Effect of heavy metal stress on antioxidant enzymes and DNA damage in Nasturtium officinale R.Br. (watercress)

Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate responses of Nasturtium officinale R.Br. (watercress) under heavy metal stress. RAPD-PCR was used to determine the banding pattern variation in the samples influenced by different doses of heavy metals (HMs). After treatment with HMs, catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) of samples have been determined. The maximum enzyme activities were observed at different exposure conditions. The level of MDA increased with increasing heavy metal concentration. Changes in RAPD profiles of heavy metal treated samples compared with control. Our results showed that exposed samples with Cr gave the minimum number of new fragments compared with control. These results suggest that increase in anti-oxidative enzyme activity may play important roles in alleviating the toxicity of Cr, Cu, and Cd in N. officinale.