The combination of hyperspectral imaging, untargeted metabolomics and lipidomics highlights a coordinated stress-related biochemical reprogramming triggered by polyethylene nanoparticles in lettuce
The Science of The Total Environment2025
4 citations
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Greta Biale
Leilei Zhang,
Leilei Zhang,
Jacopo La Nasa,
Leilei Zhang,
Jacopo La Nasa,
Jacopo La Nasa,
Jacopo La Nasa,
Leilei Zhang,
Leilei Zhang,
Leilei Zhang,
Jacopo La Nasa,
Jacopo La Nasa,
Jacopo La Nasa,
Leilei Zhang,
Greta Biale
Greta Biale
Greta Biale
Jacopo La Nasa,
Greta Biale
Greta Biale
Greta Biale
Greta Biale
Jacopo La Nasa,
Jacopo La Nasa,
Jacopo La Nasa,
Jacopo La Nasa,
Jacopo La Nasa,
Jacopo La Nasa,
Jacopo La Nasa,
Leilei Zhang,
Jacopo La Nasa,
Jacopo La Nasa,
Lori Hoagland,
Lori Hoagland,
Greta Biale
Greta Biale
Greta Biale
Greta Biale
Francesca Modugno,
Greta Biale
Leilei Zhang,
Leilei Zhang,
Jacopo La Nasa,
Jacopo La Nasa,
Jacopo La Nasa,
Jacopo La Nasa,
Yang Yang,
Greta Biale
Francesca Modugno,
Francesca Modugno,
Greta Biale
Greta Biale
Greta Biale
Greta Biale
Francesca Modugno,
Greta Biale
Greta Biale
Leilei Zhang,
Francesca Modugno,
Francesca Modugno,
Jacopo La Nasa,
Greta Biale
Luigi Lucini,
Luigi Lucini,
Francesca Modugno,
Pier Paolo Becchi,
Pier Paolo Becchi,
Jacopo La Nasa,
Jacopo La Nasa,
Francesca Modugno,
Francesca Modugno,
Luigi Lucini,
Luigi Lucini,
Jacopo La Nasa,
Greta Biale
Anatoly P. Sobolev,
Jacopo La Nasa,
Jacopo La Nasa,
Luigi Lucini,
Jacopo La Nasa,
Luigi Lucini,
Jacopo La Nasa,
Luigi Lucini,
Francesca Modugno,
Francesca Modugno,
Francesca Modugno,
Anatoly P. Sobolev,
Luigi Lucini,
Luigi Lucini,
Luigi Lucini,
Luigi Lucini,
Luigi Lucini,
Francesca Modugno,
Luigi Lucini,
Luigi Lucini,
Giuseppe Scioli,
Francesca Modugno,
Giuseppe Scioli,
Giuseppe Scioli,
Giuseppe Scioli,
Luigi Lucini,
Luigi Lucini,
Francesca Modugno,
Luigi Lucini,
Leilei Zhang,
Francesca Modugno,
Jacopo La Nasa,
Francesca Modugno,
Francesca Modugno,
Francesca Modugno,
Jacopo La Nasa,
Jacopo La Nasa,
Francesca Modugno,
Luigi Lucini,
Jacopo La Nasa,
Francesca Modugno,
Francesca Modugno,
Francesca Modugno,
Francesca Modugno,
Francesca Modugno,
Francesca Modugno,
Greta Biale
Francesca Modugno,
Francesca Modugno,
Francesca Modugno,
Francesca Modugno,
Greta Biale
Luigi Lucini,
Luigi Lucini,
Luigi Lucini,
Luigi Lucini,
Luigi Lucini,
Luigi Lucini,
Francesca Modugno,
Francesca Modugno,
Francesca Modugno,
Francesca Modugno,
Francesca Modugno,
Luigi Lucini,
Luigi Lucini,
Luigi Lucini,
Francesca Modugno,
Francesca Modugno,
Luigi Lucini,
Francesca Modugno,
Francesca Modugno,
Jacopo La Nasa,
Greta Biale
Jacopo La Nasa,
Greta Biale
Summary
Researchers used advanced imaging and metabolic profiling to study how polyethylene nanoplastics affect lettuce plants grown in contaminated soil. They found that the nanoplastics triggered a coordinated stress response, altering the plant's metabolism of sugars, amino acids, and lipids even at low concentrations. The study suggests that nanoplastic pollution in agricultural soils could affect crop quality and plant health in ways not visible to the naked eye.
Polyethylene nanoplastics (NPs) are widely diffused in terrestrial environments, including soil ecosystems, but the stress mechanisms in plants are not well understood. This study aimed to investigate the effects of two increasing concentrations of NPs (20 and 200 mg kg<sup>-1</sup> of soil) in lettuce. To this aim, high-throughput hyperspectral imaging was combined with metabolomics, covering both primary (using NMR) and secondary metabolism (using LC-HRMS), along with lipidomics profiling (using ion-mobility-LC-HRMS) and plant performance. Hyperspectral imaging highlighted a reduced plant growth pattern. Several vegetative indexes indicated plant toxicity, with 20 mg kg<sup>-1</sup> NPs significantly decreasing lettuce density and vegetation health (as indicated by NDVI and plant senescence reflectance indexes). Consistently, photosynthetic activity also decreased. At the biochemical level, metabolomics and lipidomics pointed out a multi-layered broad biochemical reprogramming of primary and secondary metabolism involving a decrease in sterols, sphingolipids, glycolipids, and glycerophospholipids in response to NPs. The reduction in phosphatidylinositol coincided with an accumulation of diacylglycerols (DAG), suggesting the activation of the phospholipase C lipid signaling pathway. Moreover, nanoplastic treatments down-modulated different biosynthetic pathways, particularly those involved in N-containing compounds and phenylpropanoids. Our mechanistic basis of NPs stress in plants will contribute to a better understanding of their environmental impact.