Allantoin attenuates cadmium-induced toxicity in cucumber plants

Concentration-dependent responses of cucumber plants to cadmium (Cd, 5-15 µM) and/or allantoin (Alla, 10-1000 µM) have been investigated to detect a possible protective role of Alla under Cd excess. After 14 days of exposure, Alla often considerably reversed Cd-induced inhibition of growth and reduction of the content of photosynthetic pigments. Higher Alla doses depleted the Cd amount in shoots, which could be related to citric acid (increase in the shoots but depletion in the roots in Cd+Alla treatments) rather than to phytochelatins (Alla had a negative impact on the phytochelatin accumulation). An increase in the Alla concentration suppressed Cd-induced spatial H₂O₂ appearance, which does not seem to be related to antioxidative enzymes (low impact of Alla on catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, and guaiacol peroxidase). On the contrary, shoot glutathione and mainly ascorbic acid accumulation strongly increased in Cd+Alla treatments, indicating their prominent role in Alla-induced amelioration of Cd-stimulated oxidative stress and growth retardation. Similarly, phenolic metabolites (total soluble phenols and flavonols) were slightly influenced by Alla and their antioxidative action was not expected. We conclude that Alla-mediated attenuation of Cd-induced toxicity relies on enhanced accumulation of glutathione and ascorbate in the shoot tissue mainly, rather than on elevated antioxidative enzyme activities.