Effect of chlorine dioxide stress on antioxidative enzymes in tubifex found in tap water

The method of spectrophotometry was used to analyze the activities of antioxidative enzymes in Tubifex species, Monopylephorus limosus, when exposed to different concentrations of chlorine dioxide. It was found that chlorine dioxide had significant influence on two antioxidant enzymes activities. The activities of both SOD and CAT were activated previously and then restrained at a certain level in comparison to the control groups with the exposure time. SOD acted a little earlier than CAT while CAT was affected greater than SOD. The changes of SOD and CAT activities caused by chlorine dioxide had relations with the mortalities.