Soil Treatment with Nitric Oxide-Releasing Chitosan Nanoparticles Protects the Root System and Promotes the Growth of Soybean Plants under Copper Stress

Abstract

The nanoencapsulation of nitric oxide (NO) donors is an attractive technique to protect these molecules from rapid degradation, expanding, and enabling their use in agriculture. Here, we evaluated the effect of the soil application of chitosan nanoparticles containing S-nitroso-MSA (a S-nitrosothiol) on the protection of soybeans (Glycine max cv. BRS 257) against copper (Cu) stress. Soybeans were grown in a greenhouse in soil supplemented with 164 and 244 mg kg−1 Cu and treated with a free or nanoencapsulated NO donor at 1 mM, as well as with nanoparticles without NO. There were also soybean plants treated with distilled water and maintained in soil without Cu addition (control), and with Cu addition (water). The exogenous application of the nanoencapsulated and free S-nitroso-MSA improved the growth and promoted the maintenance of the photosynthetic activity in Cu-stressed plants. However, only the nanoencapsulated S-nitroso-MSA increased the bioavailability of NO in the roots, providing a more significant induction of the antioxidant activity, the attenuation of oxidative damage, and a greater capacity to mitigate the root nutritional imbalance triggered by Cu stress. The results suggest that the nanoencapsulation of the NO donors enables a more efficient delivery of NO for the protection of soybean plants under Cu stress.

Chitosan-GSNO nanoparticles: a positive modulator of drought stress tolerance in soybean

“…2 ). Similar findings were reported in soybean under heavy metal [ 25 ] and maize under salt stress [ 10 ] who used encapsulated S-nitroso-mercaptosuccinic acid.…”

“…In a similar study, foliar spray of sugarcane plants with GSNONP under drought induced the antioxidative defense system [ 21 ]. In another study higher CAT and APX activity were recorded under drought stress following soil application of NO-chitosan nanoparticles [ 25 ]. Chitosan-GSNO nanoparticles enhanced several root related traits such as total length, volume, surface area, number of root tips and forks.…”

“…Here, we have reported the synthesis and characterization of CS-GSNONPs. Chitosan is used for encapsulation since it is a biodegradable and biocompatible molecule [ 25 , 26 ].…”

State-of-the-Art and Perspectives for Nanomaterials Combined with Nitric Oxide Donors: From Biomedical to Agricultural Applications

“…Although NO-releasing nanomaterials have been extensively studied in biomedicine, their applications in agriculture are still in their infancy . Few studies have reported the use of NO-releasing nanomaterials in plants, and our research group has strongly contributed to the design and applications of NO-releasing polymeric nanoparticles in plants under different abiotic stress conditions. − This is a hot topic that has still not been fully explored and deserves further investigations. The following sections detail the important and recent progress in the use of NO donors allied with nanomaterials in different biomedical and agricultural applications.…”

“…Both nanoencapsulated and free S -nitroso-MSA application improved plant growth and maintained photosynthetic activity in Cu-stressed plants. Interestingly, only the nanoencapsulated S -nitroso-MSA increased NO bioavailability in the roots, resulting in enhanced antioxidant activity, reduced oxidative damage, and improved mitigation of root nutritional imbalance caused by Cu stress . These findings highlight the effectiveness of nanoencapsulation in delivering NO and providing enhanced protection to soybean plants under Cu stress.…”