Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad Georgi Bonchev Str. Bl. 21, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria.
Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad Georgi Bonchev Str. Bl. 21, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria.
Int J Mol Sci. 2021 May 5;22(9):4878. doi: 10.3390/ijms22094878.
Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) emerge as promising novel carbon-based nanoparticles for use in biomedicine, pharmacology and precision agriculture. They were shown to penetrate cell walls and membranes and to physically interact and exchange electrons with photosynthetic complexes in vitro. Here, for the first time, we studied the concentration-dependent effect of foliar application of copolymer-grafted SWCNTs on the structural and functional characteristics of intact pea plants. The lowest used concentration of 10 mg L did not cause any harmful effects on the studied leaf characteristics, while abundant epicuticular wax generation on both leaf surfaces was observed after 300 mg L treatment. Swelling of both the granal and the stromal regions of thylakoid membranes was detected after application of 100 mg L and was most pronounced after 300 mg L. Higher SWCNT doses lead to impaired photosynthesis in terms of lower proton motive force generation, slower generation of non-photochemical quenching and reduced zeaxanthin content; however, the photosystem II function was largely preserved. Our results clearly indicate that SWCNTs affect the photosynthetic apparatus in a concentration-dependent manner. Low doses (10 mg L) of SWCNTs appear to be a safe suitable object for future development of nanocarriers for substances that are beneficial for plant growth.
单壁碳纳米管 (SWCNTs) 作为有前途的新型碳基纳米粒子，在生物医药、药理学和精准农业中得到了广泛应用。研究表明，它们能够穿透细胞壁和细胞膜，并与体外光合作用复合物进行物理相互作用和电子交换。在这里，我们首次研究了叶面施用于共聚物接枝 SWCNTs 的浓度依赖性对完整豌豆植株结构和功能特性的影响。使用的最低浓度 10 mg/L 对所研究的叶片特性没有任何有害影响，而在 300 mg/L 处理后，在两个叶片表面都观察到大量的表皮蜡生成。在施用于 100 mg/L 后，发现类囊体膜的粒层和基质区域都发生了肿胀，而在 300 mg/L 后则最为明显。较高的 SWCNT 剂量会导致质子动力势生成减少、非光化学猝灭生成速度减慢以及玉米黄质含量降低，从而损害光合作用；然而，光系统 II 的功能在很大程度上得以保留。我们的研究结果清楚地表明，SWCNTs 以浓度依赖的方式影响光合作用装置。低剂量 (10 mg/L) 的 SWCNTs 似乎是未来为植物生长有益物质开发纳米载体的安全合适对象。
