Changes in the small-molecule fingerprints of rice planted near an industrial explosion site in Taiwan

Wen-Ling Chen; Husan-Yu Tai; Chang-Chuan Chan; Hung-Chien Lin; Ting-Hsuan Hung; Mong-Hsun Tsai; Chia-Cheng Wei; Yu-San Han; Chuan-Chou Shen

doi:10.1007/s11356-024-35565-z

Changes in the small-molecule fingerprints of rice planted near an industrial explosion site in Taiwan

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2024 Dec 3. doi: 10.1007/s11356-024-35565-z. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Wen-Ling Chen^{1

2

3}, Husan-Yu Tai², Chang-Chuan Chan^{4

5}, Hung-Chien Lin⁶, Ting-Hsuan Hung⁷, Mong-Hsun Tsai⁸, Chia-Cheng Wei^{1

2}, Yu-San Han⁹, Chuan-Chou Shen¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ Department of Public Health, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, No. 17, Xuzhou Rd., Taipei, 100, Taiwan.
² Institute of Food Safety and Health, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, No. 17, Xuzhou Rd., Taipei, 100, Taiwan.
³ Department of Agricultural Chemistry, College of Bioresources and Agriculture, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei, 106, Taiwan.
⁴ Department of Public Health, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, No. 17, Xuzhou Rd., Taipei, 100, Taiwan. ccchan@ntu.edu.tw.
⁵ Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, No. 17, Xuzhou Rd., Taipei, 100, Taiwan. ccchan@ntu.edu.tw.
⁶ Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, No. 17, Xuzhou Rd., Taipei, 100, Taiwan.
⁷ Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, College of BioResources and Agriculture, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei, 106, Taiwan.
⁸ Institute of Biotechnology, College of BioResources and Agriculture, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei, 106, Taiwan.
⁹ Institute of Fisheries Science, College of Life Science, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei, 106, Taiwan.
¹⁰ Department of Geosciences, College of Science, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei, 106, Taiwan.

PMID: 39625622
DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-35565-z

Abstract

A fire and explosion accident at a petrochemical complex sparked concerns over the rice health and production in nearby paddy fields. To unveil the potential effects, this study investigated small molecule changes in rice harvested in nearby counties using non-target analysis. Rice grains were harvested three, eight, 15, and 20 months after the accident from a total of ten townships. Small-molecule (m/z 70-1100) data in brown rice (n = 27) were acquired using high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) models were constructed to illustrate the temporal and spatial trends of rice's small-molecule fingerprints, and markers of production locations were identified. The small-molecule fingerprint in the rice directly exposed to the accident and harvested three months after the explosion differed significantly from those planted after the accident (PLS-DA model Q² = 0.943, Q²/R²Y = 0.962), probably indicating the exclusion of long-term effects. Besides, in the rice directly exposed to the accident, the rice collected from near the explosion site (< 15 km) exhibited reduced jasmonic acid and increased imidacloprid levels (log₂ fold change: -1.53 and 5.46, respectively), compared to that from farther locations. The result would suggest compromised disease defence in rice grown under the stress of explosion. In addition, lipid and amino acid metabolism perturbations are deemed relevant to plant development.

Keywords: Metabolic changes; Non-target analysis; Paddy rice; Petrochemical accident; Small-molecule fingerprint; Temporal and spatial trends.

Abstract

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