Abstract
Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) as plasticizer is widely used in the modern plastic manufacturing industry, DEHP and its breakdown products have been identified as a global environmental contaminant. Vegetables and crops which are the energy sources of human beings are often exposed to DEHP, which enriched in humans through the food chain, resulting in many diseases. The content distribution of DEHP in leaf cuticular waxes and tissues of 14 plants including vegetables and crops, and in various parts of cells of 4 plants were investigated by gas chromatography–mass spectrometer (GC–MS). The results show the stronger the DEHP uptake ability of the plant the less ratio of DEHP in leaf cuticular wax occupying the total DEHP in the leaves of the plant. DEHP in atmosphere is adsorbed by leaf cuticular wax or stoma, then transferred to inner tissues through cell wall. Interestingly, we found that the leaf cuticular wax and cell wall of plants are possible barriers to uptake of DEHP for the plants possessing lower DEHP uptake ability. Our results will provide some information for further study on the mechanism of DEHP uptake by plants.
Highlights
Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), which is the most commonly used plasticizer among the phthalate esters, has been widely used as an additive in the manufacture of plastics, varnishes, cosmetics and so on (Ghisari and BonefeldJorgensen 2009; Lucas et al 2012; Saeidnia and Abdollahi 2013)
Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) as plasticizer is widely used in the modern plastic manufacturing industry, DEHP and its breakdown products have been identified as a global environmental contaminant
The present study investigates the partition of DEHP in cuticular waxes and in inner tissues of 14 plants including 11 kinds of vegetables (B. hispida, C. sativus, C. moschata, M. charantia, L. cylindrica, B. parachinensis, D. carota, L. sativa, C. frutescens, I. aquatica, and L. esculentum) and 3 kinds of crops (G. max, T. aestivum, and Z. mays), and compares the distribution of DEHP in various parts of cells of 4 plants (B. hispida, C. moschata, B. parachinensis, and I. aquatica) with different uptake ability of DEHP
Summary
Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), which is the most commonly used plasticizer among the phthalate esters, has been widely used as an additive in the manufacture of plastics, varnishes, cosmetics and so on (Ghisari and BonefeldJorgensen 2009; Lucas et al 2012; Saeidnia and Abdollahi 2013). Past efforts to understand the uptake mechanism of pollutants like DEHP by plants have been considerable, it was demonstrated that the major pathway is air-to-leaf (Wild et al 2005a; Wild et al 2005b; Wild et al 2006). Vegetation can accumulate DEHP from the atmosphere may be by the means of deposition on the surface portion such as leaves, stems and bark (Smith and Jones 2000; Schuhmacher et al 2006; Desalme et al 2013), foliar uptake of DEHP may depend on physiological parameters of plants including specific area of leaves, surface hair, stomatal apparatus density, and cuticle structure Laboratory exposure experiments under controlled conditions can provide information for a better understanding of foliar uptake of organic pollutants (Wild et al 2005a; Wild et al 2005b)
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