Determination of antioxidant enzymatic activity in several halophytes from Dobrogea area

Halophytes have evolved various mechanisms of adaptations to stress tolerance including an increase of antioxidant enzymes activities. The present study was conducted in order to investigate the activity of some antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase – SOD, catalase – CAT and peroxidase – POD) in several halophytes. For this, four halophytic species were collected during summer of 2012 from two distinct saline areas, located in South-East of Romania (Dobrogea). Species collected from Histria are Plantago maritima and Bassia sedoides; the first mentioned species was collected in various stages of development (vegetative and flowering phases). Species Plantago coronopus, Spergularia media, Limonium gmelini, and Bassia sedoides from Sulina were collected from two different habitats: littoral area and an habitat located at 1000 m from littoral. The results show that halophytes collected from 1000 m to littoral area were characterized by higher levels of SOD activity than those collected from littoral. The peroxidase activity in halophytes collected from Sulina show various responses according to species and collecting points. Some of halophytes collected from Histria and Sulina have an undetectable level of catalase activity at the moment of determination; perhaps the role of this enzyme for removing H2O2 has been taken by peroxidase.