Abstract
Artemisia annua and Pyrus pashia are used to relieve and treat many human diseases due to their low side effects. They are rich source of biologically important elements, which may play an important role in the observed therapeutic uses of these plants. It is important to have a good quality of medicinal plants in order to protect consumers from contamination. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to carry out a comparative evaluation of heavy and essential metals contents in A. annua and P. pashia. The heavy and essential metals (As, Cd, Zn, Ni, Pb and Hg) contents ranged between 1.82±0.54 - 1.86±0.22, 0.30±0.07 - 0.36±0.15, 18.00±3.32- 27.00±2.53, 1.22±0.44 - 3.02±0.55, 1.24±0.54 - 1.84±0.42 and 1.60±0.84 - 1.92±0.35 mg/kg respectively in A. annua, while for P. pashia these varies from 2.65±1.83-2.81±0.25, 0.02±0.06-0.05±0.25, 13.50±3.13 - 25.20±1.18, 0.21±0.82 - 2.42±0.24, 0.38±0.03 - 1.05±0.08 and 1.48±0.78 -1.82±0.46 mg/kg respectively. The highest Cd, Zn, Ni, Pb and Hg content was detected in roots of A. annua, while highest concentration of As was found in leaves of P. pashia. The contents were well within the permissible limits therefore, it can be used in the cure system. Key words: Heavy metals, essential elements, ICP-MS, Microwave digestion system.
Highlights
Traditional medicinal plants produce and their extracts play an important role in human community
It was revealed that all the metals were accumulated to different extents by A. annua and P. pashia
The concentrations of As, Cd, Zn, Ni, Pb and Hg in different samples of A. annua and P. pashia were found in the range of 1.82 ± 0.54-2.81 ± 0.25, 0.02 ± 0.06 - 0.36 ± 0.15, 13.5 ± 3.13 - 27.00 ± 2.53, 0.21 ± 0.82 - 3.02 ± 0.55, 0.38 ± 0.03 - 1.84 ± 0.42 and 1.48 ± 0.78 1.92 ± 0.35 mg/kg, respectively
Summary
Traditional medicinal plants produce and their extracts play an important role in human community. Artemisia annua (Asteraceae) is one of the common medicinal plants used for antipyretic, skin allergy, insecticide and as tonic, likewise, ripe fruits of Pyrus pashia (Rosaceae) used in digestive disorders (Gaur, 1999). Both species are rich source of many essential nutrient elements and phytochemicals in bio-available form (Park et al, 2007; Khandelwal et al, 2008; Brisibe et al, 2009; Ajah and Eteng, 2010; http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/parmar/20.html; Ashraf et al, 2010). The heavy metal contents in medicinal plant products are studied in view point of toxicity and bioavailability. Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICPMS) has been proved to be the technique of choice to analyze herbal medicines for metals (Krachler et al, 1996)
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