Oxidative stress effects caused by the ion pair cadmium-zinc in Glycine max (L) Merr leaves

CV GATICA AGUILAR; LV GALLARDO; ML EGGEL; MB TORRES BASSO; RS VILLARREAL; LB PENA; MV PÉREZ CHACA

San Juan

Congreso; LVI Reunión Científica Anual de la Sociedad de Biología de Cuyo; 2023

Sociedad de Biología de Cuyo

Soil contamination with heavy metals has increased exponentially in recent years and has been progressively installed in different ecosystems worldwide. Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal that isn’t essential for living beings and in very low concentrations causes alterations in physiological, biochemical, and molecular processes, causing damage at the cellular and molecular levels. Zinc (Zn) is an essential microelement for plants, however, in excessive concentrations it also causes damage and alterations. The ions of these metals share chemical characteristics that lead them to use the same transporters to enter cells, thus competing for their entry, transport, and utilization in plants. This competition generates changes in oxidative stress parameters. The objective of this study was to determine the mechanisms of stress tolerance mediated by the Cd+2 and Zn+2 ion pair and the damage that the oxidative stress causes in structures such as plasma membrane and proteins, evaluating the biochemical and physiological changes in leaves of Glycine max (L) Merr. Leaves were obtained after 12 days of plant development under hydroponic conditions in Hoagland’s nutrient solution and exposed to contamination with these two ions (Cd+2 and Zn+2) for a period of 7 days. The ZnCl2 concentrations used were: 0, 0.6 and 4.8 mM and 40 µM CdCl2, as a constant concentration. Regarding carbonyl, H2O2 and MDA content, the results showed a significant increase (p