Metal toxicity in soils, along with water runoff, are increasing environmental problems that affect agriculture directly and, in turn, human health. In light of finding a suitable and urgent solution, research on plant treatments with specific compounds that can help mitigate these effects has increased, and thus the exogenous application of melatonin (MET) and its role in alleviating the negative effects of metal toxicity in plants, have become more important in the last few years. MET is an important plant-related response molecule involved in growth, development, and reproduction, and in the induction of different stress-related key factors in plants. It has been shown that MET plays a protective role against the toxic effects induced by different metals (Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn, B, Al, V, Ni, La, As, and Cr) by regulating both the enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant plant defense systems. In addition, MET interacts with many other signaling molecules, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) and participates in a wide variety of physiological reactions. Furthermore, MET treatment enhances osmoregulation and photosynthetic efficiency, and increases the concentration of other important antioxidants such as phenolic compounds, flavonoids, polyamines (PAs), and carotenoid compounds. Some recent studies have shown that MET appeared to be involved in the regulation of metal transport in plants, and lastly, various studies have confirmed that MET significantly upregulated stress tolerance-related genes. Despite all the knowledge acquired over the years, there is still more to know about how MET is involved in the metal toxicity tolerance of plants.
Keywords: NO; ROS; heavy metals; metal toxicity; phytomelatonin.