Exogenous nitric oxide protect cucumber roots against oxidative stress induced by salt stress

Mitochondria are subcellular organelles with an essentially oxidative type of metabolism. The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in it increases under stress conditions and causes oxidative damage. In the present study, effects of exogenous sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a nitric oxide (NO) donor, on both the ROS metabolism in mitochondria and functions of plasma membrane (PM) and tonoplast were studied in cucumber seedlings treated with 100 mM NaCl. NaCl treatment induced significant accumulation of H2O2 and led to serious lipid peroxidation in cucumber mitochondria, and the application of 50 μM SNP stimulated ROS-scavenging enzymes and reduced accumulation of H2O2 in mitochondria of cucumber roots induced by NaCl. As a result, lipid peroxidation of mitochondria decreased. Further investigation showed that application of SNP alleviated the inhibition of H+-ATPase and H+-PPase in PM and/or tonoplast by NaCl. While application of sodium ferrocyanide (an analog of SNP that does not release NO) did not show the effect of SNP, furthermore, the effects of SNP were reverted by addition of hemoglobin (a NO scavenger).