Strontium alleviated the growth inhibition and toxicity caused by cadmium in rice seedlings

Jun Liu; Xinting Fan; Yuanyuan Jiang; Juan Ni; Aili Mo; Meihan Cai; Tong Li; Yaqi Wang; Peishuang He; Shiyu Hu; Tangjian Peng; Cuiying Peng; Fei Yang

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166948

Strontium alleviated the growth inhibition and toxicity caused by cadmium in rice seedlings

Sci Total Environ. 2023 Dec 15:904:166948. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166948. Epub 2023 Sep 9.

Authors

Jun Liu¹, Xinting Fan², Yuanyuan Jiang², Juan Ni², Aili Mo², Meihan Cai², Tong Li², Yaqi Wang², Peishuang He², Shiyu Hu², Tangjian Peng², Cuiying Peng², Fei Yang³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hengyang Medical School, Key Laboratory of Hengyang City on Biological Toxicology and Ecological Restoration, Key Laboratory of Hengyang City on Ecological Impedance Technology of Heavy Metal Pollution in Cultivated Soil of Nonferrous Metal Mining Area, Key Laboratory of Ecological Environment and Critical Human Diseases Prevention of Hunan Province Department of Education, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, China; School of Public Health, Hengyang Medical School, Hunan Key Laboratory of Typical Environmental Pollution and Health Hazards, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, China. Electronic address: 1999001787@usc.edu.cn.
² Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hengyang Medical School, Key Laboratory of Hengyang City on Biological Toxicology and Ecological Restoration, Key Laboratory of Hengyang City on Ecological Impedance Technology of Heavy Metal Pollution in Cultivated Soil of Nonferrous Metal Mining Area, Key Laboratory of Ecological Environment and Critical Human Diseases Prevention of Hunan Province Department of Education, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, China; School of Public Health, Hengyang Medical School, Hunan Key Laboratory of Typical Environmental Pollution and Health Hazards, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, China.
³ Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hengyang Medical School, Key Laboratory of Hengyang City on Biological Toxicology and Ecological Restoration, Key Laboratory of Hengyang City on Ecological Impedance Technology of Heavy Metal Pollution in Cultivated Soil of Nonferrous Metal Mining Area, Key Laboratory of Ecological Environment and Critical Human Diseases Prevention of Hunan Province Department of Education, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, China; School of Public Health, Hengyang Medical School, Hunan Key Laboratory of Typical Environmental Pollution and Health Hazards, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, China; The First Affiliated Hospital, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China. Electronic address: phfyang@usc.edu.cn.

PMID: 37696404
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166948

Abstract

Cadmium (Cd) contamination of rice is an urgent ecological and agricultural problem. Strontium (Sr) has been shown to promote plant growth. However, the effect of Sr on rice seedlings under Cd stress is currently unclear. In this work hydroponic experiments were used to assess the impact of Sr on rice seedling growth under Cd stress. The findings demonstrated that foliar application of 0.5 mg L^-1 Sr had no discernible impact on the development of rice seedlings. However, Sr significantly alleviated growth inhibition and toxicity in rice seedlings when threatened by Cd. Compared with the Cd treatment (Cd, 2.5 mg L^-1), the root length, shoot height, and whole plant length of rice seedlings in the Cd + Sr treatment (Cd, 2.5 mg L^-1; Sr, 0.5 mg L^-1) increased by 4.96 %, 12.47 % and 9.60 %, respectively. The content of Cd in rice decreased by 23.34 % (roots) and 5.79 % (shoots). Sr lessened the degree of membrane lipid peroxidation damage (lower MDA concentration) among the seedlings of rice under Cd stress by controlling the activities of antioxidant enzymes and GSH content. By changing the expression of antioxidant enzyme-encoding genes and downregulating the heavy metal transporter gene (OsNramp5), Sr reduced accumulation and the detrimental effects of Cd on rice seedlings. Our study provides a new solution to the problem of Cd contamination in rice, which may promote the safe production of rice and benefit human health.

Keywords: Cadmium; Detoxification; Rice seedlings; Strontium.

MeSH terms

Antioxidants / metabolism
Cadmium* / metabolism
Humans
Oryza*
Oxidative Stress
Plant Roots / metabolism
Seedlings
Strontium / metabolism
Strontium / toxicity

Substances

Cadmium
Antioxidants
Strontium