Heavy metal accumulation efficiency and subsequent of cytogenotoxicity evaluation in the medicinal plant Equisetum hyemale

ABSTRACT

Heavy metals in soils represent a threat to the environment, food safety, as well as human and animal health. The bioaccumulation of these elements in plants might enhance medium- and long-term adverse health risk promoting genetic alterations that lead to dermal, gastrointestinal, circulatory, renal, and brain disorders. The present study aimed to determine the bioaccumulation potential and cytogenotoxic effect of Equisetum hyemale extracts. E. hyemale seedlings were divided into two groups: exposed group (plants cultivated in soil with heavy metals solution) and control (plants cultivated in soil with distilled water). Heavy metals were quantified in the cultivation soils (control and exposed) and extracts (ethanolic and infusion) of vegetative parts from E. hyemale cultivated in both soils. Root length and cytogenotoxic effect were determined utilizing Allium cepa bioassay. Data demonstrated that Equisetum hyemale present the ability to absorb and bioaccumulate different heavy metals including lead, copper, cobalt manganese, zinc, iron and chromium. Given this property E. hyemale may be considered a reliable bioindicator to assess cytogenotoxicity of certain substances that exert adverse risks to environment and human and animal health.

KEYWORDS:

• Bioindicator
• genotoxicity
• environmental toxicity
• genetic alterations
• heavy metals

Availability of data and materials

All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article [and its supplementary information files].

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Authors’ contributions

RMGS contributed to design of the hypothesis and experiments, data interpretation, experiment supervision and manuscript preparation and review. VMOM contributed to experimental design, data collection, statistical analysis and manuscript preparation; VHMS contributed to data collection and statistical analysis and manuscript preparation; FOG contributed to statistical analysis, manuscript preparation and review; CCMF and LPS contributed to experimental design and data analysis; All authors were involved in manuscript reviewing.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the Sao Paulo Research Foundation Grant - FAPESP No. 2013/013310.