Controlled-release nano-α-lipoic acid priming as a nanobiotechnological strategy to mitigate osmotic and oxidative stress in pea seedlings

Controlled-release nano-α-lipoic acid priming as a nanobiotechnological strategy to mitigate osmotic and oxidative stress in pea seedlings | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Controlled-release nano-α-lipoic acid priming as a nanobiotechnological strategy to mitigate osmotic and oxidative stress in pea seedlings Mashael M. Alotaibi, Khadiga Alharbi, Khulud S. Albalawi, Shiah M. Alasimi, and 4 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9215749/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 5 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Abiotic stresses such as drought and salinity are among the major environmental constraints limiting crop productivity, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. These stresses induce osmotic imbalance, oxidative damage, and metabolic disruption, severely impairing plant growth and photosynthesis. The present study investigated the efficacy of nanochitosan-encapsulated α-lipoic acid as a novel seed priming agent to enhance drought and salinity tolerance in pea ( Pisum sativum L.) seedlings. Seven treatments were arranged in a completely randomized block design, including control non-primed (CNP), hydroprimed (CHP), salinity-stressed (NCS), drought-stressed (NCD), and nanochitosan-encapsulated α-lipoic acid-primed seedlings under normal (AlpP), saline (AlpPS), and drought (AlpPD) conditions. Results demonstrated that nano-ALA priming significantly improved plant height, biomass accumulation, and photosynthetic efficiency, accompanied by enhanced chlorophyll content, relative water content (RWC), and water-use efficiency (WUE) under both stress conditions. Primed seedlings exhibited markedly lower electrolyte leakage (EL), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), and malondialdehyde (MDA), reflecting reduced oxidative membrane injury. Furthermore, osmolyte accumulation (proline, soluble sugars, glycine betaine) and elevated non-enzymatic antioxidant levels (phenolics, ascorbate, glutathione, α-tocopherol) indicated improved osmotic regulation and redox homeostasis. Correlation analysis revealed strong positive associations between growth, water relations, and antioxidant metabolites, and negative correlations with oxidative stress markers. Nanoencapsulation of ALA in chitosan nanoparticles enhanced its stability, controlled release, and biological efficacy, enabling sustained protection against oxidative and osmotic stress. These findings establish nanochitosan-encapsulated α-lipoic acid priming as an innovative, safe, and sustainable nanobiotechnological approach for improving drought and salinity resilience in legume crops under climate-challenged conditions. α-lipoic acid chitosan nanoparticles Pisum sativum drought salinity osmolytes antioxidants oxidative stress Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers agreed at journal 02 May, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 01 Apr, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 26 Mar, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 26 Mar, 2026 First submitted to journal 24 Mar, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9215749","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":616227900,"identity":"07c5024f-9a5b-46b7-8344-7be3d0163f57","order_by":0,"name":"Mashael M. 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These stresses induce osmotic imbalance, oxidative damage, and metabolic disruption, severely impairing plant growth and photosynthesis. The present study investigated the efficacy of nanochitosan-encapsulated α-lipoic acid as a novel seed priming agent to enhance drought and salinity tolerance in pea (\u003cem\u003ePisum sativum\u003c/em\u003e L.) seedlings. Seven treatments were arranged in a completely randomized block design, including control non-primed (CNP), hydroprimed (CHP), salinity-stressed (NCS), drought-stressed (NCD), and nanochitosan-encapsulated α-lipoic acid-primed seedlings under normal (AlpP), saline (AlpPS), and drought (AlpPD) conditions. Results demonstrated that nano-ALA priming significantly improved plant height, biomass accumulation, and photosynthetic efficiency, accompanied by enhanced chlorophyll content, relative water content (RWC), and water-use efficiency (WUE) under both stress conditions. 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