Effects of Nitric Oxide Application on Antioxidant Enzyme Activities of Pepper Plants under Drought Stress

The purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between the messenger molecule Nitric oxide (NO) and antioxidative enzyme (SOD: Superoxide Dismutase; CAT: Catalase; APX: Ascorbate Peroxidase) activities in some metabolic changes that occur under the effect of drought stress in plants, to determine the possible roles of Nitric Oxide and to obtain complementary information. The experiment conducted in a controlled environment, and plant were cultured in containers containing Hoagland nutrient solution. For drought stress application, 10% Polyethylene Glycol (PEG 6000) was added to the nutrient solution, which is equivalent to -0.40 MPa osmotic potential. Before the drought stress is applied, pepper seedlings of Demre cv were pre-treated with different doses of Sodium Nitroprusside (SNP) and Carboxy-PTIO (potassium salt) (cPTIO) (SNP 0.01, SNP 1, SNP 100 and SNP 0.01 + cPTIO, SNP + cPTIO, SNP 100+ cPTIO). On the 10th day of the drought application, the growth parameters of the plants; the plant fresh weights and their Antioxidative Enzyme Activities (SOD, CAT, APX) were determined. In terms of plant growth parameters, both plant growth and antioxidant anzyme activities of plants pretreated with 0.01 and 1 doses of SNP were lower than the high dose of SNP and the PEG application without pretreatment. The reason for the low enzyme activities in these applications can be attributed to factors such as the excess accumulation of organic acids such as proline in the cells of the plants and the decrease in H2O2 and O-2 levels in the presence of SNP.

The Rapid Cytological Process of Grain Determines Early Maturity in Weedy Rice

Shorter grain-filling period and rapid endosperm development endow weedy rice (WR) with early maturity compared to cultivated rice (CR). However, the role of the cytological features and antioxidative enzyme system during grain development are largely unexplored. We selected four biotypes of WR and their associated cultivated rice (ACR) types from different latitudes to conduct a common garden experiment. The difference in the cytological features of endosperm between WR and ACR was compared by chemical staining, and the cell viability and nuclear morphometry of endosperm cells were observed by optical microscopy. Furthermore, antioxidative enzyme activity was measured during grain filling. Anatomic observation of endosperm shows that the development process of endosperm cell in WR was more rapid and earlier than that in ACR. The percentage of degraded nuclei of WR was 2–83% more than that of ACR. Endosperm cells in WR lost viability 2–6 days earlier than those in ACR. The antioxidant enzyme activity of WR was lower than that of ACR during grain filling. The ability of WR to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS) was weaker than that of ACR, which may contribute to the rapid cytological process in the endosperm cells of WR. The rapid cytological process and weaker ability to scavenge ROS in endosperm cells may contribute to early maturity in WR.

Intense Pulsed Light Attenuates UV-Induced Hyperimmune Response and Pigmentation in Human Skin Cells

The skin of an organism is affected by various environmental factors and fights against aging stress via mechanical and biochemical responses. Photoaging induced by ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation is common and is the most vital factor in the senescence phenotype of skin, and so, suppression of UVB stress-induced damage is critical. To lessen the UVB-induced hyperimmune response and hyperpigmentation, we investigated the ameliorative effects of intense pulsed light (IPL) treatment on the photoaged phenotype of skin cells. Normal human epidermal keratinocytes and human epidermal melanocytes were exposed to 20 mJ/cm2 of UVB. After UVB irradiation, the cells were treated with green (525–530 nm) and yellow (585–592 nm) IPL at various time points prior to the harvest step. Subsequently, various signs of excessive immune response, including expression of proinflammatory and melanogenic genes and proteins, cellular oxidative stress level, and antioxidative enzyme activity, were examined. We found that IPL treatment reduced excessive cutaneous immune reactions by suppressing UVB-induced proinflammatory cytokine expression. IPL treatment prevented hyperpigmentation, and combined treatment with green and yellow IPL synergistically attenuated both processes. IPL treatment may exert protective effects against UVB injury in skin cells by attenuating inflammatory cytokine and melanogenic gene overexpression, possibly by reducing intracellular oxidative stress. IPL treatment also preserves antioxidative enzyme activity under UVB irradiation. This study suggests that IPL treatment is a useful strategy against photoaging, and provides evidence supporting clinical approaches with non-invasive light therapy.