biologia plantarum

Biologia plantarum 51:493-500, 2007 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-007-0104-y

Protective effect of ascorbic acid and glutathione on AlCl₃-inhibited growth of rice roots

J.-W. Wang¹, C. H. Kao^1,*

¹ Department of Agronomy, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China

The effect of AlCl₃ on the antioxidant system of rice roots and the role of applied antioxidants ascorbic acid (AsA) and glutathione (GSH) in AlCl₃-inhibited growth of rice roots were investigated. AlCl₃ treatment resulted in a rapid inhibition of root growth but had no effect on lipid peroxidation and antioxidative enzyme activities in rice roots. AlCl₃ treatment resulted in lower content of H₂O₂, AsA, and GSH than in controls. Exogenous AsA or GSH counteracted growth inhibition of rice roots induced by AlCl₃. AlCl₃ treatment increased syringaldazine peroxidase (SPOX) activities and lignin content in rice roots. Exogenous AsA or GSH prevented the decrease in H₂O₂ content and the increase in SPOX activities and lignin content in rice roots caused by AlCl₃. Results suggest that lignification induced by low AsA or GSH content may explain the mechanism of Al-inhibited growth of rice roots.

Keywords: hydrogen peroxide; lignin; Oryza sativa; reactive oxygen species

Subjects: antioxidants, antioxidant enzymes; ascorbate peroxidase; ascorbic acid; catalase; hydrogen peroxide; lignin; malondialdehyde; Oryza sativa; reactive oxygen species (ROS); salinity, salt stress

Received: July 19, 2005; Accepted: May 10, 2006; Published: September 1, 2007  Show citation