Abstract: Methylglyoxal (MG) is a novel signaling molecule with multiple functions in plants. To explore the effects of MG on Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima) under drought stress, two-year-old ‘Huangpeng' chestnut seedlings were treated with 15% polyethylene glycol (PEG) coupled with MG or its scavenger N-acetyl-L-cys-teine (NAC). We measured the activities of antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and glutathione reductase (GR), and glyoxalase enzymes, including glyoxalase Ⅰ (GlyⅠ) and glyoxalase Ⅱ(GlyⅡ). Contents of antioxidants such as endogenous MG, malondialdehyde (MDA), H₂O₂, and O₂^-· as well as the osmotic adjustment substances including proline (Pro), soluble sugar (SS), glycine betaine (GB) were also detected. The results showed that 0.5 mmol·L^-1 MG significantly increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, POD, CAT, APX, GR) and glyoxalase enzymes (GlyⅠ, GlyⅡ) in leaves of chestnut seedlings under drought stress, elevated the contents of osmotic adjustment substances (Pro, SS, GB) and antioxidant substances (ASA, GSH), and reduced the contents of MG, MDA, H₂O₂, O₂^-· and dehydroascorbate (DHA). Drought stress induced damages such as membrane lipid peroxidation and osmotic stress was alleviated by MG, leading to an overall improved adaptability of chestnut to drought stress. Moreover, the addition of MG scavenger NAC could reverse the effects induced by MG, indicating that MG had positive impacts on drought resistance of chestnut plants. Our study provided a theoretical basis for further exploring the mechanism of MG in alleviating drought stress induced symptoms in chestnut.

Key words: methylglyoxal, drought stress, antioxidant, glyoxalase, osmotic adjustment