Glutathione antioxidant complex and carotenoid composition in tissues of the bivalve mollusk <Emphasis Type="Italic">Anadara kagoshimensis</Emphasis> (Tokunaga, 1906)

The correlation of the state of glutathione complex composed of reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione reductase (GR) activity and glutathione peroxidase (GP) and the qualitative composition of carotenoids was investigated in the bivalve mollusk Anadara kagoshimensis (Tokunaga, 1906). Using high-performance liquid chromatography, UV-Vis and mass spectra, 7 types of carotenoids (trans- and cis-pectenolon, alloxanthine, pectenol A, β-carotene, zeaxanthin and diatoxanthin) were identified in tissues of this species and their quantitative ratio was determined. A positive correlation (R ² > 0.9) was established between GSH and most carotenoid levels. A negative correlation was found for the GR–carotenoids (R ² > 0.75) and GP–pectenol A (R ² > 0.988) systems. The cause-and-effect relations of these regularities are discussed.