Metabolomics of soybean (Glycine max L.) response to co-exposure of pyrene and three metal oxide engineered nanomaterials

Abstract

Metal oxide engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) offer a range of opportunities for sustainable agriculture. Despite ENMs acting as vectors of nutrients to plants, it remains unclear whether they promote the uptake of contaminants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), by plants. The present work revealed that ENMs (SiO 2 nanoparticles, nSiO 2 ; CeO 2 nanoparticles, nCeO 2 ; 100 mg L -1 ) significantly enhanced the accumulation of Pyr by 18.4–34.8% in soybean ( Glycine max L.) tissues over 15-d hydroponic cultivation. Metabolomics analyses suggested the metabolic disturbance occurred in both Pyr-only exposure (910.3 ± 87.6 mg kg -1 Pyr) and the co-exposure of Pyr and ENMs (804.5 ± 52.1 – 1226.6 ± 12.0 mg kg -1 Pyr). In addition, higher Pyr contents induced more notable reprogramming of multiple metabolic processes in soybean, such as C/N cycle. Further statistical analyses indicated that more than 70% metabolic permutations were induced by Pyr, which was more profound than ENMs. The results in this study highlight the potential risks and specific molecular mechanisms of emergent ENMs if co-exposure with ubiquitous PAHs. This study also promotes further research into the responsible and sustainable development of nanotechnology in the agriculture. • nSiO 2 and nCeO 2 significantly increased Pyr contents in soybean by 18.4–34.8% • Smaller sized nSiO 2 increased the most Pyr accumulation in soybean • Higher Pyr content enhanced reprogramming of C/N cycle in soybean tissues • Compared to ENMs, Pyr contributed more to metabolism disturbances