Abstract
The increase in prevalence of environmental pollution, especially soil contamination with toxic metals has led to their uptake in the human food chains through plant parts. Accumulation and magnification of heavy metals in human tissues through comsuption of herbal medicine can cause hazardous impacts on health. Therefore, chemical profiling of four heavy metals (Cu, Cr, Mn and Zn) was undertaken in samples of Azorella spinosa from coast and mountain of Maule Region in Chile. The Cu, Cr, Mn and Zn concentrations were determined in plants of the species Azorella spinosa and their soils of origin. For each plant, the metal contents in the stalk, leaves and soil were determined by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy. The methodology was validated using certified reference material: BIMEP-432 for the plant samples and MESS-1 for the soil samples. The concentration ranges found in the plant tissue were: Cu: 1.2 - 62.5; Cr: 0.2 - 3.2; Mn: 188.6 - 1345.1 and Zn: 7.5 - 55.9 mg·kg-1 (dry weight). For the soil samples, the ranges were: Cu: 6.4 - 81.5; Cr: 4.6 - 50.4; Mn: 335.6 - 1936.1 and Zn: 15.6 - 65.9 mg·kg-1 (dry weight). The results were evaluated statistically (two-way ANOVA) to correlate the Cu, Cr, Mn and Zn concentrations in Azorella spinosa plant tissues with those in the soil samples from the corresponding sampling areas.
Highlights
Medicinal plants have been used for many years to prevent and control different types of diseases and pains
The metals were selected on the basis of a background of previous research [24] [25] where it is observed the accumulation of these metals in marine organisms and lichens of the Maule region
The species tested, used in traditional medicine or cosmetics and cosmetology, have different concentrations of toxic metals depending of area of collection [47]
Summary
Medicinal plants have been used for many years to prevent and control different types of diseases and pains. Medicinal plants are an important element of traditional medicine and are used increasingly in primary health care interventions in different countries around the world [1] [2]. In many cases, these medicinal herbs are used when the disease is considered to be a loss of physical, emotional and spiritual condition [3]. The safety and quality of medicinal herbs are affected by different factors These may be intrinsic, change for as differences between species, or extrinsic, depending on the environment or on collection, cultivation, harvesting, post-harvest treatment, transport and storage methods and practices. The properties and characteristics of a medicinal plant may depend significantly on the medium in which it grows, due to other variables such as soil characteristics, the geography of the land, the presence of agrochemicals, and the water and air in the environment [8] [9]
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