Antioxidant enzymes responses in shoots of arsenic hyperaccumulator, Isatis cappadocica Desv., under interaction of arsenate and phosphate.

The present study investigated the effects of arsenate and phosphate interaction on growth, lipid peroxidation, arsenic (As) accumulation, phosphorus (P) accumulation, and the activities of some antioxidant enzymes in Isatis cappadocica. Plants were exposed to (50-1200 μmol L) arsenate and (5-1600 μmol L) phosphate for 28 days in a hydroponic system. At a phosphate concentration of 1600 µM, biomass production and chlorophyll content increased, demonstrating clearly that phosphate was able to provide protection against As toxicity. In case of joint application of 1600 µM phosphate with arsenate, the As accumulation and then lipid peroxidation were decreased when compared to samples treated with arsenate and 5 µM phosphate. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), catalase (CAT) and glutathione reductase (GR) increased with increasing arsenate supply levels. Addition of P decreased activities of SOD, APX and CAT, while high phosphate treatments had a positive effect on GR activity, which may be due to regulation of glutathione biosynthesis within the plants. In conclusion, high arsenate treatment (800-1200 µM) could cause an increasing oxidative stress, which can be scavenged by the antioxidant enzyme. Furthermore, P may affect As-induced oxidative stress through nutrient condition and As accumulation.