Effects of exogenous hydrogen sulfide on the redox states of ascorbate and glutathione in maize leaves under salt stress

This study investigated the effects of exogenous hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) on the redox states of ascorbate (AsA) and glutathione (GSH) in maize leaves under NaCl (100 mM) stress. Salt stress increased the activities of ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione reductase (GR), monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR), dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), Γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase (Γ-ECS), and L-galactono-1,4-lactone dehydrogenase (GalLDH), malondialdehyde content and electrolyte leakage, and reduced the ratios of reduced and oxidised forms of AsA (AsA/DHA) and GSH (GSH/GSSG) compared with control. Pretreatment with NaHS (H₂S donor) further enhanced the activities of the above enzymes except MDHAR and ameliorated the decrease in the ratios of AsA/DHA and GSH/GSSG compared with the salt stress alone. Pretreatment with NaHS significantly reduced the malondialdehyde content and electrolyte leakage induced by the salt stress. Pretreatment with NaHS alone did not affect any of the above mentioned parameters compared with the control. Our results suggest that exogenous H2S could maintain the redox states of ascorbate and glutathione by up-regulating the ascorbate and glutathione metabolism and thus play an important role for acquisition of salt stress tolerance in maize.