Abstract
A Chinese medicinal fern Blechnum orientale (Linn) was separately collected from polluted and unpolluted sites to determine whether it could accumulate hazardous pollutants or not. Metal concentrations (Cu, Zn, Mn, Pb, Cd, Cr, As, and Hg) both in the fronds and roots and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the fronds of this fern were quantified. At both sites, roots of B. orientale had significantly higher heavy metals than the fronds. Concentrations of Pb, As, Hg, Cd, and Cu in the fronds at the polluted site were more than 2, 6, 7, 14, 5, and 13 times of those at the unpolluted site. Translocation factor and bioaccumulation factor implied that B. orientale did not have a good ability to transport heavy metals from the roots to the fronds. Total PAHs in the fronds at the polluted site were significantly higher than those at the unpolluted site, indicating the physiological PAHs absorption by B. orientale growing at polluted sites. Uptake of pollutants via stomata might be the main reason causing the significant accumulation of hazardous pollutants in the fronds of B. orientale. Large-scale systematical survey and intensive monitoring on pollutants in this medicinal fern should be necessarily strengthened.
Highlights
Various plants have been identified as traditional medicines for pharmaceutical and dietary therapy by folks for several millennia
Heavy metals accumulated in medicinal plants could pose potential toxicity for human being due to the biomagnified effect along food chains [15]
The average values for Pb, As, Hg, Cd, and Cu in the fronds of B. orientale nearby the smelting plant were 66.0, 5.6, 0.4, 7.5, and 21.7 mg⋅kg−1, respectively, which indicated that Pb, As, Cd, and Cu were above the standard of GTSIEMPP
Summary
Various plants have been identified as traditional medicines for pharmaceutical and dietary therapy by folks for several millennia. The search for phytoconstituents possessing antioxidant, anticancer, and antimicrobial properties from medicinal plants has been globally escalated [2]. Due to the ongoing search for natural antibacterial and antioxidant agents from medicinal ferns, researchers have validated the potential of B. orientale as broad-spectrum bactericide [8], antioxidant agent for cancer therapy [3], antimicrobial activity [8], and candidate for the treatment of dermal wounds [9]. There have been increasing interests in phytochemistry of this medicinal fern, there has been relatively less consideration on the risk of hazardous pollutants in tissues of B. orientale. The concentration of As was below 1.0 mg⋅kg−1 in most terrestrial plants [11]
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