Astaxanthin biofortification enhances tobacco tolerance to lead stress through boosting antioxidant defense, reducing Pb accumulation, and modulating detoxification pathways

Endogenous ATX enriched in the T-ATX genotype significantly confers plant healthy performance and high tolerance to Pb stress by enhancing the antioxidant defense system, maintaining cellular structural integrity, reducing Pb absorption and translocation, upregulating detoxification and the related signaling pathways. These findings provide new insights into the endogenous ATX-mediated molecular mechanisms to promote plant growth and mitigate Pb toxicity, establishing a foundation for using ATX-fortified crops for green control technology of heavy metal pollution.