Examination of the role of resveratrol in attenuating oxidative damage induced by starvation stress in the marine mussel, Mytilus coruscus, through regulation of the sirt1-mediated signaling pathway

Aquatic animals, such as the marine mussel, Mytilus coruscus, are regularly subjected to starvation due to conditions of food scarcity brought about by environmental change. Silent mating type information regulation 2 homolog 1 (sirt1) is triggered during animal starvation and participates in inflammation and stress responses. However, the function of sirt1 in Mytilus remains unknown; thus, exploring the effects of sirt1 will improve the understanding of the resistance of Mytilus to starvation. In this study, Mytilus coruscus were fasted for 9 days and treated with 20 μM resveratrol. The results indicated that sitr1 mRNA expression levels in the gonads and gills of mussels increased significantly after 3 days of starvation and significantly decreased after 9 days of starvation. 20 μM resveratrol significantly up-regulated sirt1 expression in the gonads and gills of mussels starved for 9 days. The condition factor and gonadal index considerably decreased in mussels under starvation stress. The activities of antioxidants SOD, CAT, GSH, GPX, and AKP were elevated after fasting for 3 days, but were reduced after starvation for 9 days, accompanied by histopathological damage in the gills and gonads. Resveratrol alleviates histological damage caused by starvation stress by enhancing antioxidant activity and reducing MDA production. Additionally, resveratrol decreased the mRNA expression levels of tlr4, myd88, and nfkb and increased the mRNA expression levels of ampk, foxo, and gadd45. Overall, the results suggest that resveratrol-induced sirt1 expression exerts a protective effect on mussels risking starvation by regulating TLR4/NFκB and AMPK/FOXO signaling pathways. This study might give us fresh insight into the effects of sirt1 on the response to starvation stress in mussels.