Abstract
Nanoparticles are receiving many interests due to their broad efficiency in mitigating environmental stresses. The purpose of this research was to study the potential of selenium-nanoparticles (Se-NPs) to mitigate the adverse effects of salt stress on growth, physiology, and gene expression of Melissa officinalis. The pot experiment was conducted in a factorial based on completely randomized design (CRD) with three Se-NPs concentrations (0, 50, and 100 mg L−1) and four salinity levels (0, 50, 100, and 150 mM NaCl). The foliar spray of Se-NPs improved the growth of M. officinalis plants at different salinity concentrations, from which the most effective was 50 mg L−1. Plant growth decreased by progressing salinity concentration so that the minimum growth was observed at 150 mM NaCl. The Se-NPs improved salt tolerance in M. officinalis by decreasing lipid peroxidation through increased activity of antioxidant enzymes viz. superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POX). Furthermore, exposure to Se-NPs enhanced the transcript levels of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and rosmarinic acid (RA) synthase genes in lemon balm plants under salt conditions. Plants treated with 100 mg L−1 Se-NPs at non-saline conditions revealed the highest RA accumulation. According to the findings, we suggest both 100 mg L−1 Se-NPs to alleviate the adverse effects of salinity on in the M. officinalis, as well as the biosynthesis pathway of RA as a valuable secondary metabolite.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the staff of the Islamic Azad University (IAU) laboratory in Neyshabur (Iran) for their effective cooperation.
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This study was financially supported by Islamic Azad University, Damghan Branch (Iran).
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SGH performed the experiments, analyzed the data, and drafted the paper. NM and ASA designed and supervised the experiments, analyzed the data, and drafted the paper. FSN designed the experiments and analyzed the data. All the authors read the final manuscript and approved the submission.
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Ghasemian, S., Masoudian, N., Saeid Nematpour, F. et al. Selenium nanoparticles stimulate growth, physiology, and gene expression to alleviate salt stress in Melissa officinalis. Biologia 76, 2879–2888 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11756-021-00854-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11756-021-00854-2