Uranium accumulation and its phytotoxicity symptoms in Pisum sativum L

Environmental contamination by uranium (U) and other radionuclides is a serious problem worldwide, especially due to, e.g. mining activities. Ultimate accumulation of released U in aquatic systems and soils represent an escalating problem for all living organisms. In order to investigate U uptake and its toxic effects on Pisum sativum L., pea plantlets were hydroponically grown and treated with different concentrations of U. Five days after exposure to 25 and 50 μM U, P. sativum roots accumulated 2327.5 and 5559.16 mg kg−1 of U, respectively, while in shoots concentrations were 11.16 and 12.16 mg kg−1, respectively. Plants exposed to both U concentrations showed reduced biomass of shoots and reduced content of photosynthetic pigments (total chlorophyll and carotenoids) relative to control. As a biomarker of oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels were determined, while antioxidative response was determined by catalase (CAT) and glutathione reductase (GR) activities as well as cysteine (Cys) and non-protein thiol (NP-SH) concentrations, both in roots and shoots. Both U treatments significantly increased LPO levels in roots and shoots, with the highest level recorded at 50 μM U, 50.38% in shoots and 59.9% in roots relative to control. U treatment reduced GR activity in shoots, while CAT activity was increased only in roots upon treatment with 25 μM U. In pea roots, cysteine content was significantly increased upon treatment with both U concentrations, for 19.8 and 25.5%, respectively, compared to control plants, while NP-SH content was not affected by the applied U. This study showed significant impact of U on biomass production and biochemical markers of phytotoxicity in P. sativum, indicating presence of oxidative stress and cellular redox imbalance in roots and shoots. Obtained tissue-specific response to U treatment showed higher sensitivity of shoots compared to roots. Much higher accumulation of U in pea roots compared to shoots implies potential role of this species in phytoremediation process.