Work

Sulfonamides impede duckweed growth by inducing an excessive accumulation of salicylic acid

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT Sulfonamides, owing to their therapeutic properties and cost-effectiveness, are widely employed in clinical settings and the animal husbandry industry. However, the misuse of these compounds has resulted in severe water pollution, thereby posing significant threats to the growth and development of aquatic plants such as duckweed. Our controlled experiments revealed that sulfonamide exposure disrupts the plasma membrane integrity in duckweed root tip cortex cells and inhibits the root growth. Utilizing ESI-HPLC-MS/MS, we identified that sulfonamide exposure elicits an immune response in duckweed, characterized by the generation of substantial amounts of salicylic acid (SA). The exogenous application of SA exacerbated the sulfonamide-induced growth inhibition, whereas the addition of the SA synthesis inhibitor 1-aminobenzotriazole (ABT) mitigated the stress induced by sulfonamides. A loss-of-function mutant of ICS1, a key enzyme in the SA biosynthesis pathway, exhibited complete insensitivity to sulfonamide exposure. Furthermore, transcription factors SARD1 and CBP60g, which regulate ICS1 gene expression, were induced by sulfonamides, and their double mutant showed insensitivity to sulfonamide exposure. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) detection indicated abnormal accumulation of ROS in duckweed roots under sulfonamide exposure, which is likely to induce SA synthesis. These findings suggest that sulfonamide-mediated growth inhibition in plants is dependent on the ICS1-catalyzed SA biosynthesis pathway, thereby enhancing our understanding of the effects and mechanisms of sulfonamide exposure on aquatic plants.

Source: Environmental and Experimental Botany

DOI: 10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106224

Authors: Aolin Ma, Siqi Liu, Zhixuan Du, Longfei Zhu, Guanping Feng

Institution: Jinggangshan University

Language: English

Topic: Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts

Subfield: Pollution

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Zero hunger

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,000