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Single-bilayer graphene oxide sheet tolerance and glutathione redox system significance assessment in faba bean (Vicia faba L.)

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Abstract

Adsorbents based on single-bilayer graphene oxide sheet (hereafter termed “graphene oxide”) are widely used in contaminated environments cleanup which may easily open the avenues for their entry to different environmental compartments, exposure to organisms and their subsequent transfer to human/animal food chain. Considering a common food crop—faba bean (Vicia faba L.) germinating seedlings as a model plant system, this study assesses the V. faba-tolerance to different concentrations (0, 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1600 mg L−1) of graphene oxide (0.5–5 μm) and evaluates glutathione (γ-glutamyl-cysteinyl-glycine) redox system significance in this context. The results showed significantly increased V. faba sensitivity under three graphene oxide concentrations (in order of impact: 1,600 > 200 > 100 mg graphene oxide L−1), which was accompanied by decreased glutathione redox (reduced glutathione-to-oxidized glutathione) ratio, reduced glutathione pool, as well as significant and equally elevated activities of glutathione-regenerating (glutathione reductase) and glutathione-metabolizing (glutathione peroxidase; glutathione sulfo-transferase) enzymes. Contrarily, the two graphene oxide concentrations (in order of impact: 800 > 400 graphene oxide mg L−1) yielded promising results; where, significant improvements in V. faba health status (measured as increased graphene oxide tolerance) were clearly perceptible with increased ratio of the reduced glutathione-to-oxidized glutathione, reduced glutathione pool and glutathione reductase activity but decreased activities of glutathione-metabolizing enzymes. It is inferred that V. faba seedlings-sensitivity and/or tolerance to graphene oxide concentrations depends on both the cellular redox state (reduced glutathione-to-oxidized glutathione ratio) and the reduced glutathione pool which in turn are controlled by a finely tuned modulation of the coordination between glutathione-regenerating and glutathione-metabolizing enzymes.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial supports received from both FCT (Government of Portugal) through contract (SFRH/BPD/64690/2009; SFRH/BPD/84671/2012) and by the Aveiro University Research Institute/CESAM.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM) and Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal

    Naser A. Anjum, Armando C. Duarte, Eduarda Pereira & Iqbal Ahmad

  2. Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM) and Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal

    Iqbal Ahmad

  3. Center for Mechanical Technology and Automation (TEMA) and Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Aveiro, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal

    Neetu Singh & Manoj K. Singh

  4. Department of Medicinal and Biological Chemistry, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA

    Zahoor A. Shah

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  1. Naser A. Anjum
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Correspondence to Iqbal Ahmad.

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Anjum, N.A., Singh, N., Singh, M.K. et al. Single-bilayer graphene oxide sheet tolerance and glutathione redox system significance assessment in faba bean (Vicia faba L.). J Nanopart Res 15, 1770 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-013-1770-7

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