Insights into nanoparticle-induced changes in plant photosynthesis

Abstract

Photosynthesis can be affected by nanoparticles (NPs) both negatively (e.g., through decreasing the chlorophyll content and electron transport rate, damages to chloroplast components, etc.) or positively (e.g., via enhancing chlorophyll content, the activity of Rubisco enzyme, the performance of PSII, and CO2 harvesting, as well as broadening the chloroplast photoabsorption spectrum). Enhanced photosynthetic efficiency could be a possible impact of NPs on photosynthetic organisms of major economic and ecological significance (e.g., crops and algae), which warrants an in-depth understanding of NPs interactions with chloroplast and its structural components (e.g., thylakoid membranes), signaling molecules, and pathways involved in photosynthesis. In this review, we comprehensively explore the potential effects of NPs on photosynthesis in different photosynthetic organisms (terrestrial plants, aquatic plants, and algae), and highlight research limitations and possible practical implications.