College of Agronomy, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
College of Chemistry and Life Science, Sichuan Provincial Key Laboratory for Development and Utilization of Characteristic Horticultural Biological Resources, Chengdu Normal University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
PeerJ. 2023 Oct 18;11:e16177. doi: 10.7717/peerj.16177. eCollection 2023.
Trace elements play a crucial role in the growth and bioactive substance content of medicinal plants, but their utilization efficiency in soil is often low. In this study, soil and samples were collected and measured from 22 different locations, followed by an analysis of the relationship between trace elements and the yield and alkaloid content of the plants. The results indicated a significant positive correlation between zinc, trace elements in the soil, and the yield and alkaloid content of . Subsequent treatment of with both bulk zinc oxide (ZnO) and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) demonstrated that the use of ZnO NPs significantly enhanced plant growth and monoester-type alkaloid content. To elucidate the underlying mechanisms responsible for these effects, metabolomic analysis was performed, resulting in the identification of 38 differentially expressed metabolites in eight metabolic pathways between the two treatments. Additionally, significant differences were observed in the rhizosphere bacterial communities, with and identified as valuable biomarkers for ZnO NP treatment. Covariation analysis further revealed significant correlations between specific microbial communities and metabolite expression levels. These findings provide compelling evidence that nanoscale zinc exhibits much higher utilization efficiency compared to traditional zinc fertilizer.
微量元素在药用植物的生长和生物活性物质含量中起着至关重要的作用，但它们在土壤中的利用效率往往较低。本研究从 22 个不同地点采集和测量了土壤和 样本，并分析了微量元素与植物产量和生物碱含量之间的关系。结果表明，锌和土壤中的微量元素与 的产量和生物碱含量呈显著正相关。随后用氧化锌（ZnO）和氧化锌纳米粒子（ZnO NPs）对 进行处理，结果表明，ZnO NPs 的使用显著促进了植物的生长和单酯型生物碱的含量。为了阐明这些影响的潜在机制，进行了代谢组学分析，在两种处理之间的八个代谢途径中鉴定出 38 种差异表达的代谢物。此外，在根际细菌群落中观察到显著差异， 和 被鉴定为 ZnO NP 处理的有价值的生物标志物。共变分析进一步揭示了特定微生物群落与代谢物表达水平之间的显著相关性。这些发现有力地证明了纳米级锌的利用效率比传统锌肥高得多。
