Role of Antioxidant Metabolism in Plant Stress Responses

A special issue of Antioxidants (ISSN 2076-3921). This special issue belongs to the section "ROS, RNS and RSS".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 15173

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka 1207, Bangladesh
Interests: antioxidants; abiotic stress tolerance; plant metabolites; ROS signaling
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are normally produced in plants as a result of cellular metabolism. At a low level, ROS act as a signaling molecule, however, a high amount of ROS results in oxidative stress, causing damage to plant cells. Oxidative stress is a common consequence of any abiotic stress. Plants possess antioxidant defense systems consisting of non-enzymatic and enzymatic components. An efficient antioxidant metabolism is vital in maintaining redox homeostasis and keeping ROS under control. Finding ways to enhance the antioxidant defense system in plants is a very important task for plant biologists. Recent progress in plant molecular biology and biotechnology has been focused on developing approaches to enhancing the antioxidant defense system in plants. Various approaches to enhancing the antioxidant defense in plants are also being applied in the field. In this Special Issue of Antioxidants, we aim to publish high-quality research articles and reviews on how we understand ROS regulation under abiotic stress. 

Prof. Dr. Mirza Hasanuzzaman
Prof. Dr. Masayuki Fujita
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • plant stress
  • reactive oxygen species
  • ascorbic acid
  • glutathione
  • tocopherol
  • metatonin
  • amino acids
  • oxidative stress
  • antioxidant defense
  • phenolics

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 6774 KiB  
Article
Boron Reduced Copper Excess-Induced Oxidative Damage in Citrus sinensis by Modulating Reactive Oxygen Species and Methylglyoxal Formation and Their Detoxification Systems
by Xu-Feng Chen, Huan-Huan Chen, Wei-Lin Huang, Wei-Tao Huang, Zeng-Rong Huang, Lin-Tong Yang, Xin Ye and Li-Song Chen
Antioxidants 2024, 13(3), 268; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox13030268 - 22 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1057
Abstract
Citrus is mainly cultivated in acid soil with low boron (B) and high copper (Cu). In this study, Citrus sinensis seedlings were submitted to 0.5 (control) or 350 μM Cu (Cu excess or Cu exposure) and 2.5, 10, or 25 μM B for [...] Read more.
Citrus is mainly cultivated in acid soil with low boron (B) and high copper (Cu). In this study, Citrus sinensis seedlings were submitted to 0.5 (control) or 350 μM Cu (Cu excess or Cu exposure) and 2.5, 10, or 25 μM B for 24 weeks. Thereafter, H2O2 production rate (HPR), superoxide production rate (SAPR), malondialdehyde, methylglyoxal, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) and methylglyoxal detoxification systems were measured in leaves and roots in order to test the hypothesis that B addition mitigated Cu excess-induced oxidative damage in leaves and roots by reducing the Cu excess-induced formation and accumulation of ROS and MG and by counteracting the impairments of Cu excess on ROS and methylglyoxal detoxification systems. Cu and B treatments displayed an interactive influence on ROS and methylglyoxal formation and their detoxification systems. Cu excess increased the HPR, SAPR, methylglyoxal level, and malondialdehyde level by 10.9% (54.3%), 38.9% (31.4%), 50.3% (24.9%), and 312.4% (585.4%), respectively, in leaves (roots) of 2.5 μM B-treated seedlings, while it only increased the malondialdehyde level by 48.5% (97.8%) in leaves (roots) of 25 μM B-treated seedlings. Additionally, B addition counteracted the impairments of Cu excess on antioxidant enzymes, ascorbate-glutathione cycle, sulfur metabolism-related enzymes, sulfur-containing compounds, and methylglyoxal detoxification system, thereby protecting the leaves and roots of Cu-exposed seedlings against oxidative damage via the coordinated actions of ROS and methylglyoxal removal systems. Our findings corroborated the hypothesis that B addition alleviated Cu excess-induced oxidative damage in leaves and roots by decreasing the Cu excess-induced formation and accumulation of ROS and MG and by lessening the impairments of Cu excess on their detoxification systems. Further analysis indicated that the pathways involved in the B-induced amelioration of oxidative stress caused by Cu excess differed between leaves and roots. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Role of Antioxidant Metabolism in Plant Stress Responses)
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16 pages, 4701 KiB  
Article
Variations in Proline Content, Polyamine Profiles, and Antioxidant Capacities among Different Provenances of European Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.)
by Marko Kebert, Srđan Stojnić, Milena Rašeta, Saša Kostić, Vanja Vuksanović, Mladen Ivanković, Miran Lanšćak and Anđelina Gavranović Markić
Antioxidants 2024, 13(2), 227; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox13020227 - 12 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1347
Abstract
International provenance trials are a hot topic in forestry, and in light of climate change, the search for more resilient beech provenances and their assisted migration is one of the challenges of climate-smart forestry. The main aim of the study was to determine [...] Read more.
International provenance trials are a hot topic in forestry, and in light of climate change, the search for more resilient beech provenances and their assisted migration is one of the challenges of climate-smart forestry. The main aim of the study was to determine intraspecific variability in European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) among 11 beech provenances according to total antioxidant capacities estimated by various assays, such as DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), ABTS (2,2′-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic) acid), FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) assay, and radical scavenging capacity against nitric oxide (RSC-NO assays), as well as osmolyte content, primarily individual polyamines (putrescine, spermidine, and spermine), and free proline content. Polyamine amounts were quantified by using HPLC coupled with fluorescent detection after dansylation pretreatment. The highest values for radical scavenger capacity assays (ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP) were measured in the German provenances DE47 and DE49. Also, the highest NO inhibition capacity was found in the provenance DE49, while the highest content of proline (PRO), total phenolic content (TPC), and total flavonoid content (TFC) was recorded in DE47. The Austrian AT56 and German provenance DE49 were most abundant in total polyamines. This research underlines the importance of the application of common antioxidant assays as well as osmolyte quantification as a criterion for the selection of climate-ready beech provenances for sustainable forest management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Role of Antioxidant Metabolism in Plant Stress Responses)
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23 pages, 4354 KiB  
Article
Exogenous Allantoin Confers Rapeseed (Brassica campestris) Tolerance to Simulated Drought by Improving Antioxidant Metabolism and Physiology
by Md. Rakib Hossain Raihan, Mira Rahman, Anshu Rastogi, Masayuki Fujita and Mirza Hasanuzzaman
Antioxidants 2023, 12(8), 1508; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox12081508 - 27 Jul 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1777
Abstract
Allantoin is an emerging plant metabolite, but its role in conferring drought-induced oxidative stress is still elusive. Therefore, an experiment was devised to explore the role of allantoin (0.5 and 1.0 mM; foliar spray) in rapeseed (Brassica campestris cv. BARI Sarisha-17) under [...] Read more.
Allantoin is an emerging plant metabolite, but its role in conferring drought-induced oxidative stress is still elusive. Therefore, an experiment was devised to explore the role of allantoin (0.5 and 1.0 mM; foliar spray) in rapeseed (Brassica campestris cv. BARI Sarisha-17) under drought. Seedlings at fifteen days of age were subjected to drought, maintaining soil moisture levels at 50% and 25% field capacities, while well-irrigated plants served as the control group. Drought-stressed plants exhibited increased levels of lipid peroxidation and hydrogen peroxide, electrolyte leakage, and impaired glyoxalase systems. Thus, the growth, biomass, and yield attributes of rapeseed were significantly impaired under drought. However, the allantoin-supplemented plants showed a notable increase in their contents of ascorbate and glutathione and decreased dehydroascorbate and glutathione disulfide contents under drought. Moreover, the activity of antioxidant enzymes such as ascorbate peroxidase, dehydroascorbate reductase, glutathione reductase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase were accelerated with the allantoin spray and the glyoxalase system was also enhanced under drought. Moreover, the improvement in water balance with reduction in proline and potassium ion contents was also observed when allantoin was applied to the plants. Overall, the beneficial effects of allantoin supplementation resulted in the improved plant growth, biomass, and yield of rapeseed under drought conditions. These findings suggest that allantoin acts as an efficient metabolite in mitigating the oxidative stress caused by reactive oxygen species by enhancing antioxidant defense mechanisms and the glyoxalase system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Role of Antioxidant Metabolism in Plant Stress Responses)
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25 pages, 1164 KiB  
Article
Combined Effect of Salicylic Acid and Proline Mitigates Drought Stress in Rice (Oryza sativa L.) through the Modulation of Physiological Attributes and Antioxidant Enzymes
by Tahmina Akter Urmi, Md. Moshiul Islam, Kamrun Naher Zumur, Md. Anwarul Abedin, M. Moynul Haque, Manzer H. Siddiqui, Yoshiyuki Murata and Md. Anamul Hoque
Antioxidants 2023, 12(7), 1438; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox12071438 - 18 Jul 2023
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 2883
Abstract
Salicylic acid (SA) and proline exhibit protective effects against a wide range of stresses. However, the combined impact of SA and proline on rice under drought stress is still unknown. Therefore, we investigated the protective roles of SA and/or proline in conferring drought [...] Read more.
Salicylic acid (SA) and proline exhibit protective effects against a wide range of stresses. However, the combined impact of SA and proline on rice under drought stress is still unknown. Therefore, we investigated the protective roles of SA and/or proline in conferring drought tolerance in rice. There were eight treatments comprising the control (T1; 95–100% FC), 1.5 mM SA (T2), 2 mM proline (T3), 0.75 mM SA + 1 mM proline (T4), 45–50% FC (T5, drought stress), T5 + 1.5 mM SA (T6), T5 + 2 mM proline (T7), and T5 + 0.75 mM SA + 1 mM proline (T8), and two rice varieties: BRRI dhan66 and BRRI dhan75. Drought stress significantly decreased the plant growth, biomass, yield attributes, photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (gs), transpiration rate (Tr), photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll and carotenoids content), relative water content (RWC), membrane stability index (MSI), soluble sugar and starch content, and uptake of N, P and K+ in roots and shoots. Drought-induced oxidative stress in the form of increased hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production and lipid peroxidation (MDA) was observed. The combined application of SA (0.75 mM) + proline (1 mM) was found to be more effective than the single application of either for drought stress mitigation in rice. A combined dose of SA + proline alleviated oxidative stress through boosting antioxidant enzymatic activity in contrast to their separate application. The application of SA + proline also enhanced proline, soluble sugar and starch content, which resulted in the amelioration of osmotic stress. Consequently, the combined application of SA and proline significantly increased the gas exchange characteristics, photosynthetic pigments, RWC, MSI, nutrient uptake, plant growth, biomass and yield of rice. Therefore, the combined application of SA and proline alleviated the detrimental impacts of drought stress more pronouncedly than their separate application did by increasing osmoprotectants, improving nutrient transport, up-regulating antioxidant enzyme activity and inhibiting oxidative stress. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Role of Antioxidant Metabolism in Plant Stress Responses)
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13 pages, 3182 KiB  
Article
Exogenous Abscisic Acid Affects the Heat Tolerance of Rice Seedlings by Influencing the Accumulation of ROS
by Yingfeng Wang, Bin Lei, Huabing Deng, Xiong Liu, Yating Dong, Wenjuan Chen, Xuedan Lu, Guihua Chen, Guilian Zhang, Wenbang Tang and Yunhua Xiao
Antioxidants 2023, 12(7), 1404; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox12071404 - 9 Jul 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1745
Abstract
Heat stress (HS) has become one of the major abiotic stresses that severely constrain rice growth. Abscisic acid (ABA) plays an important role in plant development and stress response. However, the effect of different concentrations of exogenous ABA on HS tolerance in rice [...] Read more.
Heat stress (HS) has become one of the major abiotic stresses that severely constrain rice growth. Abscisic acid (ABA) plays an important role in plant development and stress response. However, the effect of different concentrations of exogenous ABA on HS tolerance in rice still needs to be further elucidated. Here, we found that high concentrations of exogenous ABA increased HS damage in seedlings, whereas 10−12 M ABA treatment increased fresh and dry weight under HS relative to mock seedlings. Our further data showed that, in response to HS, 10−5 M, ABA-treated seedlings exhibited a lower chlorophyll content, as well as transcript levels of chlorophyll biosynthesis and antioxidant genes, and increased the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In addition, the transcript abundance of some heat-, defense-, and ABA-related genes was downregulated on 10−5 M ABA-treated seedlings under HS. In conclusion, high concentrations of exogenous ABA reduced the HS tolerance of rice seedlings, and this negative effect could be achieved by regulating the accumulation of ROS, chlorophyll biosynthesis, and the transcription levels of key genes in seedlings under HS. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Role of Antioxidant Metabolism in Plant Stress Responses)
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14 pages, 2964 KiB  
Article
Differences in Physiological Responses of Two Tomato Genotypes to Combined Waterlogging and Cadmium Stresses
by Rong Zhou, Lifei Niu, Jian Yin, Fangling Jiang, Yinlei Wang, Tongmin Zhao, Zhen Wu and Weimin Zhu
Antioxidants 2023, 12(6), 1205; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox12061205 - 2 Jun 2023
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1893
Abstract
Waterlogging and heavy mental (e.g., cadmium) stress are two primary threats to crop growth. The combination of abiotic stresses was common and frequent, especially in the field condition. Even though the effects of individual waterlogging and cadmium on tomato plants have been widely [...] Read more.
Waterlogging and heavy mental (e.g., cadmium) stress are two primary threats to crop growth. The combination of abiotic stresses was common and frequent, especially in the field condition. Even though the effects of individual waterlogging and cadmium on tomato plants have been widely investigated, the response of tomatoes under combined waterlogging and cadmium stress remains unclear. This study aimed to clarify and compare physiological, biochemical characteristics and plant growth of two tomato genotypes under individual and combined stress. Two tomato genotypes (‘MIX-002’ and ‘LA4440’) were treated under control, waterlogging, cadmium stress and their combination. The results showed that chloroplast ultrastructure of tomatoes under individual and combined stress was damaged with disordered stroma and grana lamellae. The H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide) content and O2·− (superoxide anion radical) production rate of plants under all the three stresses was not significantly higher than the control except for ‘LA4440’ under the combined stress. Antioxidant enzymes actively responded in the two tomato genotypes, as shown by significant increase in SOD activity from ‘MIX-002’ under waterlogging and combined stress and from ‘LA4440’ under cadmium. Meanwhile, CAT activity of ‘MIX-002’ under waterlogging and ‘LA4440′ under combined stress significantly decreased, and the POD activity of ‘MIX-002’ under combined stress significantly increased as compared with the respective control. The APX activity of ‘MIX-002’ and ‘LA4440’ under combined stress was significantly lower and higher than the respective controls. This indicated that tomato plants were able to secure redox homeostasis and protect plants from oxidative damage through the synergetic regulation of antioxidant enzymes. Plant height and biomass of the two genotypes under individual and combined stress significantly decreased, which could be a direct result from the chloroplast alteration and resource re-allocation. Overall, the effects of combined waterlogging and cadmium stress were not simply the sum of individual effects on two tomato genotypes. Distinct ROS (reactive oxygen species) scavenging systems of two tomato genotypes under stresses suggest a genotype-dependent antioxidant enzymes regulation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Role of Antioxidant Metabolism in Plant Stress Responses)
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18 pages, 6631 KiB  
Article
Hydrogen Peroxide and GA3 Levels Regulate the High Night Temperature Response in Pistils of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)
by Purbali Mukherjee, Pavithra Suriyakumar, S. Vanchinathan, Veda Krishnan, Milan Kumar Lal, Prakash Kumar Jha, Viswanathan Chinnusamy, Anjali Anand and P. V. Vara Prasad
Antioxidants 2023, 12(2), 342; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox12020342 - 31 Jan 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2426
Abstract
High night temperature (HNT) impairs crop productivity through the reproductive failure of gametes (pollen and pistil). Though female gametophyte (pistil) is an equal partner in the seed-set, the knowledge of the antioxidant system(s) and hormonal control of HNT tolerance or susceptibility of pistils [...] Read more.
High night temperature (HNT) impairs crop productivity through the reproductive failure of gametes (pollen and pistil). Though female gametophyte (pistil) is an equal partner in the seed-set, the knowledge of the antioxidant system(s) and hormonal control of HNT tolerance or susceptibility of pistils is limited and lacking. The objectives of this study were to determine the antioxidant mechanism for homeostatic control of free radicals, and the involvement of abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellic acid (GA3) in HNT stress protection in the wheat pistils of contrasting wheat genotypes. We hypothesized that HNT tolerance is attributed to the homeostatic control of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and hormonal readjustment in pistils of the tolerant genotype. The ears of two contrasting wheat genotypes—HD 2329 (susceptible) and Raj 3765 (tolerant) were subjected to two HNTs (+5 °C and +8 °C) over ambient, in the absence and presence of dimethylthiourea (DMTU), a chemical trap of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Results showed that HNTs significantly increased ROS in pistils of susceptible genotype HD 2329 to a relatively greater extent compared to tolerant genotype Raj 3765. The response was similar in the presence or absence of DMTU, but the H2O2 values were lower in the presence of DMTU. The ROS levels were balanced by increased activity of peroxidase under HNT to a greater extent in the tolerant genotype. Cytosolic glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPC) activity was inversely related to H2O2 production within a critical range in Raj 3765, indicating its modulation by H2O2 levels as no change was observed at the transcriptional level. The hormonal status showed increased ABA and decreased GA3 contents with increasing temperature. Our study elucidates the role of H2O2 and GA3 in stress tolerance of pistils of tolerant genotype where GAPC acts as a ROS sensor due to H2O2-mediated decrease in its activity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Role of Antioxidant Metabolism in Plant Stress Responses)
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