Gold Nanoparticles in Plant Physiology: Principal Effects and Prospects of Application

This review deals with the influence of gold nanoparticles on physiological processes (responses) in higher plants. Gold nanoparticles can affect a lot of processes in the plant organism, including growth rate, parameters of water exchange, activity of the photosynthetic apparatus and the antioxidant system, and expression of some genes important for the functioning of plants under optimal and adverse conditions, which was shown in plants belonging to different taxonomic groups. Analysis of literature data suggests that gold nanoparticles may be used not only as stimulators of growth and development but also as adaptogens improving plant resistance to various adverse influences.