Changes in antioxidant enzyme levels following capture in juvenile American Alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) are tissue dependent

Many parameters used to investigate stress in vertebrates are temporally sensitive. The act of capture and sampling can influence them, hindering their functionality for evaluating the effects of stressors. Consequently, the investigation and subsequent incorporation of less time-sensitive parameters are necessary to better evaluate stressors affecting vertebrates. In this study, we investigated how capture stress and handling associated with sampling influence antioxidant status in American Alligators (Alligator mississippiensis (Daudin, 1802); hereinafter Alligator), long-lived, top-trophic carnivores found in the southeastern United States, by measuring levels of two antioxidant enzymes in destructive (brain and pancreas) and nondestructive (tail scutes) tissues: superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) and glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPX1). Capture stress had no effect on pancreatic SOD1 and no effect on brain and pancreatic GPX1 (all p > 0.05). However, brain SOD1, scute SOD1, and scute GPX1 were all impacted by capture stress. These disparate results illustrate that the influence of capture stress on antioxidant enzymes in Alligators is tissue and marker dependent, necessitating further investigation. Our results provide a firm foundation to further investigate oxidative status in crocodilians.