Phenolic profile of two crop species treated with polysaccharide coated CeO2 nanoparticles

Abstract

Cerium oxide nanoparticles (nCeO2) are interesting due to redox property - transition between Ce3+ and Ce4+ ions. Increased usage of nCeO2 may raise its content in the environment, i.e. accumulation in water, air and soil. In many studies nCeO2 was coated with different polymers, but data on the effects of coated nCeO2 on crop species are scarce. In this study, wheat and pea seeds were exposed to 5 day treatment with 200 mg/L uncoated and glucose-, levan- and pullulan-coated nCeO2 during germination. After three weeks of seedlings growth in hydroponics, phenolic profile in shoots was examined. HPLC profiles showed unchanged qualitative composition (type and number of phenolics) in both tested plants. Among 5 identified phenolics, changes in peak areas were observed only in the most dominant phenolic-vicenin 1 in wheat, and in 3 phenolic compounds in pea. Results indicate minor changes of plants’ phenolic metabolism.