FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR MERCURY REMEDIATION IN SOYBEAN SEED USING SiO2 NANOPARTICLES: Speciomic study applying Multimodal techniques (HPLC-ICP-MS-ESI-MS/MS)

• Grant number: 23/14635-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): March 01, 2024
• Effective date (End): February 28, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Analytical Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Marco Aurelio Zezzi Arruda
• Grantee: Vinnícius Henrique Cerqueira da Silva
• Supervisor: Joerg Feldmann
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Research place: University of Graz, Austria
• Associated to the scholarship: 21/11685-0 - Ionomic and proteomic study in transgenic and non-transgenic soyebans grown in mercury doped soils in the presence of silicon nanoparticles as a remedial agent for toxic metal contamination, BP.DR

Abstract

Soybean (Glycine max L.) is a plant with significant economic and nutritional value for the world population and an essential commodity in the Brazilian economy. However, the increasing contamination by toxic metals in cultivable soils has attracted growing attention from environmental agencies and bodies. In this context, mercury (Hg) is a toxic metal and one of the primary contaminants of soils and water sources. Excessive Hg levels are equally toxic to the plant system and severely disrupt plants' physiological and metabolic processes. In this context, Hg remediation in soil induced by nanoparticles of silicon (SiO2 NPs) has been widely recognised to alleviate metal toxicity since silicon plays influential roles against Hg absorption, accumulation, and toxicity. However, more investigations are necessary for a better understanding of the effect of SiO2NPs on plants for mitigation of heavy metals through omics studies, mainly metabolomics, as metabolites have a significant influence on nutrient homeostasis for the plant, as well as the way they Hg, and essential metals and non-metals can be available in the plant through chemical speciation analysis. Therefore, this project aims to develop a method for the identification and quantification of macro and micronutrient metabolites and Hg via ICP-MS/MS with simultaneous identification using HPLC/ESI-MS, enabling non-target speciation analysis as well as allowing the evaluation of the processes involved and the implications for plant cultivation.