Salicylic Acid-Involved in Lead Tolerance Associated with the Maintenance of Reducing Conditions in Mice

Lead (Pb²⁺) intoxication may initiate many disorders in human and animals. In a previous study, we demonstrate that application of salicylic acid protects nuclear DNA integrity against Pb²⁺ stress in mice. In this study, further evidence showed that the exogenous salicylic acid-involved in Pb²⁺ tolerance in mice was associated with the maintenance of reducing conditions in cells, as revealed by an increased antioxidative enzyme activity, elevated reduced glutathione content and ratio to oxidised form of glutathione, and decreased lipid peroxidation. In addition, the presence of a 30 kD protein was tightly linked to the Pb²⁺ detoxification. Qiang Xu and Xin Xu contributed equally to this work.