A review of the influence of nanoparticles on the physiological and biochemical attributes of plants with a focus on the absorption and translocation of toxic trace elements

Shafeeq Ur Rahman; Xiaojie Wang; Muhammad Shahzad; Owais Bashir; Yanliang Li; Hefa Cheng

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119916

A review of the influence of nanoparticles on the physiological and biochemical attributes of plants with a focus on the absorption and translocation of toxic trace elements

Environ Pollut. 2022 Oct 1:310:119916. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119916. Epub 2022 Aug 6.

Authors

Shafeeq Ur Rahman¹, Xiaojie Wang², Muhammad Shahzad³, Owais Bashir⁴, Yanliang Li⁵, Hefa Cheng⁶

Affiliations

¹ School of Environment and Civil Engineering, Dongguan University of Technology, Dongguan, Guangdong, 523808, China; MOE Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
² MOE Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China; State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, 455000, Henan, China.
⁴ Division of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, 190025, Kashmir, India.
⁵ School of Environment and Civil Engineering, Dongguan University of Technology, Dongguan, Guangdong, 523808, China. Electronic address: ylli@dgut.edu.cn.
⁶ MOE Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China. Electronic address: hefac@umich.edu.

PMID: 35944778
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119916

Abstract

Trace elements (TEs) from various natural and anthropogenic activities contaminate the agricultural water and soil environments. The use of nanoparticles (NPs) as nano-fertilizers or nano-pesticides is gaining popularity worldwide. The NPs-mediated fertilizers encourage the balanced availability of essential nutrients to plants compared to traditional fertilizers, especially in the presence of excessive amounts of TEs. Moreover, NPs could reduce and/or restrict the bioavailability of TEs to plants due to their high sorption ability. In this review, we summarize the potential influence of NPs on plant physiological attributes, mineral absorption, and TEs sorption, accumulation, and translocation. It also unveils the NPs-mediated TE scavenging-mechanisms at plant and soil interface. NPs immobilized TEs in soil solution effectively by altering the speciation of TEs and modifying the physiological, biochemical, and biological properties of soil. In plants, NPs inhibit the transfer of TEs from roots to shoots by inducing structural modifications, altering gene transcription, and strengthening antioxidant defense mechanisms. On the other hand, the mechanisms underpinning NPs-mediated TEs absorption and cytotoxicity mitigation differ depending on the NPs type, distribution strategy, duration of NP exposure, and plants (e.g., types, varieties, and growth rate). The review highlights that NPs may bring new possibilities for resolving the issue of TE cytotoxicity in crops, which may also assist in reducing the threats to the human dietary system. Although the potential ability of NPs in decontaminating soils is just beginning to be understood, further research is needed to uncover the sub-cellular-based mechanisms of NPs-induced TE scavenging in soils and absorption in plants.

Keywords: Absorption; Nanoparticles; Phytotoxicity; Plant growth; Plant tolerance; Trace elements.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Crops, Agricultural
Fertilizers
Humans
Nanoparticles*
Plant Roots
Soil
Soil Pollutants*
Trace Elements*

Substances

Fertilizers
Soil
Soil Pollutants
Trace Elements