Unveiling responses and mechanisms of spice crop chive exposure to three typical pesticides using metabolomics combined with transcriptomics, physiology and biochemistry

Network toxicological and molecular docking in investigating the mechanisms of toxicity of agricultural chemical pyraclostrobin

The safety of agricultural products is significant to human health. Pyraclostrobin (PYR), a common methoxycarbonyl fungicide, is a crucial role in the prevention of fungal infections during the transport and storage of agricultural products, including vegetables and fruits. Using a multi-analytical approach, integrating toxicological database mining, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis, and molecular docking, this study aimed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the toxicity of PYR. A total of 162 and 129 targets were identified for cancer and kidney injury, respectively, with PPI analysis pinpointing five vital targets per condition. Functional enrichment through Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome (KEGG) pathway annotations revealed significant associations with pathways related to prostate cancer and renal impairment pathways. Molecular docking confirmed PYR's binding affinity to these targets, indicating its potential role in disease pathogenesis. Our findings underscore the imperative for stringent safety assessments of PYR, particularly concerning the risks posed by chronic exposure, and emphasize the urgency for further research to inform public health and environmental policies.

Integrated transcriptome and metabolome analyses reveal regulatory mechanisms governing carbohydrate biosynthesis in Panax ginseng

Ginseng (Panax ginseng) is renowned for its medicinal properties, which are primarily attributed to bioactive compounds such as polysaccharides and secondary metabolites. However, the mechanisms underlying carbohydrate synthesis and metabolism in ginseng remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the effects of different potassium fertilizers, including potassium fulvic acid (BSFA), potassium humate (KHM), and potassium sulfate (KS), on the accumulation of monosaccharides and polysaccharides in ginseng. Through integrated metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses, we elucidated the metabolic pathways and gene networks associated with monosaccharide and polysaccharide biosynthesis under these treatments. Among the tested fertilizers, KS treatment significantly enhanced the accumulation of galactose, arabinose, and crude polysaccharides, outperforming both BSFA and KHM treatments. Metabolomic profiling revealed distinct metabolic reprogramming induced by each treatment: BSFA and KHM treatments enriched pathways related to phosphatidylinositol signaling and autophagy, whereas KS treatment uniquely activated monoterpenoid biosynthesis. Transcriptomic analysis further demonstrated that KS treatment markedly upregulated key genes involved in nucleotide sugar metabolism, including EVM0043355 (UAE), EVM0012792 (UDP-D-xylose synthase), and EVM0013821 (UDP-D-xylose synthase), as well as starch hydrolysis-related genes such as EVM0053524 (glycosyl hydrolase family) and EVM0000395 (hexokinase). Notably, UDP-D-xylose synthase plays a pivotal role in generating polysaccharide precursors, and the nucleotide sugar metabolism pathway may regulate the diversion of sugar intermediates toward polysaccharide biosynthesis. These findings further support the role of KS in promoting polysaccharide synthesis. Network analysis identified critical gene-metabolite interactions, highlighting the importance of nucleotide sugar metabolism in polysaccharide biosynthesis. Collectively, our results provide novel insights into how potassium fertilizers modulate ginseng's metabolic profile and offer practical strategies for optimizing cultivation practices to improve its medicinal value.

Effects of microplastics on 3,5-dichloroaniline adsorption, degradation, bioaccumulation and phytotoxicity in soil-chive systems

Microplastics (MPs) and pesticides are two pollutants of concern in agricultural soils. 3,5-dichloroaniline (3,5-DCA), a highly toxic metabolite of dicarboximide fungicides, commonly co-exists with MPs and poses a risk to the environment and food safety. Batch adsorption and soil incubation experiments were employed to investigate the effects of polyethylene (PE) and polylactic acid (PLA) MPs on the environmental behavior of 3,5-DCA in soil. Chive (Allium ascalonicum) was used as the experimental plant, a pot experiment was conducted to examine the effects of individual or combined exposure to MPs and 3,5-DCA on plant 3,5-DCA bioaccumulation, growth characteristics, and phytotoxicity. The results showed that PE- and PLA-MPs increased the adsorption capacity of soil to 3,5-DCA and prolonged the degradation half-life of 3,5-DCA by 6.24 and 16.07 d, respectively. Two MPs partially alleviated the negative effects of 3,5-DCA on the root length and fresh weight of chives, while PE-MPs had a positive and dose-dependent impact on the contents of photosynthetic pigment in chive leaves. Co-exposure to 3,5-DCA and MPs increased residues of 3,5-DCA in soil and chive roots but had no significant effect on 3,5-DCA residues in chive stems or leaves. Moreover, 3,5-DCA residues in PLA-MP soil were consistently higher than those in PE-MP soil. Conclusively, MPs altered the 3,5-DCA adsorption and degradation behavior in soil, as well as its bioaccumulation in chives. Co-exposure to MPs and 3,5-DCA had dose-dependent and MP-specific effects on chive plant development and phytotoxicity.