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Exogenous application of calcium and silica alleviates cadmium toxicity by suppressing oxidative damage in rice seedlings

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Abstract

The present study was undertaken to examine the possible roles of calcium (Ca2+) and silica (Si) in protection against oxidative damage due to Cd2+ toxicity in rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedlings grown in hydroponics. Rice seedlings raised for 12 days in hydroponics containing Cd(NO3)2 (75 μM) showed reduced growth; increase in the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) (O2 ·− and H2O2), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARSs) and protein carbonylation; and increase in the activity of antioxidant enzymes—superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and guaiacol peroxidase (GPX) compared to untreated controls. Exogenously added Ca2+ (2 mM) and Si (200 μM) significantly alleviated negative effect of Cd2+ by restoration of growth of the seedlings, suppression of Cd2+ uptake and restoration of root plasma membrane integrity. The levels of O2 ·−, H2O2, lipid peroxidation and protein carbonyls were much lower when Ca2+ and Si were added in the growth medium along with Cd2+ as compared to Cd-alone-treated seedlings. Ca2+ and Si lowered Cd-induced increase in SOD, GPX and APX activities while they elevated Cd-induced decline in CAT activity. Using histochemical staining of O2 ·− and H2O2 in leaf tissues, it was further confirmed that added Ca2+ and Si suppressed Cd-induced accumulation of O2 ·− and H2O2 in the leaves. The results suggest that exogenous application of Ca2+ and Si appears to be advantageous for rice plants in alleviating Cd2+ toxicity effects by reducing Cd2+ uptake, decreasing ROS production and suppressing oxidative damage. The observations indicate that Ca2+ and Si treatments can help in reducing Cd2+ toxicity in rice plants.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the Banaras Hindu University for providing research facility to carry out this work.

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The authors hereby declare that there is no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005, India

    Rajneesh Kumar Srivastava, Poonam Pandey, Ritika Rajpoot, Anjana Rani, Arti Gautam & R. S. Dubey

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  1. Rajneesh Kumar Srivastava
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  2. Poonam Pandey
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  3. Ritika Rajpoot
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  4. Anjana Rani
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Correspondence to R. S. Dubey.

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Srivastava, R.K., Pandey, P., Rajpoot, R. et al. Exogenous application of calcium and silica alleviates cadmium toxicity by suppressing oxidative damage in rice seedlings. Protoplasma 252, 959–975 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00709-014-0731-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00709-014-0731-z

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