Although nitric oxide (NO) is a key regulatory molecule in plants, its function in plants under conditions of simulated acid rain (SAR) has not been fully established yet. In this study, exogenous sodium nitroprusside (SNP) at three different concentrations were applied to mung bean seedlings. Malondialdehyde (MDA), NO, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), antioxidant enzyme activities, and nitrate reductases (NR) were measured. Real time PCR was used to measure the NR expression. Compared to the control, the NR activity and NO content under the pH 2 SAR decreased by 79% and 85.6% respectively. Meanwhile, the SAR treatment reduced the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), while increased MDA content. Application of SNP could potentially reverse the adverse impact of SAR, depending on its concentration. For plants under the pH 2 SAR and 0.25 mM SNP condition, the activities of SOD, POD, APX increased by 123%, 291%, and 135.7% respectively, meanwhile, MDA concentration decreased by 43%, NR activities increased by 269%, and NO concentration increased by 123.6% compared with plants undergoing only pH 2 SAR. The relative expression of the NR1 gene was 2.69 times higher than that of pH 2 SAR alone. Overall, the application of 0.25 mM SNP eliminated reactive oxygen species (ROS) by stimulating antioxidant enzyme activities, reducing oxidative stress and mitigating the toxic effects of SAR on mung bean seedlings. This research provides a foundation for further research on the mechanism of NO on plants under SAR conditions.
Keywords: Acid rain stress; Antioxidant enzymes; Nitrate reductase; Nitric oxide.