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Metal uptake, antioxidant status and membrane potential in maize roots exposed to cadmium and nickel

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Abstract

Root growth of the seedlings of maize cultivars Premia and Blitz exposed to 2 μM cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni) or both metals acting simultaneously (Cd + Ni) for 72 h was significantly reduced but not ceased. The effect was more pronounced in the seedlings of the cv. Blitz. The heavy metals (HMs) contents increased significantly in the roots. Simultaneous application of metals had an antagonistic effect on either Cd or Ni uptake in Premia but not in Blitz. In control roots the contents of ascorbic acid (AsA) and dehydroascorbic acid (DHA) were lower and gluthatione (GSH) content was higher in Premia than in Blitz. A decrease of AsA content was induced by all metal treatments in Premia but only by Cd + Ni in Blitz while an increase was induced by single metals in this cultivar. All metal treatments increased DHA contents in both cultivars. GSH content decreased significantly in Premia treated with Cd or Cd + Ni, and in Blitz treated with Ni. Unlike the contents of AsA, DHA and GSH, the increased metal concentrations in root cells did not affect the membrane potential (E M). The changes in antioxidant contents depended on both, maize genotypes and HMs treatments. Nevertheless, the results indicated a role of antioxidative system in minimizing the effects of oxidative stress and protecting cell membranes in both maize cultivars.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Physiology and Soil Biology, Kryvyi Rig Botanical Garden NAS of Ukraine, Marshaka str. 50, UA-50089, Kryvyi Rig, Ukraine

    Tatyana Artiushenko, Dmitry Syshchykov & Vitalii Gryshko

  2. Institute of Botany, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, SK-84523, Bratislava, Slovakia

    Milada Čiamporová, Roderik Fiala, Vladimír Repka, Michal Martinka & Ján Pavlovkin

  3. Department of Plant Physiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Mlynská dolina B-2, SK-84215, Bratislava, Slovakia

    Michal Martinka

Authors
  1. Tatyana Artiushenko
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  2. Dmitry Syshchykov
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  3. Vitalii Gryshko
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  4. Milada Čiamporová
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  5. Roderik Fiala
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  6. Vladimír Repka
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  7. Michal Martinka
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  8. Ján Pavlovkin
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Correspondence to Ján Pavlovkin.

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Artiushenko, T., Syshchykov, D., Gryshko, V. et al. Metal uptake, antioxidant status and membrane potential in maize roots exposed to cadmium and nickel. Biologia 69, 1142–1147 (2014). https://doi.org/10.2478/s11756-014-0414-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/s11756-014-0414-4

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