Arsenic stress in rice: Redox consequences and regulation by iron

Arsenic (As) contamination is a serious hazard to human health and agriculture. It has emerged as an important threat for rice cultivation mainly in South Asian countries. In this study, we investigated the effect of iron (Fe) supplementation on arsenic (AsV) induced oxidative stress responses in rice (Oryza sativa L.). Rice seedlings treated with AsV for 24 and 48 h in presence or absence of 2.5 mM Fe after which the root and shoot tissues were harvested for analysis. The results indicate significant (p ≤ 0.05) reduction in root and shoot length/dry biomass. Supplementation of Fe showed improved growth responses under stress as compared to AsV alone. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis of roots under AsV treatment for 48 h showed major alterations in root structure and integrity, although no noticeable changes were observed in Fe – supplemented seedlings. Significantly high (p ≤ 0.05) accumulation of AsV was observed in root and shoot after 24 and 48 h of stress. However, under Fe – supplementation As accumulation in root and shoot were considerably low after 24 and 48 h of AsV treatment. The hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and malondialdehyde (MDA) content in both root and shoot increased significantly (p ≤ 0.05) after 24 and 48 h of AsV treatment. In Fe – supplemented seedlings, the levels of H2O2 and MDA were considerably low as compared to AsV alone. Ascorbate (AsA) and glutathione (GSH) levels also increased significantly (p ≤ 0.05) under AsV stress as compared to control and Fe-supplemented seedlings. Activities of catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) high after 24 and 48 h of AsV treatment as compared to Fe-supplemented seedlings. The gene expression analysis revealed up-regulation of metallothionein (MT1, MT2) and nodulin 26-like intrinsic protein (NIP2;1) genes after 5d of As treatment, while their expressions were repressed under Fe-supplementation. Our results indicate that Fe regulates oxidative stress and promotes growth under As stress.