Open Access

ARTICLE

Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles Alleviate Enhanced UV-B Radiation-Induced Stress in Wheat Seedling Roots by Regulating Reactive Oxygen Species

Cheng Sun^1,3, Chen Zhao^2,3, Guohua Wang^2,3, Qianwen Mao^2,3, Rong Han^2,3,*

1 College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Shanxi Normal University, Taiyuan, 030000, China
2 College of Life Sciences, Shanxi Normal University, Taiyuan, 030000, China
3 Shanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Macromolecular Adversity, Taiyuan, 030000, China

* Corresponding Author: Rong Han. Email:

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2025, 94(2), 455-479. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2025.061462

Received 25 November 2024; Accepted 23 January 2025; Issue published 06 March 2025

Abstract

Enhanced UV-B radiation represents a major environmental factor impacting global cereal production. Researchers have explored various approaches to reduce the detrimental impact of UV-B radiation on crops. Recently, engineered nanoparticles, particularly cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO₂-NPs), have attracted widespread interest for their ability to boost plant tolerance to a range of abiotic stresses. This study investigates how CeO₂-NPs application affects the morphology, physiology, biochemistry, and transcriptomics profiles of wheat seedling roots subjected to enhanced UV-B stress. The findings demonstrate that CeO₂-NPs notably promoted root length, fresh and dry weights, and root activity (p < 0.05) under enhanced UV-B stress. CeO₂-NP treatment reduced the content of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in wheat, alleviating oxidative damage in seedling roots and partially restoring the root phenotype. Under non-UV-B stress conditions, CeO₂-NP treatment triggered the difference of 237 transcripts in plants relative to the control group. Under enhanced UV-B stress, CeO₂-NP treatment exhibited differentially expressed genes (DEGs) linked to the antioxidant defense mechanism responsible for reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging, compared to the non-nanoparticle control. This suggests that ROS scavenging may be a key mechanism by which CeO₂-NPs enhance wheat resistance to enhanced UV-B radiation. This study elucidates a potential molecular mechanism through which CeO₂ nanoparticles may enhance wheat tolerance to UV-B stress.

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Supplementary Material

Supplementary Material File

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