Development of antioxidant materials based on Persian gum and Zataria essential oil: Modulation of superoxide-producing and nitric oxide-producing enzymes in wheat seedlings

Abstract

Hydrogen peroxide and nitric oxide at low levels participate in various physiological functions, from plant development to defense responses including regulation of plant growth, pathogen infection, senescence, and seeds and rood development. In the present study, the stimulatory effects of Zataria multiflora essential oil (ZMEO) incorporated in the Persian gum on the activity and expression of superoxide-producing enzyme and nitric oxide-producing enzyme-like; NADPH oxidase (NOX), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), nitric oxide synthase (NOS), nitrite reductase (NIR), polyamine oxidase (POX) and nitrate reductase (NAR) were investigated in the wheat seedlings. Carvacrol, γ-terpinene, α-terpinene, and p-cymene are the main components of ZMEO. ZMEO efficiently encapsulated in Persian gum dispersion and displayed low surface tension, low conductivity, low zeta-potential, acidic pH, nanoscale particle size and low Newtonian viscosity. Persian gum-ZMEO dispersion upregulated the activity and expression of NOX, SOD, CAT, GPX, NOS, NAR, NIR, and POX at 50 μg/ml as well as hydrogen peroxide and nitric oxide production. Briefly, the potent antioxidant capacity of the emulsified ZMEO implies that at low concentration it can effectively be used as a promising biostimulator to improve redox status in the wheat seedling.