Nanotechnology is a tool that in the last decade has demonstrated multiple applications in several sectors, including agroindustry. There has been an advance in the development of nanoparticulated systems to be used as fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, sensors, and quality stimulants, among other applications. The nanoencapsulation process not only protects the active ingredient but also can affect the diffusion, interaction, and activity. It is important to evaluate the negative aspects of the use of nanoparticles (NPs) in agriculture. Given the high impact of the nanoparticulated systems in the agro-industrial field, this review aims to address the effects of various nanomaterials on the morphology, metabolomics, and genetic modification of several crops.

Common beans ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.) contain a high proportion of undigested carbohydrates (NDC) that can be fermented in the large intestine to produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) such as acetate, propionate, and butyrate. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the composition and chemopreventive effect of a polysaccharide extract (PE) from cooked common beans ( P. vulgaris L) cv. Negro 8025 on azoxymethane (AOM) induced colon cancer in rats. The PE induced SCFA production with the highest butyrate concentrated in the cecum zone: 6.7 +/- 0.06 mmol/g of sample for PE treatment and 5.29 +/- 0.24 mmol/g of sample for PE + AOM treatment. The number of aberrant crypt foci (ACF) and the transcriptional expression of bax and caspase-3 were increased, and rb expression was decreased. The data suggest that PE decreased ACF and had an influence on the expression of genes involved in colon cancer for the action of butyrate concentration.

Damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) have been studied recently to understand plant self–nonself recognition in response to attack by biotic and abiotic stresses. Extracellular DNA has emerged as a possible DAMP. As a DAMP DNA seems to function depending on the phylogenetic scale and has been tested in a few plant species. This study aimed to evaluate the possible role of self DNA (sDNA) as a DAMP by analysing changes in CpG DNA methylation and defence-related responses in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) as a model plant. sDNA and nonself DNA (nsDNA) from Capsicum chinense Murray (both species belong to the same clade, Asterids) stimulated aberrant seed germination and root growth in lettuce seedlings. Similar resultswere obtained with nsDNA obtained from Acaciella angustissima (Mill.) Britton & Rose plants (belonging to the clade Rosids I), although at significantly higher concentrations. Moreover, in most cases, this behaviour was correlated with hypomethylation of CpG DNA as well as defence responses measured as altered gene expression associated with oxidative burst and production of secondary metabolites (phenylpropanoids) related to coping with stress conditions. Our results suggested that extracellular and fragmented DNA has a role as a DAMP depending on phylogenetic closeness in plants as lettuce, inducing epigenetic, genetic and biochemical changes within the plant. The importance of our results is that, for the first time, they demonstrate that sDNA acts as a DAMP in plants, changing CpG DNA methylation levels as well as increasing the production of secondary metabolites associated with defence responses to stress.

The non-digestible fraction (NDF) of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cultivar Bayo Madero was evaluated for its chemopreventive effect on azoxymethane (AOM) induced aberrant crypt foci (ACF) in rats. Diets containing cooked beans (CB) or its non-digestible fraction (NDF) were fed to 72 male rats after 2 azoxymethane injections (15 mg kg(-1) of body weight once a week for 2 weeks). ACF number, short chain fatty acids (SCFA) and β-glucuronidase activity were measured in colon sections from rats sacrificed 7 weeks after the last AOM injection. Food intake and weight gain of rats were unaffected by CB and NDF. CB and NDF suppressed the AOM-induced formation of ACF (0.8 and 1.5 ACF/distal zone, respectively vs. 6.6 ACF/distal zone based on methylene blue stain) and lowered β-glucuronidase activity in cecal, colonic and fecal content compared to AOM group. SCFA production was not significantly different among fecal, cecal and colonic content. These results indicate that CB and NDF from Bayo Madero provide direct chemoprotection against early stage of azoxymethane (AOM)-induced colon cancer in rats.

Plants are continuously exposed to stress conditions, such that they have developed sophisticated and elegant survival strategies, which are reflected in their phenotypic plasticity, priming capacity, and memory acquisition. Epigenetic mechanisms play a critical role in modulating gene expression and stress responses, allowing malleability, reversibility, stability, and heritability of favourable phenotypes to enhance plant performance. Considering the urgency to improve our agricultural system because of going impacting climate change, potential and sustainable strategies rely on the controlled use of eustressors, enhancing desired characteristics and yield and shaping stress tolerance in crops. However, for plant breeding purposes is necessary to focus on the use of eustressors capable of establishing stable epigenetic marks to generate a transgenerational memory to stimulate a priming state in plants to face the changing environment.