Induction of oxidative stress biomarkers associated with heavy metal stress in Fontinalis antipyretica Hedw.

The aquatic bryophyte Fontinalis antipyretica Hedw. was exposed to different heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn) at 0, 0.1, 1, 10, 100 and 1000 μM concentrations. Lipid peroxidation and anti-oxidative responses in apices were evaluated after 2 and 7 days of exposure. Most treated plants showed increased levels of lipid peroxidation and enzyme activities (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GRD), ascorbate (APX) and guaiacol (GPX) peroxidases, compared to control (untreated) plants. Most of our results suggest that plants possess antioxidant enzymes which operates either unspecifically (SOD and APX) or depending on the nature of the contamination (CAT, GPX, GRD). However, for the highest metal concentration tested, these cellular defence systems seemed overwhelmed since MDA levels increased significantly. These results confirm the important role of antioxidant defences in the mechanisms of plant-resistance to heavy metal stress. Moreover, two types of concentration–response trends were identified: clear monotonous relationships were often found for SOD and MDA while bell-shaped trends were usually observed for APX, GPX and GRD. These tendencies are discussed with emphasis on possible use of these responses as plant biomarkers for freshwater biomonitoring surveys.