Sodium para-aminosalicylate delays pericarp browning of litchi fruit by inhibiting ROS-mediated senescence during postharvest storage

•Sodium para-aminosalicylate (PAS-Na) reduced pericarp browning of harvested litchi fruit.•PAS-Na inhibited expressions of senescence/apoptosis-related genes.•PAS-Na reduced oxidative stress in harvested litchi fruit.•PAS-Na maintained membrane integrity of litchi pericarp.•The mechanism of PAS-Na reducing browning index of harvested litchi fruit was elucidated partially. The effect of sodium para-aminosalicylate (PAS-Na) on litchi pericarp browning and the potential regulating mechanism was investigated in this study. Results showed that 0.3 g L−1 PAS-Na significantly inhibited the development of pericarp browning and reduced respiration rate of litchi fruit. PAS-Na inhibited the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and decreased the expression level of senescence-related genes. Additionally, PAS-Na treatment enhanced the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX), which might contribute to the scavenging of ROS. Meanwhile, PAS-Na treatment maintained membrane integrity as indicated by reduced relative membrane leakage rate and malondialdehyde (MDA) content, as well as lower activities of membrane lipids-degrading enzymes: lipase and lipoxygenase (LOX). Amino acids, especially GABA, Glu, Met contents were also significantly affected by PAS-Na treatment. Taken together, we postulated that PAS-Na treatment might be a promising method for controlling postharvest browning and prolonging shelf-life of harvested litchi fruit.