Effects of copper oxide nanoparticles on growth of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) seedlings and possible implications of nitric oxide in their antioxidative defense

Author(s)

Pelegrino, Milena Trevisan ^[1] ; Kohatsu, Marcio Yukihiro ^[2] ; Seabra, Amedea Barozzi ^[1] ; Monteiro, Lucilena Rebelo ^[3] ; Gomes, Diego Genuario ^[4] ; Oliveira, Halley Caixeta ^[4] ; Rolim, Wallace Rosado ^[1] ; de Jesus, Tatiane Araujo ^[2] ; Batista, Bruno Lemos ^[1] ; Lange, Camila Neves ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Fed ABC, Ctr Ciencias Nat & Humanas, Santo Andre, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Fed ABC, Ctr Engn Modelagem & Ciencias Sociais Aplicadas, Santo Andre, SP - Brazil

^[3] Comissao Nacl Energia Nucl, Ctr Quim & Meio Ambiente, Ipen, CNEN, SP, Inst Pesquisas Energet & Nucl, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[4] Univ Estadual Londrina, Dept Anim & Plant Biol, Londrina, PR - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT; v. 192, n. 4 MAR 12 2020.
• Web of Science Citations: 12

Abstract

Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) have been extensively explored for use in agriculture. Previous studies have indicated that application of CuO NPs might be promising for development and conservation of plants, pest control, and for the recovery of degraded soils. However, depending on the applied concentration copper can cause phytotoxic effects. In this work, biosynthesized CuO NPs (using green tea extract) were evaluated on their effects on lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) seedling growth, which were exposed at concentrations ranged between 0.2 and 300 mu g mL(-1). From the biosynthesized were obtained ultra-small CuO NPs (similar to 6.6 nm), with high stability in aqueous suspension. Toxicity bioassays have shown that at low concentrations (up to 40 mu g mL(-1)), CuO NPs did not affect or even enhanced the seed germination. At higher concentrations (higher than 40 mu g mL(-1)), inhibition of seed germination and radicle growth ranging from 35 to 75% was observed. With the increase of CuO NPs concentrations, nitrite and S-nitrosothiols levels in radicles increased, whereas superoxide dismutase and total antioxidant activities decreased. The nitrite and S-nitrosothiols levels in lettuce radicles showed a direct dose response to CuO NP application, which may indicate nitric oxide-dependent signaling pathways in the plant responses. Therefore, the results demonstrated that at low concentrations (<= 20 mu g mL(-1)) of CuO NPs, beneficial effects are obtained from seedlings, enhancing plant growth, and the involvement of nitric oxide signaling in the phytotoxic effects induced by high concentration of this formulation. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/08194-2 - Essential oil amended with metal nanoparticles functionalized with nitric oxide as a strategy to control plant pathogens in the agriculture
• Grantee: Amedea Barozzi Seabra
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 17/05029-8 - Preparation, characterization and biological evaluation of nitric oxide releasing polymeric biomaterials
• Grantee: Milena Trevisan Pelegrino
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate