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Effects of polystyrene nanoplastics exposure on in vitro-grown Stevia rebaudiana plants
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Researchers exposed stevia plants to polystyrene nanoplastics at various concentrations and tracked their uptake and effects on plant growth and metabolite production. The study found that at higher concentrations, nanoplastics accumulated in roots and traveled to leaves, reducing plant growth while increasing stress-related metabolite production. Interestingly, low-dose nanoplastic exposure actually boosted production of steviol glycosides, the plant's sweetening compounds, suggesting a hormetic dose-response pattern.
Nanoplastics (NPs) as environmental contaminants have received increased attention in recent years. Numerous studies have suggested possible negative effects of plants exposure to NPs, but more data are needed with various plants under different exposure conditions to clarify the underlying phytotoxicity mechanisms. In this study, we investigated the effect of polystyrene nanoplastics (PSNPs; 28.65 nm average diameter) exposure (10, 100 and 250 mg/L) on plant morphology and production of relevant metabolites (steviol glycosides, chlorophylls, carotenoids, and vitamins) of in vitro-grown Stevia rebaudiana plantlets. Additionally, we used dark field microscopy combined with fluorescence hyperspectral imaging for the visualization of internalized PSNPs inside plant tissues. At higher concentrations (>100 mg/L), PSNPs were shown to aggregate in roots and to be transported to leaves, having a significantly negative impact on plant growth (reduced size and biomass), while increasing the production of metabolites compared to controls, most probably because of response to stress. The production of steviol glycosides presented a biphasic dose-response suggestive of hormesis, with the highest values at 10 mg/L PSNPs (1.5-2.2-fold increase compared to controls), followed by a decline in production at higher concentrations (100 and 250 mg/L), but with values comparable to controls. These results are promising for future in vivo studies evaluating the effect of NP exposure on the production of steviol glycosides, the natural sweeteners from stevia.
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