Accumulation of Heavy Metals and Arsenic in the Leaves of Plantago Major
Voronezh Oblast is traditionally important agricultural and plantgrowing region. The purpose of this study was to examine heavy metal contamination of medicinal plant products of Voronezh Oblast using the leaves of Plantago major L. that were collected in urban and agricultural ecosystems, exposed to anthropogenic impacts. The analysis was carried out using atomic absorption spectrometer MGA-915 MD, according to pharmacopeial methods. Accumulation of heavy metals (cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, zinc) and arsenic in 51 samples of P. major leaves was evaluated. In comparing heavy metal content in top layers of soil to the data obtained on the leaves of P. major we assume the existence of significant physiological barriers, preventing the accumulation of ecotoxicants in generative plant organs. The most remarkable effects were observed for lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, cobalt and chromium. It was found that P. major is capable of selectively concentrating of several heavy metals bound at enzyme active sites (copper and zinc, for instance) if the metal content in environment is lower than required for life sustaining. The transport of these chemical elements to the leaves was blocked by the plant if the amount of metals in soils was significant. Based on this evidence we can conclude that anthropogenic impact leads to formation of edaphotype of P. major due to selection under conditions of technogenic pollution and adaptation to these conditions. The results of the study demonstrate the ability of the leaves of P. major to accumulate toxic elements from the soils that should be considered when planning sites of medicinal plant products storage and for their quality assessment.
1. D’yakova N. A. Effectiveness and radiation safety of medicinal vegetable raw materials of a plantain big, collected in the Central Black Earth. Drug Development and Registration, 2018, vol. 3, no. 24, pp. 140–143 (in Russian).
2. D’yakova N. A., Slivkin A. I., Gaponov S. P. Comparison of features of accumulation of the basic toxic elements fl owers of a linden heart-shaped and tansies ordinary. Proceeding of Voronezh State University. Chemistry, Biology, Pharmacy, 2017, no. 1, pp. 148–154 (in Russian).
3. Alekseyenko V. A. Ekologicheskaya geokhimiya [Ecological Geochemistry]. Moscow, Logos Publ., 2000. 628 p. (in Russian).
4. Gosudarstvennaya farmakopeya Rossiyskoy Federatsii [State pharmacopeia of the Russian Federation]. Ed. XIV. Moscow, FEMB, 2018, vol. 2. 1423 р. (in Russian).
5. Semenova I. N., Singizova G. Sh., Zulkaranaev A. B., Il’bulova G. Sh. Effects of copper and lead on plant growth and development as exemplifi ed by Anethum graveolens L., Modern Problems of Science and Education, 2015, no. 3. Available at: http://science-education.ru/ru/article/view?id=19568 (accessed 10 November 2019) (in Russian).
6. Shigabayeva G. N. Heavy metals in soils of some districts of Tyumen, Tyumen State University Herald. Natural Resource and Ecology, 2015, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 92–102 (in Russian).
7. Nemereshina O. N., Gusev N. F., Petrova G. V., Shajhutdinova A. A. Some aspects of adaptation of Polygonum aviculare L. to pollution of the soil heavy metals. Izvestia Orenburg State Agrarian University, 2012, no. 1 (33), pp. 230–234 (in Russian).
8. Zaytseva M. V., Kravchenko A. L., Stekol’nikov Y. A., Sotnikov V. A. Heavy metals in a system the soil plant in the conditions of pollution. Scientifi c Notes of Orel State University, Ser. Natural, Technical and Medical Sciences, 2013, vol. 3, no. 53, pp. 190–192 (in Russian).
9. Austenfeld F. A. Zur Phytotoxizital von Nickel und Kobaltsalzen in Hydrokultur bei Phaseolum vulgaris L. Z. Pfl anzenernahr. und Bodenkunde, 1979, Bd. 142, H. 6, S. 769–777.
10. Sharma D. S., Chatterjee C., Sharma C. P. Chromium accumulation and its effects on wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. HD 2204) metabolism. Plant. Sci., 1995, vol. 2, pp. 145–151.
11. Buszewski B., Jastrzebska A., Kowalkowski T. Monitoring of Selected Heavy Metals Uptake by Plants and Soils in the Area of Torun. Poland Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, 2000, vol. 9, no. 6, pp. 511–515.
12. Cataldo D. A., Wildung R. Е. Soil and plant factors infl uencing the accumulation of heavy metals by plants. Environ Health Perspect., 1978, December, vol. 27, pp. 149–159.