Biochemical Responses of Medicinal Plant Tussilago farfara L. to Elevated Heavy Metal Concentrations in Soils of Urban Areas

Abstract

This study was conducted in Tyumen (Russian Federation) to establish the effects of heavy metals’ (Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn, Pb, and Cd) accumulation in soil and coltsfoot, as well as plants’ biochemical responses to such an accumulation. The mobile and acid-soluble heavy metal fractions in soils, and the heavy metal contents in plants, were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn, and Pb concentrations in soils exceeded background values. Pb content at the battery manufacturing plant was above the maximum permitted concentration. The percentages of the mobile heavy metal fractions decreased in the following order: Mn > Zn > Cu > Fe. The greatest heavy metal accumulation in soils and plants was found at the battery manufacturing and metallurgical plants examined in our study. Heavy metals’ accumulation in the aboveground part of Tussilago farfara decreased in the following order: Fe > Zn > Cu > Mn > Pb > Cd. The accumulation of heavy metals stimulated the synthesis of photosynthetic pigments by 6–30%. Heavy metals provoked oxidative stress in cells, increasing the concentration of lipid peroxidation in products by up to 80%. Plant phenolics and flavonoids in the urban area of our study decreased compared to those in the control by 1.05, reaching up to 6.5 times. The change in coltsfoot catalase activity both increased and declined. Biochemical responses and heavy metal accumulation in coltsfoot from urban areas limit its use for medicinal purposes.

Methylglyoxal improves zirconium stress tolerance in Raphanus sativus seedling shoots by restricting zirconium uptake, reducing oxidative damage, and upregulating glyoxalase I

“…Lipid peroxidation is an unavoidable consequence of an increase in reactive compounds in plants. The levels of lipid peroxidation can be evaluated by determining the quantities of MDA and CD, respectively in response to heavy metal stress 44 , 45 . In our study, MG treatment did not change the levels of MDA and CD which shows that exogenous MG (at our study concentration) does not trigger direct changes in MDA and CD content, and this could be due to the unchanged · OH levels under MG treatment.…”

Differences in the Content of Zn Fractions in the Profiles of Soils from Allotment and Domestic Gardens in South-Eastern Poland

“…Large-scale multi-year investigations have proved heavy metal pollution as a problem that may affect these areas due to their location within city limits. However, most studies mainly focus on large cities or centers located in highly industrialized areas [3][4][5][6][7][8][9] where soils are actually contaminated with heavy metals. In the case of smaller cities or located in less industrialized areas, it is difficult to find items describing a case study.…”