{
  "abstract": "Background\n\nγ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) accumulates under stress, but its association with calcium (Ca²⁺), reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO), and thiol responses during cadmium (Cd) exposure remains unclear in medicinal shrubs.Methods\n\nRooted Salvadora persica L. cuttings were grown in sand-soil substrate. Screening selected 50mg Cd kg⁻¹ substrate and 0.5 mM root-applied GABA. Eleven treatments had five independent pots each. Ca²⁺-sensitive Fluo-3 AM and NO-associated DAF-FM DA fluorescence and H₂O₂ were assessed in separate, destructively sampled plants at five post-application times. The 0-min value was a post-application reference; probe fluorescence was not calibrated to analyte concentration. Pot means were independent units, with time treated as a between-pot factor. A core Cd × GABA × time model and a separate categorical endpoint model were specified. The exact p-values, adjusted q-values, and model diagnostics could not be verified without pot-level records. Correlation and principal component analyses were exploratory; no path model was fitted.Results\n\nCd reduced shoot dry weight from 3.04 to 1.89 g plant⁻¹ (37.8%) and increased malondialdehyde from 4.37 to 9.86 nmol g⁻¹ FW (125.6%). Relative to Cd alone, GABA increased the shoot dry weight to 2.62 g plant⁻¹ (38.6%) and reduced the malondialdehyde to 4.34 nmol g⁻¹ FW (56.0%). GABA was associated with a 2.2-fold greater Ca²⁺-sensitive fluorescence response amplitude at 30 min and 2.7-fold greater NO-associated amplitude at 360 min. LaCl₃, EGTA, DPI, DMTU, and cPTIO attenuated GABA-associated protection. Inhibitor-only and rescue controls were absent, and inhibitor phytotoxicity pre-screening was undocumented. GABA also increased total phenolics from 22.77 to 26.54 mg GAE g⁻¹ DW (16.6%) and flavonoids from 13.21 to 15.78 mg QE g⁻¹ DW (19.5%) relative to Cd alone.Conclusion\n\nGABA was associated with improved Cd tolerance and differences in sampled fluorescence, H₂O₂, and thiol responses. These data cannot establish a continuous signaling sequence, upstream GABA action, or target-specific pharmacological effects. The attenuation is compatible with network involvement and feedback, but pathway direction and pharmacological specificity require inhibitor-only controls, rescue experiments, and independent, well-controlled temporal validation in future studies.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Zoology, The Women University Multan, Multan, Pakistan.",
    "National Research Center of Intercropping, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, Pakistan.",
    "Department of Biology, Nakhchivan State University, Nakhchivan Azerbaijan.",
    "Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Sayed Jamaluddin Afghani University (SJAU), Kunar, Afghanistan.",
    "Department of Arid Land Agriculture, College of Agricultural and Food Sciences, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Shazia Perveen"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Imran Haider"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Azizullah Khalili"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Mohamed M El-Mogy"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Husameldin H Mahmoud"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Tarek A Shalaby"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2y7aytbamd85g.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1080/15592324.2026.2748062",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13685564",
  "id": "2y7aytbamd85g",
  "issns": [
    "1559-2316",
    "1559-2324"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42873904",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "1110|Plant Stress Responses and Tolerance"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7221769336",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13685564?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13685564",
  "pmid": "42873904",
  "published": "2026-10-14",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2y7aytbamd85g.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:46Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42873904",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42873904"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:1110|Plant Stress Responses and Tolerance",
      "subfield": "plant-biology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "γ-aminobutyric acid is associated with calcium, reactive oxygen species, and nitric oxide responses and enhanced cadmium tolerance in Salvadora persica.",
  "title_text": "γ-aminobutyric acid is associated with calcium, reactive oxygen species, and nitric oxide responses and enhanced cadmium tolerance in Salvadora persica.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:18:46Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2y7aytbamd85g",
  "venue": "Plant signaling & behavior",
  "versions": []
}