Insight into the biochemical and physiological mechanisms of nanoparticles-induced arsenic tolerance in bamboo

Abolghassem Emamverdian; Yulong Ding; Mirza Hasanuzzaman; James Barker; Guohua Liu; Yang Li; Farzad Mokhberdoran

doi:10.3389/fpls.2023.1121886

Insight into the biochemical and physiological mechanisms of nanoparticles-induced arsenic tolerance in bamboo

Front Plant Sci. 2023 Mar 31:14:1121886. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1121886. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Abolghassem Emamverdian^{1

2}, Yulong Ding^{1

2}, Mirza Hasanuzzaman³, James Barker⁴, Guohua Liu^{1

2}, Yang Li⁵, Farzad Mokhberdoran¹

Affiliations

¹ Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China.
² Bamboo Research Institute, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China.
³ Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
⁴ School of Life Sciences, Pharmacy and Chemistry, Kingston University, Kingston-upon-Thames, United Kingdom.
⁵ Department of Mathematical Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, United States.

Abstract

Introduction: Arsenic (As) contamination in soil, sediments, and water poses a significant threat to the growth of bamboo plants. However, nanoparticles with high metal absorbance capacity can play a key role in the reduction of heavy metals toxicity in plants as well as maintaining their growth under toxicity.

Methods: Hence, an in vitro experiment was conducted to determine the influence of three types of nanoparticles: 150 µM silicon nanoparticles (SiO₂ NPs), 150 µM titanium nanoparticles (TiO₂ NPs), and 150 µM zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) on As (150 µM and 250 µM) tolerance enhancement of a one-year-old bamboo species (Pleioblastus pygmaeus).

Results and discussion: The results showed that while As at 150 µM and 250 µM significantly disrupted the plant growth by excessive generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) components, and inducing cell membrane peroxidation, the addition of NPs increased both enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant activities, upregulated glyoxalase defense system, and improved gas exchange parameters and photosynthetic pigments content, leading to the enhanced plant shoot and root dry weight. These were achieved by lowering levels of ROS, electrolyte leakage (EL), malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and the superoxide radical ( $O_{2}^{• -}$ ), as well as decreasing As accumulation in the plant organs. Thus, it might be concluded that ZnO NPs, SiO₂NPs, and TiO₂NPS alone or in combination can significantly increase the bamboo plant tolerance to As toxicity via key mechanisms, including induction of various antioxidants and glyoxalase defense systems, scavenging of ROS and methylglyoxal (MG), increasing phytochelatins production, reduction of As accumulation and translocation, and improving photosynthetic pigments under As toxicity. Additionally, the results showed that the combined application of 150 µM ZnO NPs, SiO₂ NPs, and TiO₂ NPs had the greatest effect on enhancing the plant tolerance to As at 150 µM and 250 µM.

Keywords: arsenic; bamboo plant; silicon dioxide nanoparticle; titanium dioxide nanoparticle; tolerance index; zinc oxide nanoparticle.

Grants and funding

This work received financial support from Jiangsu Agriculture Science and Technology Innovation Fund (CX(22)3049).