ICDSUPL5-E007

Volume: 5, 2026
5th International PhD Students’ Conference at the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland:
ENVIRONMENT – PLANT – ANIMAL – PRODUCT

Abstract number: E007

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24326/ICDSUPL5.E007

Published online: 22 April 2026

Transformed CuO nanoparticles alter copper delivery in barley

Mikołaj Feculak*¹, Anna Ziarkowska¹, Yolanda Madrid², Gustavo Moreno-Martín² and Izabela Jośko¹

¹ Institute of Plant Genetics, Breeding and Biotechnology, Faculty of Agrobioengineering, University of Life Sciences, 15 Akademicka St., 20-950 Lublin, Poland

² Universidad Complutense de Madrid (ROR 0290gd045), Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Ciudad Universitaria, 28040, Madrid, Spain

^{* Corresponding author: mikolaj.feculak@up.edu.pl}

Efficient Cu delivery in agricultural systems is crucial for proper plant growth and development, as Cu is involved in numerous metabolic processes and both its deficiency and excess can impair plant functioning. Due to the limited efficiency of conventional fertilization methods, CuO engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) have emerged as a promising alternative for more controlled Cu release. However, environmental transformations of ENPs may modify their interactions with plants. This study evaluated how sulfidation (sulf-Cu), protein coating (BSA@CuO), and their combined occurrence (BSA@sulf-Cu) affect Cu delivery to Hordeum vulgare L. and the expression of genes related to Cu homeostasis and detoxification.

After one week of growth under Cu-deficient conditions, plants were exposed to 10 mg Cu L^-1 as pristine CuO (p-CuO), transformed CuO (t-CuO), or Cu²⁺. Copper accumulation in plant tissues was quantified by single-particle ICP-MS, distinguishing ionic and particulate fractions, and the expression of genes involved in Cu transport and antioxidant response was analyzed. After 1 day of exposure, no changes in Cu concentration were observed in shoots, whereas roots showed an approximately 8-fold increase following exposure to p-CuO and BSA@CuO. In contrast, sulf-Cu and BSA@sulf-Cu did not increase Cu levels in roots. After 7 days, Cu concentrations in roots became comparable among treatments, and Cu²⁺ was the dominant Cu form detected following exposure to both p- and t-CuO ENPs. In shoots, all tested Cu forms significantly increased Cu accumulation, with sulfidation enhancing Cu accumulation more strongly (1.2-fold) than p-CuO (approximately 0.5-fold). BSA coating did not affect Cu concentrations in shoots.

All Cu forms reduced the expression of the COPT5 gene by approximately 80%, whereas only sulf-Cu decreased the expression of PAA2 and MTP, similarly to Cu²⁺, indicating stress associated with excessive Cu supply. Sulf-Cu also reduced the expression of the antioxidant defense genes APX and GS by approximately 50%, again producing an effect similar to that of Cu²⁺, while the remaining p- and t-CuO ENPs maintained expression levels comparable to those observed in control plants. Overall, the results suggest that sulphidation of CuO ENPs increases Cu bioavailability and promotes its translocation to aboveground tissues, but at the cost of elevated plant stress. In contrast, protein coating does not alter Cu uptake but markedly alleviates the stress induced by sulf-Cu.

This study was funded by the National Science Centre (Poland) in the frame of the OPUS project (2021/43/B/NZ9/02857).

Keywords: genes expression; metal acquisition; plant response; single-particle

How to cite

Feculak M., Ziarkowska A., Madrid Y., Moreno-Martín G., Jośko I., 2026. Transformed CuO nanoparticles alter copper delivery in barley. In: 5th International PhD Students’ Conference at the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland: Environment – Plant – Animal – Product. https://doi.org/10.24326/ICDSUPL5.E007