Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematical and Natural Sciences, University of Prishtina "Hasan Prishtina", Prishtinë, Kosovo.
Faculty of Food Technology, University of Mitrovica "Isa Boletini", Mitrovica, Kosovo.
J Environ Sci Health B. 2020;55(5):462-469. doi: 10.1080/03601234.2020.1721229. Epub 2020 Jan 31.
Biomarkers allow an integrated risk assessment of heavy metal pollution effects in living organisms. In this study, the biochemical effects of Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb and Zn pollution in agricultural soil and their accumulation in L. (onion) were evaluated with ALA-D enzyme response as a biomarker, along with δ-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) and total chlorophyll contents in leaves of this plant. Soil samples were randomly selected from agricultural areas in two regions, Mitrovica and Obiliqi, which are considered the most industrially polluted regions in Kosovo. Results show that Pb and Zn concentrations in soil samples from Mitrovica (1953-2576 mg kg ) and Obiliqi regions (138-179 mg kg ) and their bioaccumulation levels in onion were significantly higher in comparison with the control group. There was an adverse negative correlation between Pb or Zn concentration and ALA-D activity and total chlorophyll content, and a positive correlation with ALA content. This study indicates that ALA-D activity can be used as a very sensitive biomarker for evaluation of heavy metal pollution. The bioaccumulation of heavy metals from soil polluted areas poses a threat for food contamination and public health.
生物标志物可对生物体重金属污染效应进行综合风险评估。本研究采用 ALA-D 酶响应作为生物标志物，评估了农业土壤中 Cd、Cr、Ni、Pb 和 Zn 污染的生化效应及其在植物洋葱中的积累情况，同时还评估了叶片中 δ-氨基酮戊酸（ALA）和总叶绿素的含量。土壤样本是从科索沃被认为是污染最严重的米特罗维察和奥比利奇两个地区的农业区随机选取的。结果表明，米特罗维察（1953-2576mg/kg）和奥比利奇地区（138-179mg/kg）土壤样本中的 Pb 和 Zn 浓度及其在洋葱中的生物累积水平明显高于对照组。Pb 或 Zn 浓度与 ALA-D 活性和总叶绿素含量呈负相关，与 ALA 含量呈正相关。本研究表明，ALA-D 活性可作为评估重金属污染的非常敏感的生物标志物。受污染地区土壤中重金属的生物累积对食物污染和公共健康构成威胁。
