immune response. The body's immune function has a specific range of adaptation to the environment over time. Once the body's immune system was insufficient to adapt to this range, the immune system collapsed and the snail gradually died off. This study has discovered the suitable pH and nitrite nitrogen ranges for the culture of the spotted babylon, and provides useful information on the response of the snail's immune system.

Keywords: acidity; alkalinity; behavior; gastrapods; immunase; nitrous acid.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Experimental design of the study.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effect of pH and nitrite nitrogen stress on the GSH-PX activity of the spotted babylon. Orange indicates pH = 7.0; pink indicates pH = 8.0; gray indicates pH = 9.0. (A) nitrite nitrogen concentration = 0.02 mg/L; (B) nitrite nitrogen concentration = 2.7 mg/L; (C) nitrite nitrogen concentration = 13.5 mg/L; (D) nitrite nitrogen concentration = 27 mg/L. Significant differences are indicated between different letters (p < 0.05).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effect of pH and nitrite nitrogen stress on the ACP activity of the spotted babylon. Orange indicates pH = 7.0; pink indicates pH = 8.0; gray indicates pH = 9.0. (A) nitrite nitrogen concentration = 0.02 mg/L; (B) nitrite nitrogen concentration = 2.7 mg/L; (C) nitrite nitrogen concentration = 13.5 mg/L; (D) nitrite nitrogen concentration = 27 mg/L. Significant differences are indicated between different letters (p < 0.05).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Effect of pH and nitrite nitrogen stress on the AKP activity of the spotted babylon. Orange indicates pH = 7.0; pink indicates pH = 8.0; gray indicates pH = 9.0. (A) nitrite nitrogen concentration = 0.02 mg/L; (B) nitrite nitrogen concentration = 2.7 mg/L; (C) nitrite nitrogen concentration = 13.5 mg/L; (D) nitrite nitrogen concentration = 27 mg/L. Significant differences are indicated between different letters (p < 0.05).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Effect of pH and nitrite nitrogen stress on the POD activity of the spotted babylon. Orange indicates pH = 7.0; pink indicates pH = 8.0; gray indicates pH = 9.0. (A) nitrite nitrogen concentration = 0.02 mg/L; (B) nitrite nitrogen concentration = 2.7 mg/L; (C) nitrite nitrogen concentration = 13.5 mg/L; (D) nitrite nitrogen concentration = 27 mg/L. Significant differences are indicated between different letters (p < 0.05).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Effect of pH and nitrite nitrogen stress on the CAT activity of the spotted babylon. Orange indicates pH = 7.0; pink indicates pH = 8.0; gray indicates pH = 9.0. (A) nitrite nitrogen concentration = 0.02 mg/L; (B) nitrite nitrogen concentration = 2.7 mg/L; (C) nitrite nitrogen concentration = 13.5 mg/L; (D) nitrite nitrogen concentration = 27 mg/L. Significant differences are indicated between different letters (p < 0.05).
Figure 7
Figure 7
Effect of pH and nitrite nitrogen stress on the SOD activity of the spotted babylon. Orange indicates pH = 7.0; pink indicates pH = 8.0; gray indicates pH = 9.0. (A) nitrite nitrogen concentration = 0.02 mg/L; (B) nitrite nitrogen concentration = 2.7 mg/L; (C) nitrite nitrogen concentration = 13.5 mg/L; (D) nitrite nitrogen concentration = 27 mg/L. Significant differences are indicated between different letters (p < 0.05).
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