Background: Proton (H(+)) and aluminium (Al(3+)) toxicities are major factors limiting crop production on acid soils, while gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a non-protein amino acid involved in various stress tolerances in plants. In this study, to determine whether exogenous GABA is functional in alleviating oxidative stress induced by H(+) and Al(3+) toxicities, the antioxidant defence response regulated by GABA was investigated in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.).
Results: After 24 h treatments of seedlings under H(+), Al(3+) and combined stresses with and without GABA, morphological and biochemical assays were conducted. It was observed that the inhibition of seedling root elongation caused by Al(3+) and H(+) toxicities was significantly mitigated by GABA. The amount of carbonylated proteins with molecular masses of 14.4-97 kDa was decreased. The activities of antioxidant enzymes were enhanced, the content of malondialdehyde was reduced and the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), as shown by staining roots with nitroblue tetrazolium, declined in GABA-treated seedlings.
Conclusion: GABA can alleviate oxidative damage caused by H(+) and Al(3+) toxicities in barley seedlings by activating antioxidant defence responses and reducing the elevated levels of carbonylated proteins caused by ROS.