Mercury chloride phytotoxicity reduction using antioxidative mechanisms evidenced by caffeic acid FTIR

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the caffeic acid antioxidant and cytoprotective activity against Mercury Chloride (HgCl2) action. DPPH and iron chelation assays were performed to evaluate the antioxidant activity. The interaction between the metal and phenolic compounds was identified by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and microbiological tests were performed using microdilution, obtaining the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC), the Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) and the Minimum Fungicidal Concentration (MFC). To evaluate cytoprotection in the plant model, a sub-allelopathic product concentration (32 μg/mL) and different heavy metal concentrations were used. Caffeic acid was observed to confer cytoprotection to Lactuca sativa seeds, allowing greater growth and development of both plant radicles and caulicles. This result may be attributed to the chelating and antioxidant effect of the caffeic acid, thereby reducing the toxicity of the metal. These results demonstrate the possibility of using natural products as an alternative for heavy metal chelation and to enable a greater development of plants present in contaminated areas. These results become important given the high environmental contamination by heavy metals recently, preventing the growth of important plants both from an environmental and economic point of view, thus providing a viable alternative for minimizing the problem becomes indispensable.