The usability of oxidative stress and detoxification biomarkers in Gammarus pulex for ecological risk assessment of textile dye methyl orange

The present study was undertaken to determine the toxicity of the methyl orange by using the changes of some antioxidant and detoxification enzyme activities in Gammarus pulex. Lethal Concentration (LC) value of Methyl Orange (MO) was determined. Three sublethal doses of MO (1/4; 1/8 and 1/16 of LC value) were exposed to G. pulex for 24 and 96?h. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), Catalase (CAT), Glutathione peroxidase (GSH-P_X), Cytochrome p450 (CYP1A1), Glutathione S-transferase (GST) activities as well as Glutathione (GSH) and Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were determined by using The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. The CAT and CYP1A1 activities were decreased in all the groups exposed to different doses of MO. GST activity and GSH, MDA levels were increased all the groups exposed to different doses of MO. The GSH-P_X activities were changed in all the groups. MO affected SOD activity at different levels and in different concentrations. In our study, it has been found that exposure duration didn’t significantly affect the biochemical biomarkers except for GST and GSH. In conclusion, alterations in antioxidant and detoxification enzymes and lipid peroxidation may potentially be used as sensitive biomarkers for risk assessment of dyes in the environment and may contribute to the establishment of discharge regulations.