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Copper-induced oxidative damage, antioxidant response and genotoxicity in Lycopersicum esculentum Mill. and Cucumis sativus L.

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Abstract

Adequate copper (Cu2+) concentrations are required for plants; however, at higher concentrations it can also cause multiple toxic effects. In the present study, lipid peroxidation, hydrogen peroxide levels as well as ascorbate peroxidase (APX: EC 1/11/1/11) and catalase (CAT: EC 1.11.1.6) activities were determined in Lycopersicum esculentum Mill. and Cucumis sativus L. seedlings after 7-day exposure to copper sulfate. In addition, DNA damage in these two crops was assessed by measuring micronucleus (MN) frequency and tail moments (TM) as determined by Comet assay. Inhibitory copper concentrations (EC50: 30 and 5.5 ppm for L. esculentum and C. sativus, respectively) were determined according to dose-dependent root inhibition curves, and EC50 and 2×EC50 were applied. Malondialdehyde (MDA) and H2O2 levels significantly increased in all groups studied. CAT activity increased in treatment groups of C. sativus. APX activity increased in L. esculentum seedlings due to 2×EC50 treatment. Reductions in mitotic indices (MI) represented Cu2+dependent root growth inhibition in all treatment groups studied. According to TMs and MN frequencies, copper exposure induced significant DNA damage (p < 0.05) in all study groups, whereas the DNA damage induced was dose dependent in C. sativus roots. In conclusion, Cu2+induced oxidative damage, elevations in H2O2 levels and alterations in APX and CAT activities, as well as significant DNA damage in nuclei of both study groups. To our knowledge, this is the first comparative and comprehensive study demonstrating the effects of copper on two different plant species at relevant cytotoxic concentrations at both biochemical and genotoxicity levels with multiple end points.

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Acknowledgments

This study was approved by the Baskent University Institutional Review Board (Project No: DA09/31) and supported by the Baskent University Research Fund.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Transplantation and Gene Sciences, Baskent University, 06980, Kazan, Ankara, Turkey

    Özlem Darcansoy İşeri, Didem Aksoy Körpe, Feride Iffet Sahin & Mehmet Haberal

  2. Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey

    Erkan Yurtcu

  3. Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey

    Feride Iffet Sahin

  4. Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey

    Mehmet Haberal

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  1. Özlem Darcansoy İşeri
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  2. Didem Aksoy Körpe
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Correspondence to Özlem Darcansoy İşeri.

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Communicated by J. Zou.

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İşeri, Ö.D., Körpe, D.A., Yurtcu, E. et al. Copper-induced oxidative damage, antioxidant response and genotoxicity in Lycopersicum esculentum Mill. and Cucumis sativus L.. Plant Cell Rep 30, 1713–1721 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-011-1079-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-011-1079-x

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