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Cadmium and lead interactive effects on oxidative stress and antioxidative responses in rice seedlings

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Abstract

Interactive effects of two heavy metal pollutants Cd and Pb in the growth medium were examined on their uptake, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), induction of oxidative stress and antioxidative defence responses in Indica rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedlings. When rice seedlings in sand culture were exposed to 150 μM Cd (NO3)2 or 600 μM Pb (CH3COO)2 individually or in combination for 8–16 days, a significant reduction in root/shoot length, fresh weight, relative water content, photosynthetic pigments and increased production of ROS (O2˙− and H2O2) was observed. Both Cd and Pb were readily taken up by rice roots and localisation of absorbed metals was greater in roots than in shoots. When present together in the growth medium, uptake of both the metals Cd and Pb declined by 25–40 %. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) imaging of leaf stomata revealed that Pb caused more distortion in the shape of guard cells than Cd. Dithizone staining of roots showed localisation of absorbed Cd on root hairs and epidermal cells. Both Cd and Pb caused increased lipid peroxidation, protein carbonylation, decline in protein thiol and increase in non-protein thiol. The level of reduced forms of non-enzymic antioxidants glutathione (GSH) and ascorbate (AsA) and their redox ratios (GSH/AsA) declined, whereas the activities of antioxidative enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and guaiacol peroxidase (GPX) increased in metal treated seedlings compared to controls. In-gel activity staining also revealed increased intensities of SOD and GPX isoforms with metal treatments. Catalase (CAT) activity increased during early days (8 days) of metal exposure and declined by 16 days. Results suggest that oxidative stress is an important component in expression of Cd and Pb toxicities in rice, though uptake of both metals gets reduced considerably when present together in the medium.

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Acknowledgments

RKS and PP are grateful to Banaras Hindu University for providing Research Fellowships to conduct this work. Authors gratefully acknowledge Advanced Instrumentation Research Facility (AIRF), Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, for providing SEM facility and more specially to Dr. Ruchita Pal instrument in-charge SEM facility for her esteemed support and cooperation during the analysis.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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

    Rajneesh Kumar Srivastava, Poonam Pandey, Ritika Rajpoot, Anjana Rani & 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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Srivastava, R.K., Pandey, P., Rajpoot, R. et al. Cadmium and lead interactive effects on oxidative stress and antioxidative responses in rice seedlings. Protoplasma 251, 1047–1065 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00709-014-0614-3

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