scholarly journals Effects of the Urea and Heavy Metals (Ni2+ and Cu2+) Higher Concentrations on Aquatic Macrophytes (Egeria densa Planch. as a Study Case)

Author(s):  

Urea and heavy metals (Ni2+ and Cu2+) higher concentration infl uence on the photosynthetic pigments’ content, lipids peroxidation intensity and urease ferments activity in the submerged aquatic macrophyte – Egeria densa Planch. have been studied. It has been shown that addition of metals to the medium with urea tends to strengthen its toxic effect upon plants. It has been found that four-day long hatching of plants in the medium with urea and nickel lead to the oxidative stress development in Canada water weed leaves. Copper concentration equal to 100 mkmol/l appeared to be lethal for plants.

Author(s):  

The mutual effect of two heavy metals – toxic (Cd2+) and essential (Mn2+) on the aquatic plant was studied in model systems. Experiments were performed on submerged aquatic macrophyte – Elodea canadensis Michx. Elodea shoots (10–15 cm in length) were incubated for 5 days in a nutrient solution with CdSO4 and MnSO4 at the concentration of 100 μmoles (added separate and combined). The following characteristics were analyzed in Elodea leaves: the accumulation of Cd2+ and Mn2+; the content of photosynthetic pigments and its ratio; the level of chlorophyll fluorescence (quantum efficiency, Fv/Fm). Incubation of Elodea plants with Cd2+ increased its content by more than 1000 times compared to the control. Incubation with Mn2+ increased its content by 10 times. The combined effect of cadmium and manganese reduced Cd2+ accumulation in the Elodea leaves almost in 2 times in comparison with its separate action, while the Mn2+ accumulation was decreased only by 40 %. Under the cadmium action the content of all photosynthetic pigments was decreased, while by the manganese action – only chlorophylls were reduced. It was shown that Mn2+ mitigated Cd2+ toxicity. The content of chlorophyll a, carotenoids and quantum efficiency (Fv/Fm) was decreased to the lesser degree than under the separate cadmium action. Probably this is caused by the inhibition of its uptake in the presence of manganese.


Author(s):  

The article considers the issues of aquatic macrophytes’ resistance to environmental pollution. Results of model investigations aimed at revealing of alterations in photosynthetic pigments’ content in Elodea canadensis in the presence of heavy metals (nickel as an example) in the concentration gradient have been presented. Comparison of individual pollutants’ and their combinations’ action upon structural parameters of E. densa leaf has been done. It has been shown that the plants under investigation possess high adaptive potential and the ability to resist pollutants action due to alterations of structural/functional characteristics of the photosynthetic apparatus.


2013 ◽  
Vol 401-403 ◽  
pp. 2071-2075 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan Qing Zhou ◽  
Shu Ying Li ◽  
Yun Dong Shi ◽  
Wei Lv ◽  
Tai Bo Shen ◽  
...  

Heavy metal pollution of water is of concern for human health and ecosystem. Under present investigation Pistia stratiotes L. (water lettuce) has been tested for removal of two important heavy metals chromium (Cr) and lead (Pb) from metal solution. This species was grown at four concentrations of Cr and Pb, i.e. 5.0, 10.0, 15.0 and 20.0 mg/L, respectively in single metal solution. This aquatic macrophyte has successfully removed up to 80% of Cr and 93% of Pb after 10 days. The bioconcentration factor (BCF) value ranged between 299 and 1026 for Cr and between 1672 and 1852 for Pb, respectively. The amount of BCF in Pistia stratiotes showed that removal of Pb was higher than removal of Cr. The accumulation of heavy metals was more obvious in the roots as compared to leaves. These findings contribute to the application of aquatic macrophytes to lead and chromium removal from moderately contaminated waters.


Author(s):  
Choudhuri D. ◽  
Bhattacharjee T.

Background : Toxicological consequences arising from exposure to mixtures of heavy metals especially at low, chronic and environmentally relevant doses are poorly recognised. In the present study, we evaluated effects of chronic exposure to combinations of three metals arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) present frequently in drinking water on reproductive function and oxidative damage caused to reproductive organs of female rats. Method : Female rats were exposed to mixture of metals (As, Cdand Pb) for 90 consecutive days. The gain in body weight and weight of reproductive organs were recorded following autopsy on 91 stday. The oestrus cycle were monitored during entire treatment period. Numbers of corpora lutea, implantation sites, live fetus and survival of the fetus were evaluated in rats mated successfully with untreated male after completion of their respective treatment. Ovarian cholesterol, protein, ascorbic acid and enzyme Δ 5 -3β HSD levels were estimated. Serum levels of steroid hormones oestrogen and progesterone were estimated. Histopathological picture of both ovary and uterus were assessed. Levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidise (GPX) activity, amount of reduced glutathione (GSH) and malondyaldehyde (MDA) in blood, ovary and uterus were measured as biomarkers of oxidative stress. Results : The treated rats showed reduced body weight gain and reduction in the weight of ovary and uterus. Oestrus cycle was disrupted with continuous diestrous in treated animals. Number of corpora lutea, implantation sites and live fetus and the survival of fetus evaluate were reduced significantly in treated groups. The levels of ovarian cholesterol and ascorbic acid increased in treated rats with decrease Δ5 -3β HSD level. There was reduction in serum level of both the ovarian steroid hormones oestrogen and progesterone. The protein levels did not differ between the groups. There was a significant increase in levels of MDA and decrease in levels of all the antioxidant enzymes in treated group. Conclusion : The results revealed there was disruption to reproductive functions with decrease in stereoidogenic activity and associated oxidative stress in female rats treated with combination of mixture of metals (Cd, As and Pb) at low dose for 90 consecutive days.


Pharmaceutics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 271
Author(s):  
Lucía Yepes-Molina ◽  
José A. Hernández ◽  
Micaela Carvajal

Pomegranate extract (PG-E) has been reported to exert a protective effect on the skin due to its antioxidant activity. Ingredients rich in phenolic compounds are unstable in extract solutions, and, therefore, the use of a suitable nanosystem to encapsulate this type of extract could be necessary in different biotechnological applications. Thus, we investigated the capacity of Brassica oleracea L. (cauliflower) inflorescence vesicles (CI-vesicles) to encapsulate PG-E and determined the stability and the antioxidant capacity of the system over time. In addition, the protective effect against UV radiation and heavy metals in HaCaT cells was also tested. The CI-vesicles had an entrapment efficiency of around 50%, and accelerated stability tests did not show significant changes in the parameters tested. The results for the HaCaT cells showed the non-cytotoxicity of the CI-vesicles containing PG-E and their protection against heavy metals (lead acetate and mercuric chloride) and UV-B radiation through a reduction of oxidative stress. The reduction of the percentage of deleted mtDNA (mtDNA4977, “common deletion”) in UV-treated HaCaT cells due to the presence of CI-vesicles containing PG-E indicated the mechanism of protection. Therefore, the effects of CI-vesicles loaded with PG-E against oxidative stress support their utilization as natural cosmeceuticals to protect skin health against external damage from environmental pollution and UV radiation.


Author(s):  
Varsha Shukla ◽  
Siddharth Kumar Das ◽  
Abbas Ali Mahdi ◽  
Shweta Agarwal ◽  
Ragini Alok ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is an extra-articular rheumatological disease characterised by widespread chronic musculoskeletal pain. Metal-induced oxidative stress contributes to the severity of FMS. AIMS: First, this study evaluated the association between plasma levels of toxic heavy metals and essential metals with oxidative stress (OS) markers. Second, the OS markers and metal contents were correlated with the disease severity by assessing the Fibromyalgia Impact Questioner Revised (FIQR) and tender points (TP). METHOD: A total of 105 FMS patients and 105 healthy controls of similar age and sex were recruited. OS parameter such as lipid peroxidation (LPO), protein carbonyl group (PCG), nitric oxide (NO) and essential metals such as zinc (Zn), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu) and toxic heavy metals such as aluminium (Al), arsenic (As), lead (Pb) were estimated. RESULTS: Levels of LPO, PCG, NO (p< 0.001) and Cu, Mn, and Al (p< 0.001), were significantly higher, and Mg (p< 0.001) and Zn (p< 0.001) were significantly lower in patients compared to controls. A positive association was observed between OS parameters, FIQR and TP with Cu, Al and Mn. A significant negative association was observed between Zn and Mg with FIQR, TP and OS parameters. CONCLUSION: Heavy metals such as Al induce OS parameters and decrease the levels of essential trace elements such as Mg and Zn, which may be responsible for the severity of FMS.


Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1349
Author(s):  
Ahlam Khalofah ◽  
Mona Kilany ◽  
Hussein Migdadi

Heavy metals are primarily generated and deposited in the environment, causing phytotoxicity. This work evaluated fenugreek plants’ morpho-physiological and biochemical responses under mercury stress conditions toward Ag nanoparticles and Sphingobacterium ginsenosidiumtans applications. The fabrication of Ag nanoparticles by Thymus vulgaris was monitored and described by UV/Vis analysis, FTIR, and SEM. The effect of mercury on vegetative growth was determined by measuring the root and shoots length, the number and area of leaves, the relative water content, and the weight of the green and dried plants; appraisal of photosynthetic pigments, proline, hydrogen peroxide, and total phenols content were also performed. In addition, the manipulation of Ag nanoparticles, S. ginsenosidiumtans, and their combination were tested for mercury stress. Here, Ag nanoparticles were formed at 420 nm with a uniform cuboid form and size of 85 nm. Interestingly, the gradual suppression of vegetal growth and photosynthetic pigments by mercury, Ag nanoparticles, and S. ginsenosidiumtans were detected; however, carotenoids and anthocyanins were significantly increased. In addition, proline, hydrogen peroxide, and total phenols content were significantly increased because mercury and S. ginsenosidiumtans enhance this increase. Ag nanoparticles achieve higher levels by the combination. Thus, S. ginsenosidiumtans and Ag nanoparticles could have the plausible ability to relieve and combat mercury’s dangerous effects in fenugreek.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ufere N. Uka ◽  
Ebenezer J. D. Belford ◽  
Florence A. Elebe

AbstractThis study was undertaken to examine changes in the content of pigments and accumulation of metals from vehicular pollution in selected species of roadside trees under vehicular pollution. A major arterial road with heavy vehicle emissions in the Kumasi Metropolis was designated as the polluted site, while Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Campus was designated as the control site. Four tree species (Terminalia catappa, Mangifera indica, Ficus platyphylla and Polyalthia longifolia) selected for the study were well distributed and abundant in the polluted and control sites. Photosynthetic pigments and levels of heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Cd and zinc) were assessed in their leaves. Chlorophyll and carotenoid contents were determined by absorption spectrometry, while the metal accumulation index (MAI) was used to determine the total metal accumulation capacity of the tree species. We observed a reduction in photosynthetic pigments in the leaf samples from the polluted site. Ficus platyphylla had the maximum reduction in total chlorophyll (49.34%), whereas Terminalia catappa recorded the lowest reduction (33.88%). Similarly, the largest decrease (31.58%) of carotenoid content was found in Terminalia catappa trees and the lowest in Polyalthia longifolia (16.67%). The Polyalthia longifolia, Ficus platyphylla and Terminalia catappa leaf samples collected at the polluted site recorded a higher ratio of chlorophyll a/b. Heavy metal (Cu, Pb, Zn and Cd) accumulation in leaf samples was higher in the polluted site than in the control, as expected. The highest metal MAI value was recorded in Mangifera indica (5.35) followed by Polyalthia longifolia with 4.30. The findings from this study specifically demonstrate that air contamination induced by vehicles decreases the level of photosynthetic pigments in trees subjected to roadside emissions. It is clear that both chlorophyll a/b and chlorophyll/carotenoid ratios will act as very useful stress-level markers. Elevated heavy metal levels in the tree species along arterial roadsides indicate that they serve as heavy metals sink. The change in MAI resulting from different pollution burden is an indication that the removal capabilities of the tree species differ from each other. We therefore suggest M. indica and P. longifolia as potential species to be used in air pollution reduction plans in the city.


2021 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 64-74
Author(s):  
O. O. Pasichna ◽  
L. O. Gorbatiuk ◽  
M. O. Platonov ◽  
S. P. Burmistrenko ◽  
O. O. Godlevska ◽  
...  

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