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Brassinosteroids as phytohormonal shields against micro- and nanoplastic stress in plants
Summary
Tiny plastic particles in soil can stress crops and even work their way into the food we eat, but this research review pulls together evidence that a natural plant hormone called brassinosteroid may help. In tomatoes, this hormone reduced how much nanoplastic ended up in the edible parts of the plant by blocking the tiny channels plastics use to enter, and it also helped other crops like rice grow better despite plastic contamination. This doesn't mean the hormone cleans up plastic pollution, but it's an early, promising step toward growing food that's less contaminated by plastics—though more real-world farm testing is still needed.
Microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) are biologically active stressors in agricultural soils, where they alter soil physical structure, disrupt rhizosphere processes, impair water and nutrient acquisition, and provoke oxidative and hormonal disequilibrium in plants. Brassinosteroids (BRs), particularly brassinolide and 24-epibrassinolide, have recently emerged as modulators of plant responses to plastic-particle stress. Current evidence indicates that BRs do not detoxify plastics directly. Instead, they reorganize plant performance across interconnected layers: aquaporin-linked NP transport, antioxidant and ascorbate-glutathione metabolism, photosystem II function, hormone crosstalk, secondary metabolism, and rhizosphere feedbacks. In tomato, BRs reduced polystyrene-NP accumulation in edible tissues by suppressing aquaporin genes. In Pinellia ternata and rice, BRs attenuated MP/NP-induced growth inhibition by restoring photosynthetic efficiency and redox control. This mini review synthesizes these findings and frames BRs as eco-hormonal regulators of the plant-plastic-soil interface, while highlighting priorities for field-realistic validation.