{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,5]],"date-time":"2026-08-05T05:52:46Z","timestamp":1785909166279,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":20,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,5]],"date-time":"2026-08-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785888000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Plant Sci."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      This study investigates how varying salinity levels influence the physiological and metabolic responses of the mangrove plant\n                      <jats:italic>Acanthus ilicifolius<\/jats:italic>\n                      , aiming to clarify its salt adaptation mechanisms.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Field experiments were conducted at three sites with stable salinity conditions (approximately 0.73, 2.26, and 3.09 g\/L), combined with physiological assays, metabolomics, and transcriptomics.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Increasing salinity elevated intracellular reactive oxygen species, reduced antioxidant enzyme activity, and aggravated membrane lipid peroxidation. Metabolomics revealed that medium salinity primarily affected terpenoid (18.7%) and lipid (14.5%) metabolism, while high salinity regulated flavonoid (11%) and terpenoid (16.4%) biosynthesis. Transcriptomic data indicated that the antioxidant defense system plays a central role in mitigating oxidative stress, with WRKY and AP2\/ERF transcription factors significantly upregulated under high salinity, enhancing kaempferol-flavanone isomerase activity and flavonoid accumulation (e.g., hesperidin).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      These findings show that\n                      <jats:italic>A. ilicifolius<\/jats:italic>\n                      compensates for impaired antioxidant defenses by redirecting metabolism toward flavonoid synthesis, providing novel insights into the molecular basis of mangrove salt tolerance and its potential medicinal applications.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpls.2026.1853520","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,5]],"date-time":"2026-08-05T05:41:25Z","timestamp":1785908485000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Impaired antioxidant defense associated with flavonoid biosynthesis reprogramming in the mangrove Acanthus ilicifolius under high salinity"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Qingfan","family":"Xiong","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Zhuhai Qi\u2019ao-Dangan Island Provincial Nature Reserve Management Office","place":["Zhuhai, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zhengzheng","family":"Sun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Zhuhai Qi\u2019ao-Dangan Island Provincial Nature Reserve Management Office","place":["Zhuhai, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lin","family":"Su","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instrumentation and Service Center for Science and Technology, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai","place":["Zhuhai, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yilai","family":"You","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Zhuhai Qi\u2019ao-Dangan Island Provincial Nature Reserve Management Office","place":["Zhuhai, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chao","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instrumentation and Service Center for Science and Technology, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai","place":["Zhuhai, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/plants15010171","article-title":"Flavonoids in plant salt stress responses: Biosynthesis, regulation, functions, and signaling networks","volume":"15","author":"Akhtar","year":"2026","journal-title":"Plants"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2895","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-023-29954-6","article-title":"Salinity stress improves antioxidant potential by modulating physio-biochemical responses in Moringa oleifera Lam","volume":"13","author":"Azeem","year":"2023","journal-title":"Sci. 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