Physiological Mechanism for Anthocyanins to Strengthen the Drought Tolerance of Plants.

This paper summarized the possible physiological mechanism by which anthocyanins strengthen the tolerance of plants to drought. Drought stress can induce plant cells to synthesize and accumulate anthocyanins. The photochemical properties, subcellular accumulation sites and spatial distributions in plant organs and tissues of anthocyanins determine their function of strengthening plant tolerance, which is realized by three possible physiological mechanisms: (1) anthocyanins and their chelated metal ions can optimize the osmoregulation ability of the plant cells by directly acting as the osmoregulation substances of the cells, (2) anthocyanins with suitable spatial locations can reduce the photoinhibition of the plants under drought stresses, (3) anthocyanins can effectively maintain and improve the active oxygen-scavenging capacity of the plant cells under drought conditions. Therein, that the anthocyanins enhance the antioxidant capacity of the plant cells under drought stresses is probably the main reason for the anthocyanins to strengthen the drought tolerance of plants. This review could provide a reference for the mechanism research of the drought resistance and the breeding of the drought-resistant cultivars for the plants holding the ability to synthesize and accumulate anthocyanins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]