Melatonin induced reversibility of vanadium toxicity in muskmelon by regulating antioxidant defense and glyoxalase systems

• Published in: Journal of hazardous materials 2024-07, Vol.473, p.134452-134452, Article 134452
• Main Authors: Altaf, Muhammad Mohsin, Awan, Zoia Arshad, Ashraf, Sahrish, Altaf, Muhammad Ahsan, Zhu, Zhiqiang, Alsahli, Abdulaziz Abdullah, Ahmad, Parvaiz
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antioxidants; Defensive enzymes; Melatonin; Muskmelon; Vanadium
• ISSN: 0304-3894; 1873-3336
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.134452

Agricultural lands with vanadium (V), pose a significant and widespread threat to crop production worldwide. The study was designed to explore the melatonin (ME) treatment in reducing the V-induced phytotoxicity in muskmelon. The muskmelon seedlings were grown hydroponically and subjected to V (40 mg L−1) stress and exogenously treated with ME (100 μmol L−1) to mitigate the V-induced toxicity. The results showed that V toxicity displayed a remarkably adverse effect on seedling growth and biomass, primarily by impeding root development, the photosynthesis system and the activities of antioxidants. Contrarily, the application of ME mitigated the V-induced growth damage and significantly improved root attributes, photosynthetic efficiency, leaf gas exchange parameters and mineral homeostasis by reducing V accumulation in leaves and roots. Additionally, a significant reduction in the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA) along with a decrease in electrolyte leakage was observed in muskmelon seedlings treated with ME under V-stress. This reduction was attributed to the enhancement in the activities of antioxidants in leaves/roots such as ascorbate (AsA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), glutathione S-transferase (GST) as compared to the V stressed plants. Moreover, ME also upregulated the chlorophyll biosynthesis and antioxidants genes expression in muskmelon. Given these findings, ME treatment exhibited a significant improvement in growth attributes, photosynthesis efficiency and the activities of antioxidants (enzymatic and non-enzymatic) by regulating their expression of genes against V-stress with considerable reduction in oxidative damage. [Display omitted] •Vanadium stress led to severe phytotoxicity and oxidative stress in the muskmelon plant.•Melatonin increased root development, chlorophyll pigments, and leaf gas exchange in the presence of V stress.•Melatonin reduced V-induced toxicity by increasing antioxidant and glyoxalase enzyme activity.•The translocation of V in the roots and leaves of the muskmelon was effectively reduced by melatonin.•Melatonin foliar application increased the expression of genes involved in chlorophyll production and antioxidant defense.