Effect of seasonality on oxidative stress responses and metal accumulation in soft tissues of Aulacomya atra, a mussel from the South Atlantic Patagonian coast.

This study investigated the effects of pollution and its interaction with temperature on the oxidative status of the ribbed mussel Aulacomya atra in the southern Atlantic Patagonian coast. Animals were collected from four sites with different degree and type of human activity impact, during the summer and winter of 2011. Seawater chromium, copper, manganese, nickel and zinc concentrations were measured, as well as metal accumulation, lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation, reduced glutathione levels, and enzymatic activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione-S-transferase in gills and digestive glands.