Dietary
exposure to aristolochic acids (AAs) through AA-tainted
wheat has long been identified as one of the main causes of Balkan
endemic nephropathy (BEN), a slowly progressive renal fibrotic disease
affecting numerous residents of farming villages alongside tributaries
of the Danube River. Only recently though have we begun to appreciate
that AAs, released from the decay of a common weed Aristolochia clematitis, are contaminating farmland
soil and groundwater of endemic areas. To reduce the risk of human
exposure to this class of highly potent phytotoxins, it is imperative
to develop remediation methods for AA-polluted water and arable soil.
In this study, we explored the potential use of some commonly used
phytoremediation plants for the phytoextraction of AAs from AA-contaminated
water and soil. Among the tested plants, results showed that wheatgrass
is highly efficient in extracting AAs from both contaminated water
and soil and metabolizing them to the less toxic aristolactams. Furthermore,
both the phytoextraction and plant metabolism efficiencies increased
in an acidic environment, which is typical of endemic villages, highlighting
the applicability of the developed method for affected areas.
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