A Magyar Agrár- és Élettudományi Egyetem Kutatási Kiválósági Programja(MATE KKP)
Szakterületek:
Növényfiziológia
Növényi biotechnológia
Salinity stress adversely affects plant growth, yield, and productivity. It requires
an investigation of ameliorative techniques, for example, spraying synthesized nanoparticles
such as zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnOnps). This current research studied the impact
of sodium chloride as a stressor (150 mM NaCl) and the application of ZnOnps (2 g
L−1) on some biochemical properties of maize (Zea mays) leaves. The experiment involved
examining some mineral concentrations (Na, K, Mg, Zn, Cu, Mn), fatty acid profile,
and the antimicrobial (antibacterial and antifungal) properties of aqueous and diethyl
ether maize leaf extracts, supported by molecular docking studies of the 17 previously
determined phenolic compounds against DNA gyrase and alpha-L-fucosidase enzymes. Applying
ZnOnps markedly decreased sodium concentrations from 5.8 to 1.9 mg g−1 dry weight
(DW) and established ion balance. ZnOnps also reduced γ-linolenic acid levels to 60%
under stress, returning them to normal (34%), while increasing palmitic acid to 30%.
Determining the antimicrobial activities indicated that extracts from plants sprayed
with ZnOnps exhibited enhanced antimicrobial activity, as evidenced by the lowest
minimum inhibitory concentrations against bacterial and fungal strains, including
Salmonella typhi and Aspergillus flavus. The computational molecular docking confirmed
the antimicrobial findings, with the compound apigenin-7-glucoside, which exhibited
the highest binding affinity scores for antibacterial (−7.4 kcal/mol), and the compound
chlorogenic acid as antifungal (−7.2 kcal/mol) against the enzyme targets. Thus, ZnOnps
can be considered an efficient strategy for mitigating salinity stress in maize plants
while elevating the antimicrobial activity and stability of variant secondary compounds.
