Nitric oxide protects against polyethylene glycol-induced oxidative damage in two ecotypes of reed suspension cultures

Dune reed (DR) is the more tolerant ecotype of reed to environmental stresses than swamp reed (SR). Under osmotic stress mediated by polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000), the suspension culture of SR showed higher ion leakage, and more oxidative damage to the membrane lipids and proteins was observed compared with the relatively tolerant DR suspension culture. Treatment with sodium nitroprusside (SNP) can significantly alleviated PEG-induced ion leakage, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and carbonyl contents increase in SR suspension culture. The levels of H2O2 and O2− were reduced, and the activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) were increased in both suspension cultures in the presence of SNP under osmotic stress, but lipoxygenase (LOX) activity was inhibited. 2-(4-carboxy-2-phenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide (PTIO), a specific Nitric oxide (NO) scavenger, blocked the SNP-mediated protection. Depletion of endogenous NO with PTIO strongly enhanced oxidative damage in DR compared with that of PEG treatment alone, whereas had no effect on SR. Moreover, NO production increased significantly in DR while kept stable in SR under osmotic stress. Taken together, these results suggest that PEG induced NO release in DR but not SR can effectively protect against oxidative damage and confer an increased tolerance to osmotic stress in DR suspension culture.