Functionalized Silica Nanoparticles Mitigate Salt Stress in Soybean: Comprehensive Insights of Physiological, Metabolomic, and Microbiome Responses

: Silica nanoparticles (SiO2 NPs) have potential for mitigating salt stress in crops; however, the effects of surface modifications in enhancing their effectiveness remain unclear. This study investigated the effects of pristine and functionalized SiO2 NPs (SiO2-NH2 and SiO2-COOH) on soybean growth, root metabolism, and microbiome dynamics under 200 mM NaCl stress. All SiO2 NPs treatments significantly reduced Na+/K+, with SiO2-COOH NPs showing the greatest efficacy, reducing by 46.6%. Enhanced salt tolerance correlated with altered root metabolism, including increased L-tyrosine, uridine, and indole-3-acetamide levels and enrichment of stress-response pathways. Furthermore, SiO2-COOH NPs enhanced microbial diversity, increasing the abundance of beneficial genera Variovorax and Pseudomonas in the endosphere, and Haliangium and Arthrobacter in the rhizosphere. Microbe-metabolite correlations suggest that altered root exudation under functionalized SiO2 NPs treatments selectively recruits beneficial bacteria, enhancing salt tolerance. These findings highlight the potential of functionalized SiO2 NPs, particularly SiO2COOH, as nanoenabled biostimulants for sustainable agriculture. KEYWORDS: silica nanoparticles, surface modification, Na+/K+, root exudates, rhizobacteria ■INTRODUCTION Soil salinity poses a significant threat to global food security by severely impairing crop growth and productivity.1 This widespread problem arises from the accumulation of sodium (Na+) and chlor

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Article Generation of a Biomimetic Substitute of the Corneal Limbus Using Decellularized Scaffolds

: Patients with severe limbal damage and limbal stem cell deficiency are a therapeutic challenge. We evaluated four decellularization protocols applied to the full-thickness and halfthickness porcine limbus, and we used two cell types to recellularize the decellularized limbi. The results demonstrated that all protocols achieved efficient decellularization. However, the method that best preserved the transparency and composition of the limbus extracellular matrix was the use of 0.1% SDS applied to the half-thickness limbus. Recellularization with the limbal epithelial cell line SIRC and human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hADSCs) was able to generate a stratified epithelium able to express the limbal markers p63, pancytokeratin, and crystallin Z from d ay 7 in the case of SIRC and after 14–21 days of induction when hADSCs were used. Laminin and collagen IV expression was detected at the basal lamina of both cell types at days 14 and 21 of follow-up. Compared with control native limbi, tissues recellularized with SIRC showed adequate picrosirius red and alcian blue staining intensity, whereas limbi containing hADSCs showed normal collagen staining intensity. These preliminary results suggested that the limbal substitutes generated in this work share important similarities with the native limbus and could be potentially useful in the future. Keywords: corneal limbus; decellularized xenograft; recellularization; mesenchymal stem cells 1. Introduction Numerous diseases, i

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