This study was conducted in Tyumen (Russian Federation) to establish the effects of heavy metals’ (Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn, Pb, and Cd) accumulation in soil and coltsfoot, as well as plants’ biochemical responses to such an accumulation. The mobile and acid-soluble heavy metal fractions in soils, and the heavy metal contents in plants, were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn, and Pb concentrations in soils exceeded background values. Pb content at the battery manufacturing plant was above the maximum permitted concentration. The percentages of the mobile heavy metal fractions decreased in the following order: Mn > Zn > Cu > Fe. The greatest heavy metal accumulation in soils and plants was found at the battery manufacturing and metallurgical plants examined in our study. Heavy metals’ accumulation in the aboveground part of Tussilago farfara decreased in the following order: Fe > Zn > Cu > Mn > Pb > Cd. The accumulation of heavy metals stimulated the synthesis of photosynthetic pigments by 6–30%. Heavy metals provoked oxidative stress in cells, increasing the concentration of lipid peroxidation in products by up to 80%. Plant phenolics and flavonoids in the urban area of our study decreased compared to those in the control by 1.05, reaching up to 6.5 times. The change in coltsfoot catalase activity both increased and declined. Biochemical responses and heavy metal accumulation in coltsfoot from urban areas limit its use for medicinal purposes.

LIPID PEROXIDATION IN PLANTS CELLS UNDER CONDITIONS OF THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT ПЕРЕКИСНОЕ ОКИСЛЕНИЕ ЛИПИДОВ В КЛЕТКАХ РАСТЕНИЙ В УСЛОВИЯХ ГОРОДСКОЙ СРЕДЫ

Toxic heavy metals contaminating soil get accumulated by plants, cause degradation of plant communities, and eventually penetrate human bodies with food. Therefore, it is urgent to investigate the content of heavy metal in soils in urban areas. The aim of this study was to investigate the concentration of Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb and Cd in soils of Tyumen. Top soil was sampled at the semi-clean control site near a highway, and at sites near metallurgical, motor-building, oil-refining and battery-manufacturing facilities in Tyumen, Russia. The concentration of active and acid-soluble forms of heavy metals was determined by atomic-absorption spectrophotometry. All the soil samples from urban areas were polluted with Fe. The samples collected near the battery manufactory and the metallurgical plant were contaminated with Pb and Zn, respectively, with maximum allowable concentration exceeded. The Cu, Mn and Zn content in most soil samples was higher than that in the control sample. The Cd content in all samples was at the lower limit of detection. The average percentages of active forms of Mn and Zn in soils were the highest among all the studied metals. The most intense accumulation of all heavy metals was observed near the battery manufactory and the metallurgical plant. The obtained results can be useful for environmental monitoring in Tyumen.

Цель работы ‒ поиск взаимосвязи между биохимическими показателями березы повислой (Betula pendula L.) и накоплением тяжелых металлов в г. Тюмени. Пробы почв и растений были отобраны в условно-чистом районе, вблизи промышленных предприятий и транспортных узлов города. Содержание металлов в почвах и растениях определяли методом атомно-эмиссионной спектроскопии, биохимические показатели (продукты перекисного окисления липидов, содержание пигментов фотосинтеза, флавоноидов и активность каталазы) ‒ фотометрически. Накопление металлов почвами убывало относительно контроля в ряду: Cd>Pb>Cr>Ni>Zn>Cu>Fe>Co>Mn. Аккумуляция металлов в листьях березы убывала относительно контроля в ряду: Pb>Cr>Fe>Co>Cu>Ni>Zn>Mn>Cd. Загрязнение городской среды приводило к росту окислительных процессов в клетках березы, что сопровождалось снижением содержания флавоноидов и активности каталазы. Увеличение содержания хлорофилла и каротиноидов в листьях березы стало главным адаптационным механизмом к накоплению металлов, а изменение активности каталазы оказалось наиболее чувствительной ответной реакцией. Выявлены положительные корреляции между содержанием металлов и концентрацией продуктов перекисного окисления липидов и пигментов фотосинтеза. Содержание флавоноидов и активность каталазы отрицательно коррелировали с содержанием металлов в березе и почве. Согласно результатам факторного анализа степень влияния металлов на биохимические показатели убывала в ряду: Zn ≈ Cu > Cr > Ni ≈ Co ≈ Pb ≈ Cd > Fe ≈ Mn