Antioxidant defenses in three vesper bats(Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) during hibernation

Abstract

Hibernation of bats is characterized by considerable changes in the oxygen supply during the torpor arousal cycles. Thepurpose of this study was to examine the antioxidant defenses in tissues of the hibernating bats ( Eptesicus nilssonii ,Myotis brandtii , andPlecotus auritus ), attempting to relate the tissue antioxidant protection with the ecophysiological characteristics of the studiedspecies. We found that the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in the heart and the catalase activity in the skeletal muscle were higherinE. nilssoniithan inP.a u r i t u sand inM. brandtii . In comparison with studied hibernating bats,P. auritushad the lowest activitiesof SOD and catalase in the heart. In addition, the level of glutathione was higher in the liver, kidneys, and muscle inM. brandtiithanin the corresponding tissues of bothP. auritusandE. nilssonii . We conclude that the differences in the mechanisms of adaptation tohibernation of bats are the result of various ecophysiological characteristics among species.