Abstract
Heavy metal lead (Pb) is toxic to both plants and animals. It is known to elicit its toxic effects by enhanced production of ROS which adversely impact all the major cellular biomolecules: lipids, proteins and DNA. To protect themselves from lead toxicity, plants and animals have evolved antioxidant defense mechanisms. Antioxidants have been known to exert their effects by either enzymatic or non-enzymatic methods. Antioxidants reduce oxidative stress by scavenging ROS which in turn reduces their toxic effects on the cell. In addition to antioxidant defense, plants and animals also have the ability to develop tolerance to lead toxicity through various mechanisms such as chelation, compartmentalization, and detoxification. This chapter focused on the role of antioxidants in tolerating lead exposure and the mechanisms underlying lead tolerance in plants and animals.
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Singh, C., Singh, R., Shekhar, A. (2023). Antioxidant Defense: A Key Mechanism of Lead Tolerance. In: Kumar, N., Jha, A.K. (eds) Lead Toxicity: Challenges and Solution. Environmental Science and Engineering. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-37327-5_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-37327-5_7
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