Biological Responses of Plants to Antimony Pollution

The responses of plants to a constantly changing environment due to anthropogenic pressures have garnered significant interest within the scientific community. Among the pollutants now prevalent due to increased emissions and human activities is antimony (Sb), a ubiquitous metalloid found in water and soil. The growing concern about antimony stems from its latent toxicity and carcinogenicity. The chemical speciation of antimony as Sb(III) or Sb(V) influences its environmental behavior and subsequent toxicity in organisms. Although antimony is a non-essential element for plants, it can still be absorbed, leading to varying levels of bioaccumulation, translocation to aerial parts of the plant, and influencing physiological and metabolic processes. Given its significant impact on plant health and ecosystem dynamics, it is crucial to explore how antimony toxicity affects plant organisms and to investigate the molecular responses activated in the presence of this metal.

Plants are capable of responding to environmental imbalances such as contaminant presence by activating a series of tolerance and defense signals. Understanding the link between antimony (Sb) accumulation and plant metabolism has become increasingly necessary. This involves elucidating the biochemical, physiological, and molecular changes that occur in plants due to antimony exposure. The objectives include understanding how antimony's deleterious effects can affect electron transfer, suppress photosynthetic activity, and influence growth and metabolite synthesis. Additionally, the research aims to assess the defense mechanisms activated by plants, investigate the molecular profile, and analyze structural and ultrastructural changes induced by antimony toxicity. The results will also provide insights into plants' bioaccumulation levels and tolerance to antimony for potential applications in environmental remediation projects.

We accept various types of articles for this research topic, including hypothesis and theory, methods, mini-reviews, opinions, original research, perspectives, reviews, and systematic reviews. Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (excluding conference proceedings papers).

We invite researchers to submit manuscripts addressing the following topics:

• Effects of antimony pollution on plant growth, metabolism, and production

• Multilevel regulation of metal stress responses in plants in the context of antimony exposure

• Biochemical parameters of plants as indicators of antimony pollution in air, soil, and water

• Expression and regulation of genes and proteins in response to antimony stress

• Analysis of ultrastructural damage due to antimony exposure
Investigation of oxidative and genotoxic damages in plants caused by antimony

• Modulation of enzyme activities involved in defense mechanisms against antimony stress

Keywords: Antimony, Plant metabolism, Pollution, Molecular mechanisms, Defense mechanisms

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