The Metabolomics Response of Solanum melongena L. Leaves to Various Forms of Pb

Due to activities like mining and smelting, lead (Pb) enters the atmosphere in various forms in coarse and fine particles. It enters plants mainly through leaves, and goes up the food chain. In this study, PbX_n (nano-PbS, mic-PbO and PbCl₂) was applied to eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) leaves, and 379 differential metabolites were identified and analyzed in eggplant leaves using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. Multivariate statistical analysis revealed that all three Pb treatments significantly altered the metabolite profile. Compared with nano-PbS, mic-PbO and PbCl₂ induced more identical metabolite changes. However, the alterations in metabolites related to the TCA cycle and pyrimidine metabolism, such as succinic acid, citric acid and cytidine, were specific to PbCl₂. The number of differential metabolites induced by mic-PbO and PbCl₂ was three times that of nano-PbS, even though the amount of nano-PbS absorbed by leaves was ten times that of PbO and seven times that of PbCl₂. This suggests that the metabolic response of eggplant leaves to Pb is influenced by both concentration and form. This study enhances the current understanding of plants’ metabolic response to Pb, and demonstrates that the metabolomics map provides a more comprehensive view of a plant’s response to specific metals.