Membrane damage caused by exposure to t-butyl hydroperoxide

Abstract

As well as red beet discs, turnip and sweet potato storage tissues exposed to t-butyl hydroperoxide ( t-BHP) showed leakage of several cellular components including potassium ions, reducing sugars and UV-absorbing materials. Even at the beginning of the eight hr-treatment period, leakage of potassium ions was accompanied by a decrease in respiratory activity. At the time when the respiration of turnip discs started to decrease, accumulation of lipid hydroperoxides was detected by four different methods. Just after t-BHP treatment started incorporation of t- BHP was observed and the amount increased linearly to a maximum after ca four hr and then decreased gradually. This disc experiment suggests that t-BHP, a model compound of oxygen stress, is incorporated into plant tissues and may cause directly or indirectly lipid peroxidation in various biomembranes which leads to a leakage of cellular components and a decrease in respiratory activity.