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Strigolactones alleviate the toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs) in maize (Zea mays L.)
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Researchers found that a natural plant hormone called strigolactone helped protect maize plants from the toxic effects of polystyrene nanoplastics by reducing how much plastic accumulated in the roots. The hormone activated the plant's antioxidant defenses and changed the expression of genes related to stress response and hormone signaling. While focused on plants, this research matters for food safety because it could lead to agricultural practices that reduce how much microplastic contamination ends up in crops that people eat.
Nanoplastics are widely used across various fields, yet their uptake can potentially exert adverse effects on plant growth and development, ultimately reducing yields. While there is growing awareness of the phytotoxicity caused by nanoplastics, our understanding of effective strategies to prevent nanoplastic accumulation in plants remains limited. This study explores the role of strigolactones (SLs) in mitigating the toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs) in Zea mays L. (maize). SLs application markedly inhibited PS-NPs accumulation in maize roots, thus enhancing the root weight, shoot weight and shoot length of maize. Physiological analysis showed that SLs application activated the activities of antioxidant defence enzymes, superoxide dismutase and catalase, to decrease the malondialdehyde content and electrolyte leakage and alleviate the accumulation of HO and O induced by PS-NPs in maize plants. Transcriptomic analyses revealed that SLs application induced transcriptional reprogramming by regulating the expression of genes related to MAPK, plant hormones and plant-pathogen interaction signal pathways in maize treated with PS-NPs. Notably, the expression of genes, such as ZmAUX/IAA and ZmGID1, associated with phytohormones in maize treated with PS-NPs underwent significant changes. In addition, SLs induced metabolic dynamics changes related to amino acid biosynthesis, ABC transporters, cysteine and methionine metabolism in maize treated with PS-NPs. In summary, these results strongly reveal that SLs could serve as a strategy to mitigate the accumulation and alleviate the stress of PS-NPs in maize, which appears to be a potential approach for mitigating the phytotoxicity induced by PS-NPs in maize.
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Scientists discovered that nanoplastics accumulate in the edible parts of tomato plants, but treating the plants with a natural hormone called brassinosteroids reduced nanoplastic uptake and reversed the growth damage. The hormone works by turning off water-channel genes that nanoplastics use to enter the plant. This finding matters for food safety because it suggests a practical way to reduce the amount of nanoplastics people consume through fruits and vegetables.
Brassinosteroids as phytohormonal shields against micro- and nanoplastic stress in plants
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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.
Role of Plant GrowthRegulators and Biological, Chemical,Nutrient, and Nanomaterial-Based Approaches in Mitigating Micro- andNanoplastic Stress in Agroecosystems
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Tiny plastic particles from pollution are building up in farm soil and can stunt crop growth, which matters because those crops end up on our plates. This review rounds up existing research on ways to fight back, showing that things like helpful soil bacteria, natural plant hormones, and nutrient treatments can help crops grow better and stay healthier even when contaminated with these plastics. While the solutions are promising, more research is still needed to turn these strategies into real-world farming practices that could ultimately mean less plastic contamination in our food supply.
Polystyrene Nanoplastics Affect the Expression of Genes Involved in Cellular Processes in Arabidopsis thaliana (L.)
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Scientists found that tiny plastic particles (from broken-down polystyrene, like Styrofoam) can mess with a plant's genes—shutting down ones needed for growth, stress defense, and detoxification. While this study was done in a lab plant (not food crops) and doesn't directly test human health effects, it raises a flag: if nanoplastics can disrupt basic plant biology, they may also affect the crops we eat, which is worth watching given how much plastic pollution has spread into soil and water.
Rhizosphere micro-environment restructuring by foliar 24-epibrassinolide enhances wheat resilience to polyethylene nanoplastics.
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Tiny plastic particles in soil can stunt wheat growth, which matters since wheat is a staple food crop many people rely on. Scientists found that spraying leaves with a natural plant hormone helped wheat grow stronger roots and shoots even when exposed to these nanoplastics, partly by boosting helpful soil bacteria. This points to a possible low-cost way to protect crops, and potentially our food supply, as plastic pollution keeps rising.
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