Comprehensive review on nanopollutant detoxification strategies in plants: Unraveling physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms employed by plants to mitigate nanopollution

Abstract

The unintended release of nanoparticles into the environment, known as nanopollution, poses a severe hazard to plant communities. Addressing this issue demands a thorough understanding of the physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms used by plants to deal with nanopollutants. This review summarises the state of the art regarding nanopollution, including its kinds, causes, and effects on the environment, with a particular emphasis on how it affects plant systems. As major producers, plants are essential to the ecosystem and are especially vulnerable to nanopollution. Plant physiology is affected by nanopollution in a way that includes changes to growth, photosynthesis, nutrient uptake, and general health of the plant. The review highlights that metal nanoparticles adversely affect the plant growth by negatively affecting the cell division, photosynthesis by affecting photosynthesis apparatus and plant health by virtue of toxicity Understanding the molecular underpinnings of nanopollution is opening our eyes to the ways in which plant biological components and nanoparticles interact. Current review comprehensively explains the role of plant secondary metabolites, phytohormones and genetic elements as weapons against nanopollution. The complexity of interactions between nanoparticles, methodological constraints, and the absence of established techniques for measuring nanopollution are obstacles in the research of impact caused by nanopollution on plants. This review integrates current knowledge on nanopollution, highlighting the multifaceted responses of plants at physiological, biochemical, and molecular levels. By clarifying these processes, new avenues for reducing nanopollution and protecting plant health can be created, which will eventually maintain ecological equilibrium.