Many of us turn to painkillers as a solution when we encounter pains that make us feel cold, such as headaches. Now it’s not just humans; It was also revealed that a similar way was experienced in plants.
A new study has shown that plants can produce their own aspirin when under the stress of the dangers around them. This research, conducted by scientists at the University of California in the USA, was published on Science Advances.
It can be used to make plants more resistant to environmental hazards.
According to the statements, the research looks closely at this defense mechanism seen in plants and how the production of salicic acid, the active metabolite of aspirin, occurs. Salicic acid has been used by humans for centuries as a pain and inflammation treatment. In plants, it plays an important role in conditions such as regulation and pathogen defense.
According to experts, this is produced in the chloroplasts, where the photosynthesis process takes place, in response to factors such as stress. Wilhelmina van de Ven, one of the researchers, also states, “Just like we do, plants use a kind of painkiller for aches and pains.”
The researchers made biochemical analyzes to understand the complex chain of reactions that plants show when under stress and came to conclusions. We can say that the mentioned stress factors are hostile insects, drought etc. These conditions can be fatal in plant species.
Using the Rockcress (Arabidopsis) plant in their experiments, the researchers focused on a molecule called MEcPP that can be seen in parasites. As a result of the increase of MEcPP in the plant, it was observed that a response involving salicylic acid was triggered. The researchers say the findings could be used to make plants more resilient to environmental hazards on our increasingly hot planet.
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