Major As species, lipid peroxidation and protein carbonylation in rice plants exposed to increasing As(V) concentrations

Abstract Arsenic (As) uptake by plants is mainly carried out as arsenate (As(V)), whose chemical analogy with phosphate is largely responsible for its elevated toxicity. Arsenate is known to stimulate reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation in plants that provoke oxidative stress. This manuscript reports the results of a hydroponics study using rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedlings as a test plant, where the effects of increasing arsenate concentrations (0–10 mg L−1) on both lipid and protein oxidation, as well as As accumulation and speciation in plant roots and shoots were examined. Plant yield was negatively affected by increasing As concentration. Accumulation in plant roots was higher than in shoots at low arsenate doses (0.5–2.5 mg L−1), while root to shoot transport was drastically enhanced at the highest doses (5 and 10 mg L−1). Moreover, As(V) was the dominating species in the shoots and As(III) in the roots. Rice leaves in the 10 mg As L−1 treatment showed the highest lipid peroxidation damage (malondialdehyde concentration), whilst protein oxidation was not remarkably influenced by As dose. Lipid peroxidation seems to be therefore conditioned by As accumulation in rice plants, particularly by the presence of high As(V) concentrations in the aerial part of the plants as a consequence of unregulated translocation from roots to shoots above a threshold concentration (1.25–2.5 mg L−1) in the growing media. These results provide relevant information regarding As(V) toxic concentrations for rice plants, highlight the importance of major As species analysis in plant tissues regarding As toxicity and contribute to better understand plants response to elevated As concentrations in the growing media.