Engineered nanoparticles disrupt chloroplasts, cutting photosynthesis and plant growth

Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) are now produced in quantities exceeding thousands of metric tons each year, driven by their expanding use in agriculture, waste management and environmental technologies. A review published in Plant Cell Reports brings together the evidence on what this growing exposure means for plants, arguing that the chloroplast is a central target of nanoparticle toxicity within the broader picture of whole-plant stress. The work integrates findings on how these particles interfere with photosynthesis and, ultimately, plant growth and reproduction.

The review is grounded in a bibliometric analysis of 239 publications spanning 1983 to 2026, which the authors say reveals a critical gap between primary empirical studies and integrative reviews. Within the photosynthetic machinery, Photosystem II emerges as particularly vulnerable. Dissolved metal ions released from nanoparticles disrupt the Mn4CaO5 oxygen-evolving complex, the cluster that splits water to drive the light reactions. At the same time, reactive oxygen species accelerate degradation of the D1 protein and impair the PSII repair cycle that normally keeps the photosystem functioning.

Under phytotoxic exposure conditions, the review reports that ENP treatment is frequently associated with reduced Fv/Fm, a widely used indicator of photosystem II efficiency, alongside impaired electron transport and lower net photosynthetic rates. Photosynthetic pigment content declines across species, weakening light harvesting and photoprotection. The Calvin cycle enzyme RuBisCO may also be impaired through oxidative modification and, for some nanoparticle types, through particle- or ion-associated effects on redox-sensitive protein residues.

Molecular evidence points in the same direction. Transcriptomic analyses reveal coordinated downregulation of photosynthesis-associated genes, including LHCB2.4 and chlorophyll biosynthesis loci, together with miRNA-mediated post-transcriptional reprogramming. In other words, the damage visible at the level of chloroplast function is mirrored by changes in gene expression that reduce the plant’s capacity to build and maintain its photosynthetic apparatus.

Integrated across the whole plant, these cellular and molecular disruptions culminate in biomass reductions, delayed flowering and impaired germination. The review emphasizes that these detrimental effects are associated with high ENP doses, and frames the findings as a warning about risks for agricultural productivity as nanoparticle applications expand. By synthesizing nearly four decades of research into a single mechanistic picture, the authors aim to close the gap their bibliometric analysis identified and to guide future work on how engineered nanomaterials interact with the photosynthetic machinery that underpins crop yields.

Subject of Research: How engineered nanoparticle exposure disrupts chloroplast function, photosynthesis and plant growth.

Article Title: Chloroplast dysfunction under engineered nanoparticle stress: consequences for photosynthesis and plant growth

Article References: Banerjee, S., Anand, V., Rajput, P., Sen, A., Paul, S., Chernikova, N., Alliluev, I., Mandzhieva, S., Minkina, T., & Rajput, V. D. (2026). Chloroplast dysfunction under engineered nanoparticle stress: consequences for photosynthesis and plant growth. Plant Cell Reports, 45(11), Article 347. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-026-04017-y

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s00299-026-04017-y

Keywords: engineered nanoparticles, chloroplast, photosynthesis, Photosystem II, reactive oxygen species, RuBisCO, plant growth, agriculture, nanotoxicity, transcriptomics, dysfunction, under