Effect of copper on the translocation and transformation of polychlorinated biphenyls in rice

One-pot preparation of supramolecularly functionalized silver nanoparticles for surface plasmon resonance based dual-modal sensing of phytotoxic polychlorinated biphenyl

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), as a member of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), have posed a risk to humans and the environment until today. The monitoring of phytotoxic PCB which is toxic to plants, is especially important for ecological early warning and pollution management. In this work, β-cyclodextrin modified silver nanoparticles are prepared in a one-pot method, integrating the synthesis and surface modification in one step. The nanoparticles can supramolecularly immobilize 2,4,4'-trichlorobiphenyl (PCB 28) on their surface and construct a surface plasmon resonance-based nanosensor. Surface plasmon-resonance light scattering and surface-enhanced Raman scattering sensing of PCB 28 are realized using the nanosensor. The dual-modal sensing shows excellent performance for the potential practical monitoring of phytotoxic POPs in the plant and its growing environment.

Toxic effects of 2,4,4'- trichlorobiphenyl (PCB-28) on growth, photosynthesis characteristics and antioxidant defense system of Lemna minor L

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a common category of persistent man-made organic pollutants that are widespread in the ambient environment. Although Lemna minor L. is an extensively applied plant for aquatic remediation in ecotoxicology research worldwide, little is known regarding its responses to the potentially toxic effects of PCBs. For this study, a 14-day dissolved exposure was conducted to explore the effects of 2,4,4'- trichlorobiphenyl (PCB-28) on the growth, photosynthesis characteristics and antioxidant defense system of L. minor plants. We found that 100 and 200 μg/L of PCB-28 decreased the fresh weight, chlorophyll and protein content, and activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, glutathione S-transferase, and nitroreductase, whereas plasma membrane permeability, and the malondialdehyde and reactive oxygen species concentrations were increased. However, it was observed that 5 and 20 μg/L of PCB-28 had no significant effects on these physiological indices. The ultra-structure of chloroplast demonstrated that 100 and 200 μg/L PCB-28 severely damaged the chloroplast structures. Moreover, correlation analysis revealed that the content of reactive oxygen species had negative correlations with the fresh weight, chlorophyll and protein content, as well as the activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, glutathione S-transferase, and nitroreductase, but had positive correlations with the malondialdehyde content and plasma membrane permeability. This work provides valuable data toward elucidating the physiology and biochemistry of PCBs induced phytotoxicity.

Disturbed phospholipid metabolism by three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Oryza sativa

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous pollutants in soils that can be readily absorbed by crops, affecting growth and development. Phospholipids (PLs) are essential components of cell membrane and can indicate cellular responses to various organic pollutants. However, the detailed molecular mechanism of phospholipid metabolism based regulation employed by crops in response to PAHs stresses remains elusive. This study characterized the accumulation patterns of representative PAHs, namely phenanthrene (PHEN), pyrene (PY), and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) in rice (Oryza sativa). Crop's responses to PAHs via the regulation of phospholipid metabolism were also explored. PHEN exhibited the highest accumulation in both roots and shoots, followed by PY and BaP, despite PY exhibited much greater phytotoxicity than the other two PAHs. The exposure to 10-500 μg/L PY resulted in downregulations of the phospholipase A₂ genes PLA₂-3, PLA₂-4, and PLA₂-6 (to 19% of the control without exposure) and phospholipase C genes PLC-1, PLC-2, and PLC-4 (to 50% of the control), consistent with the changes in phospholipase activity. The contents of typical PLs, including phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, and phosphatidic acid also decreased to a greater extent than those in the PHEN- and BaP-exposed groups. These were the major reasons for the relatively high phytotoxicity of PY, in terms of growth inhibition and cell membrane damage. These findings provide a more comprehensive understanding of crop responses to PAHs and provide insights into risk assessment of soil PAH contamination, which hold potentials in improving food safety and quality worldwide.

The combination of warming and copper decreased the uptake of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by spinach and their associated cancer risk

Both climate warming and co-contamination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals are environmental issues of great concern. However, the interactive effects of warming and heavy metals on PAH accumulation in edible plants and the PAH-associated health risk remain unclear. In this study, enclosed soil/water-air-plant microcosm experiments were conducted to explore the effects of copper (Cu), warming (+6 °C), and their combination on the uptake of four deuterated PAH (PAH-d₁₀) by spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) in aged soil. PAH-associated health risks for soil, plant, and air exposure pathways were also assessed. The results showed that both individual Cu or warming decreased the PAH-d₁₀ concentrations in root and shoot (non-normalized by lipid content) as well as the total PAH-associated cancer risk. Although antagonism existed between warming and Cu, compared to the presence of Cu, warming further reduced the spinach uptake of PAHs-d₁₀ and total PAH-associated cancer risk, and the reductions were stronger at higher Cu levels. The inhibitory effect of the binary combination on PAH-d₁₀ root uptake was attributed to decreased root lipid content and phytoavailable concentrations of PAHs-d₁₀ in soil as a consequence of biodegradation, aging effect and cation-π interaction. The antagonism between warming and Cu on spinach uptake could be explained by their opposite effects on PAH-d₁₀ biodegradation and the inhibition of the cation-π interaction caused by warming. Additionally, the shoot uptake of PAHs-d₁₀ was mainly controlled by their soil to air to shoot partitioning. The findings suggest that the interactive effects of climate warming and co-existing pollutants should be taken into account for the assessment of plant uptake and health risk of PAHs.

Cation-π Interactions with Coexisting Heavy Metals Enhanced the Uptake and Accumulation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Spinach

Few studies have considered the effect of co-occurring heavy metals on plant accumulation of hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs), and less is known about the role of intermolecular interactions. This study investigated the molecular mechanisms of Cu/Zn effects on hydroponic uptake of four deuterated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs-d₁₀) by spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.). Both solubility enhancement experiment and quantum mechanical calculations demonstrated the existence of [PAH-Cu(H₂O)_0-4]²⁺ and [2·PAH-Cu(H₂O)_0-2]²⁺ via cation-π interactions when Cu²⁺ concentration was ≤100 μmol/L. Notably, PAH-d₁₀ concentrations in both roots and shoots increased significantly with Cu²⁺ concentration. This was because the formation of phytoavailable PAH-Cu²⁺ complexes decreased PAH-d₁₀ hydrophobicity and consequently decreased their sorption onto dissolved organic carbon (DOC, i.e., root exudates), thereby increasing phytoavailable concentrations and uptake of PAHs-d₁₀. X-ray absorption near-edge structure analysis showed that PAH-Cu²⁺ complexes could enter defective spinach roots via apoplastic pathway. However, Zn²⁺ and PAHs-d₁₀ cannot form the cation-π interactions because of the high desolvation penalty of Zn²⁺. Actually, Zn²⁺ decreased the spinach uptake of PAHs-d₁₀ due to the increase of DOC induced by Zn. This work provides molecular insights into how metals could selectively affect the plant uptake of HOCs and highlights the importance of considering the HOC phytoavailability with coexisting metals.

Fate of 4-bromodiphenyl ether (BDE3) in soil and the effects of co-existed copper

The quantitative fate of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in soil is unknown. Furthermore, the effects of co-contamination by toxic copper on the behavior of PBDEs have not been investigated. Using a ¹⁴C-tracer, we studied mineralization, metabolism, and formation of non-extractable residues (NERs) of one PBDE congener, i.e., the 4-bromodiphenyl ether (BDE3) in oxic soil for 50 days, without and with amendment of Cu (400 mg kg^-1 soil dw). BDE3 rapidly dissipated with a half-life of 5.5 days and large amounts of CO₂ (38.8 ± 0.3% of initial applied amount at the end of incubation) and NERs (42.5 ± 0.4%) were rapidly produced. One hydroxylated metabolite (4'-HO-BDE3) was formed (8.1 ± 0.6%) at the beginning of the incubation, but then decreased to 2.2 ± 0.4%. Only BDE3 occurred in physico-chemically entrapped NERs, amounting to 9.2 ± 0.7%, while only 4'-HO-BDE3 in ester-linked NERs (10.9 ± 0.7%). The addition of Cu strongly reduced the kinetics constants of the transformations (including dissipation, mineralization, and NER-formation), the predicted maximal amounts of mineralization, as well as covalent binding of 4'-HO-BDE3 to soil. The results provide first quantitative insights into the fate of low-brominated congeners of PBDEs in soil and indicate that co-contamination by Cu may increase the environmental risks of biodegradable PBDEs in soil by increasing their persistence.