Indian Journal of Agricultural Research

  • Chief EditorT. Mohapatra

  • Print ISSN 0367-8245

  • Online ISSN 0976-058X

  • NAAS Rating 5.20

  • SJR 0.293

Frequency :
Bi-monthly (February, April, June, August, October and December)
Indexing Services :
BIOSIS Preview, ISI Citation Index, Biological Abstracts, Elsevier (Scopus and Embase), AGRICOLA, Google Scholar, CrossRef, CAB Abstracting Journals, Chemical Abstracts, Indian Science Abstracts, EBSCO Indexing Services, Index Copernicus
Indian Journal of Agricultural Research, volume 56 issue 3 (june 2022) : 331-336

Paeonol (Extracted from Paeonia suffruticosa Root) Pretreatment Lends Antioxidant Protection against Arsenite Stress in Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Seedlings

Samya Mairaj, Richa Dave Nagar, F. Rehman, Anirudh Punakkal, Tanu Jindal
1Amity Institute of Environmental Science, Amity University, Noida-201 313, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Cite article:- Mairaj Samya, Nagar Dave Richa, Rehman F., Punakkal Anirudh, Jindal Tanu (2022). Paeonol (Extracted from Paeonia suffruticosa Root) Pretreatment Lends Antioxidant Protection against Arsenite Stress in Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Seedlings. Indian Journal of Agricultural Research. 56(3): 331-336. doi: 10.18805/IJARe.A-5951.

Background: Arsenic toxicity has become a growing concern for rice growers in South East Asian countries due to the extensive use of arsenite-contaminated groundwater in rice paddies. The presence of arsenic in soil and water from irrigation results in impaired crop growth and development. The effect of exogenous pretreatment of paeonol on hydroponically grown rice seedlings was examined by investigating the antioxidant systems under arsenic stress.
Methods: In the experiment, 7-day old rice seedlings (IR-64) were exposed to 10, 50, 100 µM of arsenite separately and co-treatment with 10, 50, 100 µM paeonol (extracted from Paeonia suffruticosa root) in a hydroponic medium for 7 days. The activity of lipid peroxidation [malondialdehyde] antioxidants [APX, CAT, SOD, GPX] in root and shoot tissue were determined by standard protcol.
Result: Arsenite treatments inhibited growth correlating with increased arsenic accumulation in rice seedlings. Oxidative stress was induced by overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and disruption of antioxidant defense systems measured in terms of increased activity of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase, glutathione peroxidase, catalase  and lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde) in root and shoot tissues separately. Paeonol pretreated seedlings along with arsenic exposure substantially decreased the level of arsenic uptake in plants resulting in comparatively higher plant growth as well as biomass substantial reduction in ROS overproduction and MDA content was observed in paeonol pretreatment as compared to arsenic-exposed seedlings alone. These findings indicate that paeonol has an ameliorating effect on arsenite-induced oxidative stress, suggesting that paeonol enhances the activity of antioxidants and prevents oxidative stress damage by transforming ROS to a neutral and non-toxic end product. Such natural ameliorative methodology will enhance agricultural production in arsenic stressed paddy field environments.


  1. Abraham, E. (2003). Neutrophils and acute lung injury Critical Care Medicine.  31(4):  S195-9. DOI: 10.1097/01.CCM. 0000057843. 47705.E8.

  2. Aebi, H. (1984). Catalase in vitro. Methods in Enzymology. 105: 121-126 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0076-6879(84)05016-3.

  3. Beauchamp, C., Fridovich, I. (1971). Superoxide dismutase: Improved assays and an assay applicable to acrylamide gels. Anal. Biochem. 44: 276-287.

  4. Bendong, C., Mingliang, N. and Guangshhun, Y. (2012). Effect of paeonol on antioxidant and immune regulatory activity in Hepatocellular carcinoma rats. Molecules. 17: 4672-4683.

  5. Chandrakar, V., Parkhey, S., Dubey, A., Keshavkant, S. (2017). b. Modulation in arsenic-induced lipid catabolism in Glycine max L. using proline, 24-epibrassinolide and diphenylene iodonium. Biologia. 72: 292-299.

  6. Chandrakar, V., Naithani, S.C., Keshavkant, S. (2016). Arsenic- induced metabolic disturbances and their mitigation mechanisms in crop plants: A review. Biologia. 71: 367-377.

  7. Chen, Y., Sun S.K., Tang, Z., Liu, G., Moore K.L., Maathuis F.J.M., et al. (2017). The nodulin 26-like intrinsic membrane protein OsNIP3; 2 is involved in arsenite uptake by lateral roots in rice. J. Exp. Bot. 68.11.3007-3016. 12: e017368. 101093/jxb/erx165.

  8. Chowdhury, M.T.A., Deacon, C.M., Steel, E., Imamul Huq, S.M., Paton, G.I., Price, A.H., Williams, P.N., Meharg, A.A., Norton, G.J. (2018). Physiographical variability in arsenic dynamics in Bangladeshi soils. Sci. Total Environ. 612: 1365-1372.

  9. Dave, R., Tripathi, R.D., Dwivedi, S., Tripathi, P., Dixit, G., Sharma, Y.K., Trivedi, P.K., Corpas, F.J., Barroso, J.B., Chakrabarty, D. (2013). Arsenate and arsenite exposure modulate antioxidants and amino acids in contrasting arsenic accumulating rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes. J. Hazard. Mater. 262: 1123-1131. 

  10. Gautam A., Pandey K.A., Dubey S.R. (2019). Azadirachta indica and Ocimum sanctum leaf extracts alleviate arsenic toxicity by reducing arsenic uptake and improving the antioxidant system in rice seedlings. Physiol MolBiol Plants.

  11. Hammerschmidt, R., Nucles, E.M.  and Kuc,  J. (1982). Association of enhanced peroxidase activity with induced systemic resistance of cucumber to Colletotrichum lagenarium. Physiological Plant Pathology. 20: 73-82.

  12. Hodges, D.M., DeLong, J.M., Forney, C.F., Prange, R.K. (1999). Improving the thiobarbituric acid-reactive-substances assay as for estimating lipid peroxidation in plant tissues containing anthocyanin and other interfering compounds. Planta. 207: 604-611.

  13. Hsieh, C.L., Cheng, C.Y., Tsai, T.H., et al. (2006). Paeonol (Extracted from Paeonia suffruticosa Root) Pretreatment Lends Antioxidant Protection against Arsenite Stress in Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Seedlings. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 106(2): 208-215.

  14. Kim, S.H., Kim, S.A., Parke, M.A., et al., (2004). Paeonol (Extracted from Paeonia suffruticosa Root) Pretreatment Lends Antioxidant Protection against Arsenite Stress in Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Seedlings. International Immune- Pharmacology. 4(2): 279-287. 

  15. Li, W.X., Chen, T.B., Huang, Z.C., Lei, M., Liao, X.Y. (2006). Effect of arsenic on chloroplast ultrastructure and calcium distribution in arsenic hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata L. Chemosphere. 62: 803-809.

  16. Mairaj, S, Rehman, F., Jetley, U.K. (2016). Comparative Antifungal activities of specified and modified secondary metabolites of Paeonia suffruticosa Root extract against aflatoxigenic fungus-Aspergillus flavus under different condition. World Journal of Pharmaceutical Research. 5(11): 1401-1417.

  17. Marin, A.R., Masscheleyn, P.H., Patrick, W.H. (1992). The influence of chemical form and concentration of arsenic on rice growth and tissue arsenic concentration. Plant Soil. 139: 175-183.

  18. McCarty, K.M., Hanh, H.T., Kim, K.W. (2011). Arsenic geochemistry and human health in South East Asia. Rev. Environ. Health. 26: 71-78.

  19. Mehmood, T., Bibi, I. Shahid, M., Niazi, N.K., Murtaza, B., Wang, H., Ok, Y.S., Sarkar, B., Javed, M.T., Murtaza, G. (2017). Effect of compost addition on arsenic uptake, morphological and physiological attributes of maize plants grown in contrasting soils. J. Geochem. Explore. 178: 83-91.

  20. Nakano and Asada, K. (1987). Purification of ascorbate peroxidase in spinach chloroplast as inactivation in ascorbate depleted medium and reactivation by monodehydroascorbate radical. Plant and Cell Physiology. 28: 131-140.

  21. Rahman, M.A., Rahman, A., Khan, M.Z.K., Renzaho, A.M.N. (2018). A Human health risks and socio-economic perspectives of arsenic exposure in Bangladesh: A scoping review. Ecotoxicol. Environ. Saf. 150: 335-343.

  22. Requejo, R., Tena, M. (2006). Maize response to arsenic toxicity as revealed by proteome analysis of plant shoots. Proteomics. 6: S156-162. doi: 10.1002/pmic.200500381.

  23. Rehman, F. and Mairaj S. (2013). Antimicrobial studies of allicin with paeonol and its oxime, International Journal of Pharma and Bio-sciences. 4(1): 240-249. 

  24. Rehman, F., Mairaj Samya and Jetley, U.K. (2016). Comparative antifungal activities of specified and modified secondary metabolites of paeonia suffruticosa root extract against aspergillius niger under different conditions. World Journal of Pharmaceutical Research. 5(11): 1401-1417. doi: 10.20959  /wjpr201611-7326. 

  25. Shahid, M., Shamshad, S., Rafiq, M., Khalid, S., Bibi, I., Niazi, N.K., Dumat, C., Rashid, M.I. (2017). Chromium speciation, bioavailability, uptake, toxicity and detoxification in the soil-plant system: A review. Chemosphere .178: 513-533. [CrossRef] [PubMed].

  26. Shi, H., Shi, X., Liu, K.J. (2004). Oxidative mechanism of arsenic toxicity and carcinogenesis. Mol. Cell Biochem. 255: 67-78.

  27. Singh, A.P., Dixit, G., Mishra, S., Dwivedi, S., Tiwari, M., Mallick, S., Tripathi, R.D. (2015). Salicylic acid modulates arsenic toxicity by reducing its root to shoot translocation in rice (Oryza sativa L.). Front. Plant Sci. 6: 340.

  28. Srivastava, S., Sinha, P., Sharma, Y.K. (2017). Status of photosynthetic pigments, lipid peroxidation and antioxidative enzymes in Vigna mungo in presence of arsenic. J. Plant Nutr. 40: 298-306.

  29. Sun, Y.C., Shen, Y.X., Sun, G.P. (2004).  Advances in the studies of major pharmacological activity of paeonol. Chin. Tradit. Pat. Med. 26: 579-582.

  30. Tiwari, S., Sarangi, B.K. (2017). Comparative analysis of the antioxidant response by Pteris vittata and Vetiveria zizanioides towards arsenic stress. Ecol. Eng. 100: 211-218. 

  31. Valensi, P., le Devehat,  C., Richard, J.L., Farez, C., Khodabandehlou,  T., Rosenbloom, R.A., Le Fante, C. (2005). A multicenter, double-blind, safety study of QR-333 for the treatment of symptomatic diabetic peripheral neuropathy. A preliminary report. J. Diabetes Complicat. 19: 247-253.

  32. Waalkes, M.P., Liu J., Ward, J.M., Diwan, B, A. (2004). Mechanisms underlying arsenic carcinogenesis: Hypersensitivity of mice exposed to inorganic arsenic during gestation. Toxicology. 198: 31-38.

  33. Zhu, N., Qiao, J., Yan, T. (2019). Arsenic immobilization through regulated ferrolysis in paddy field amendment with bismuth impregnated biochar. Sci. Total Environ. 648: 993-1001.

Editorial Board

View all (0)