Abstract
Reducing the accumulation of cadmium (Cd) and mitigating its toxicity are pivotal strategies for addressing Cd pollution’s threats to agriculture and human health. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) serves as a signaling molecule, playing a crucial role in plant stress defense mechanisms. Nevertheless, a comprehensive assessment of the impact of exogenous H2S on plant growth, antioxidant properties, and gene expression under Cd stress remains lacking. In this meta-analysis, we synthesized 575 observations from 27 articles, revealing that exogenous H2S significantly alleviates Cd-induced growth inhibition in plants. Specifically, it enhances root length (by 8.71%), plant height (by 15.67%), fresh weight (by 15.15%), dry weight (by 22.54%), and chlorophyll content (by 27.99%) under Cd stress conditions. H2S boosts antioxidant enzyme activity, particularly catalase (CAT), by 39.51%, thereby reducing Cd-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation. Moreover, it impedes Cd translocation from roots to shoots, resulting in a substantial 40.19% reduction in stem Cd content. Additionally, H2S influences gene expression in pathways associated with antioxidant enzymes, metal transport, heavy metal tolerance, H2S biosynthesis, and energy metabolism. However, the efficacy of exogenous H2S in alleviating Cd toxicity varies depending on factors such as plant species, concentration of the H2S donor sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS), application method, and cultivation techniques. Notably, NaHS concentrations exceeding 200 μM may adversely affect plants. Overall, our study underscores the role of exogenous H2S in mitigating Cd toxicity and elucidates its mechanism, providing insights for utilizing H2S to combat Cd pollution in agriculture.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Chongqing Municipal Water Conservancy Science and Technology Project [Grant No. CQSLK-2023027], the Science and Technology Research Program of Chongqing Municipal Education Commission [Grant No. KJQN202001509], the Postgraduate Science and Technology Innovation Program of Chongqing University of Science and Technology [Grant No. YKJCX2220534], and the Undergraduate Innovation Training Program of Chongqing Municipal Education Commission [Grant No. s202311551004].
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Han** Cao: Data curation, Software, Writing-original draft. Ke** Song: Methodology, Visualization. Yingying Hu: Validation. Qingxiao Li: Data curation. Tengfei Ma: Software. Rui Li: Revising. Nan Chen: Funding acquisition. Shunqin Zhu: Writing-review and editing. Wanhong Liu: Conceptualization, Project administration, Supervision.
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Cao, H., Song, K., Hu, Y. et al. The role of exogenous hydrogen sulfide in mitigating cadmium toxicity in plants: A comprehensive meta-analysis. Environ Sci Pollut Res 31, 30273–30287 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-33298-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-33298-7