biologia plantarum

Biologia plantarum 51:121-128, 2007 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-007-0024-x

Lead-induced oxidative stress and metabolic alterations in Cassia angustifolia Vahl.

M. I. Qureshi³, M. Z. Abdin², S. Qadir², M. Iqbal^1,*

¹ Department of Botany, Jamia Hamdard, Hamdard Nagar, New Delhi, India

² Centre for Transgenic Plant Development, Jamia Hamdard, Hamdard Nagar, New Delhi, India

³ Department of Environmental Sciences, Tuscia University, Viterbo, Italy

Forty-five-days old plants of Indian senna (Cassia angustifolia Vahl.) were subjected to 0-500 µM lead acetate (Pb-Ac) in pot culture. Changes in contents of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), ascorbate, glutathione, proline, sennosides (a+b), and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione reductase (GR), and catalase (CAT) were studied at pre-flowering (60 d after sawing, DAS), flowering (90 DAS) and post-flowering (120 DAS) stages of plant development. Compared with the controls, the Pb-Ac treated plants showed an increase in contents of TBARS, dehydroascorbate, oxidized and total glutathione at all stages of growth. However, sennoside yield and contents of ascorbate and reduced form of glutathione declined. Proline content increased at 60 DAS but declined thereafter. Activities of SOD, APX, GR and CAT were markedly increased. Sennoside content was higher at 60 and 90 DAS but lower at 120 DAS, compared to the control.

Keywords: antioxidants; antioxidative enzymes; lead acetate; senna; sennosides

Subjects: antioxidants, antioxidant enzymes; ascorbate peroxidase; Cassia angustifolia; catalase; glutamic acid, glutathione; glutathione reductase; heavy metals; lead; medicinal plants; metals; proline; sennosides; superoxide dismutase (SOD)

Received: February 28, 2005; Accepted: October 2, 2005; Published: March 1, 2007  Show citation