Titanium dioxide nanoparticles seed priming as a remedy for nickel-induced stress in maize through antioxidant enhancement and ultrastructural optimization

Muhammad Rehman; Abdul Salam; Bahar Ali; Irshan Ahmad; Muhammad Haseeb Javaid; Zulqarnain Haider; Raheel Munir; Muhammad Umair Yasin; Imran Ali; Chunyan Yang; Sajid Muhammad; Yinbo Gan

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.123487

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles seed priming as a remedy for nickel-induced stress in maize through antioxidant enhancement and ultrastructural optimization

J Environ Manage. 2024 Nov 30:373:123487. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.123487. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm, Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
² Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm, Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China; Key Laboratory of Natural Pesticide and Chemical Biology of the Ministry of Education, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China.
³ Department of Botany, Kohat University Science and Technology, Kohat, 26000, Pakistan.
⁴ Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm, Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China. Electronic address: ygan@zju.edu.cn.

PMID: 39616783
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.123487

Abstract

Heavy metals (HMs) have emerged as a critical global concern, not only limiting crop productivity but also posing risks to public health. Among them, nickel (Ni) is an essential micronutrient for plant growth; however, it becomes toxic at higher concentrations. Nano-enabled approaches, on the other hand, have emerged as promising eco-friendly alternatives for mitigating the negative impact associated with HMs. Here, we investigated the potential of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO₂ NPs) against Ni-induced stress in maize. Our results showed that Ni stress caused negative changes in maize by the excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), inhibiting photosynthetic attributes, and damaging cellular ultrastructure. In contrast, TiO₂ NPs priming significantly enhanced the antioxidant mechanism, photosynthetic efficacy, and nutrient uptake while reducing ultrastructural damage caused by Ni stress. Furthermore, TiO₂ NPs efficiently reduced Ni accumulation, MDA (28%/32%), H₂O₂ (23%/26%), and O₂^•‒ (31%/34%) levels in shoot/root tissues, respectively, compared to Ni treatment. Moreover, TiO₂ NPs priming has modulated the expression of antioxidant and defense-related genes, thereby restoring cellular redox homeostasis. Collectively, this is the first piece of evidence demonstrating the potential of TiO₂ NPs as an efficient and sustainable alternative for enhancing crop tolerance in Ni-contaminated areas.

Keywords: Ni stress; Seed priming; TiO(2) NPs; Zea mays L.