The responses of plants to a constantly changing environment due to anthropogenic pressures have garnered significant interest within the scientific community. Among the pollutants now prevalent due to increased emissions and human activities is antimony (Sb), a ubiquitous metalloid found in water and soil. The growing concern about antimony stems from its latent toxicity and carcinogenicity. The chemical speciation of antimony as Sb(III) or Sb(V) influences its environmental behavior and subsequent toxicity in organisms.

Although antimony is a non-essential element for plants, it can still be absorbed, leading to varying levels of bioaccumulation, translocation to aerial parts of the plant, and influencing physiological and metabolic processes. Given its significant impact on plant health and ecosystem dynamics, it is crucial to explore how antimony toxicity affects plant organisms and to investigate the molecular responses activated in the presence of this metal.

Plants are capable of responding to environmental imbalances, such as contaminant presence, by activating a series of tolerance and defense signals. Understanding the link between antimony (Sb) accumulation and plant metabolism has become increasingly necessary. This involves elucidating the biochemical, physiological, and molecular changes that occur in plants due to antimony exposure.

The objectives include understanding how antimony's deleterious effects can affect electron transfer, suppress photosynthetic activity, and influence growth and metabolite synthesis. Additionally, the research aims to assess the defense mechanisms activated by plants, investigate the molecular profile, and analyze structural and ultrastructural changes induced by antimony toxicity. The results will also provide insights into plants' bioaccumulation levels and tolerance to antimony for potential applications in environmental remediation projects.

This Research Topic aims to elucidate the biological responses of plants to antimony pollution. Specifically, it seeks to understand the biochemical, physiological, and molecular changes that occur in plants due to antimony exposure. The objectives include investigating how antimony affects electron transfer, photosynthetic activity, growth, and metabolite synthesis, as well as assessing the defense mechanisms activated by plants. Additionally, the research will explore the molecular profile and structural changes induced by antimony toxicity.

To gather further insights into the biological responses of plants to antimony pollution, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• Effects of antimony pollution on plant growth, metabolism, and production

• Multilevel regulation of metal stress responses in plants in the context of antimony exposure

• Biochemical parameters of plants as indicators of antimony pollution in air, soil, and water

• Expression and regulation of genes and proteins in response to antimony stress

• Analysis of ultrastructural damage due to antimony exposure

• Investigation of oxidative and genotoxic damages in plants caused by antimony

• Modulation of enzyme activities involved in defense mechanisms against antimony stress

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Frontiers in Plant Science

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