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Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC 4.0Molecular Biology Research Communications

Molecular responses of Vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides) as phytoremediator to phenanthrene soil pollution stress

  • Sasan Mohsenzadeh1
  • Nadereh Naderi1
  • Zahra Janbazi1,2
  • Mehdi Zarei3
  • Mahdi Nazari4
4 affiliations
  1. 1Department of Biology, School of Science, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
  2. 2Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, University of Tarbiat Modares
  3. 3Department of Soil Science and Engineering, School of Agriculture, Shiraz University
  4. 4Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Khorramabad University, Lorestan, Iran
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Abstract

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) like phenanthrene are persistent environmental pollutants. This study evaluated the potential of Vetiver grass for the phytoremediation of phenanthrene-contaminated soil and investigated key detoxification mechanisms. Vetiver grass was exposed to various phenanthrene concentrations (0-4000 ppm), and its response was analyzed. The experiment included 7 treatment levels: a negative control (soil without pollutant or acetone) (0), and phenanthrene concentrations of 250, 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 mg/kg (ppm) of dry soil, each with 3 replicates. The results demonstrated that Vetiver grass effectively removed phenanthrene from the soil, achieving a 68.9% reduction at the highest concentration (4000 ppm). This removal was accompanied by a significant upregulation of stress-related enzymes genes. Gene expression analysis of glutathione-S-transferase phi 2 (GSTF2), an important detoxification enzyme increased in both roots and shoots, with the highest levels observed at 4000 ppm. Similarly, the gene expression of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase 3 (PAL3) another important detoxification enzyme in roots was significantly enhanced at 250 and 4000 ppm. In conclusion, Vetiver grass shows high potential for phenanthrene phytoremedia-tion. The enhanced expression of GSTF2 and PAL3 genes is a crucial molecular mechanism that mitigates phenanthrene toxicity and contributes to its successful removal from contaminated soil. This research has the novelty and significance of the molecular investigation.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{mohsenzadeh2026molecular,
  title = {{Molecular responses of Vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides) as phytoremediator to phenanthrene soil pollution stress}},
  author = {Sasan Mohsenzadeh and Nadereh Naderi and Zahra Janbazi and Mehdi Zarei and Mahdi Nazari},
  journal = {Molecular Biology Research Communications},
  year = {2026},
  month = nov,
  doi = {10.22099/mbrc.2026.55993.2293},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.22099/mbrc.2026.55993.2293},
  note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Molecular responses of Vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides) as phytoremediator to phenanthrene soil pollution stress
AU  - Sasan Mohsenzadeh
AU  - Nadereh Naderi
AU  - Zahra Janbazi
AU  - Mehdi Zarei
AU  - Mahdi Nazari
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/11/04
JO  - Molecular Biology Research Communications
DO  - 10.22099/mbrc.2026.55993.2293
UR  - https://doi.org/10.22099/mbrc.2026.55993.2293
AB  - Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) like phenanthrene are persistent environmental pollutants. This study evaluated the potential of Vetiver grass for the phytoremediation of phenanthrene-contaminated soil and investigated key detoxification mechanisms. Vetiver grass was exposed to various phenanthrene concentrations (0-4000 ppm), and its response was analyzed. The experiment included 7 treatment levels: a negative control (soil without pollutant or acetone) (0), and phenanthrene concentrations of 250, 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 mg/kg (ppm) of dry soil, each with 3 replicates. The results demonstrated that Vetiver grass effectively removed phenanthrene from the soil, achieving a 68.9% reduction at the highest concentration (4000 ppm). This removal was accompanied by a significant upregulation of stress-related enzymes genes. Gene expression analysis of glutathione-S-transferase phi 2 (GSTF2), an important detoxification enzyme increased in both roots and shoots, with the highest levels observed at 4000 ppm. Similarly, the gene expression of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase 3 (PAL3) another important detoxification enzyme in roots was significantly enhanced at 250 and 4000 ppm. In conclusion, Vetiver grass shows high potential for phenanthrene phytoremedia-tion. The enhanced expression of GSTF2 and PAL3 genes is a crucial molecular mechanism that mitigates phenanthrene toxicity and contributes to its successful removal from contaminated soil. This research has the novelty and significance of the molecular investigation.
SN  - 2322-181X
SN  - 2345-2005
ER  -