Exogenous ascorbic acid and glutathione alleviate oxidative stress induced by salt stress in the chloroplasts of Oryza sativa L.

The effects of exogenous ascorbic acid (AsA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) on antioxidant enzyme activities [superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and glutathione reductase (GR)] and the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) and H2O2, as well as of endogenous AsA and GSH, in the chloroplasts of two rice cultivars, the salt-tolerant cultivar Pokkali and the salt-sensitive cultivar Peta, were investigated. Exogenous AsA and GSH enhanced SOD, APX, and GR activities, increased endogenous AsA and GSH contents, and reduced those of H2O2 and MDA in the chloroplasts of both cultivars under salt stress (200 mM NaCl), but the effects were significantly more pronounced in cv. Pokkali. GSH acted more strongly than AsA on the plastidial reactive oxygen scavenging systems. These results indicated that exogenous AsA and GSH differentially enhanced salinity tolerance and alleviated salinity-induced damage in the two rice cultivars.