Plant Ecology, Surveys of the Natural Resources Department, Environmental Studies and Research Institute, University of Sadat City, Egypt.
PLoS One. 2020 Mar 11;15(3):e0226315. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0226315. eCollection 2020.
Anthropogenic pollution can take various forms and affect the air, water, soil, and plants. Monitoring pollution via compounds formed in living organisms such as plants, so-called bioindicators, may be a useful approach for environmental monitoring. The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare plants growing in industrial and residential areas of Sadat City, Egypt, as bioindicators and biomarkers of industrial pollution. Phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and metals were measured in Bougainvillea glabra (paperflower) leaves by HPLC-MS, neutron activation analysis, and atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Air, water, and soil samples associated with B. glabra sampled in industrial and residential areas were also analyzed for the presence of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, metals, and particulate matter. There were significantly higher levels of flavonoids and phenolic compounds in the leaf extracts of plants growing in industrial areas compared to those growing in residential zones (P<0.05). Metal accumulation in leaves was also significantly higher in the industrial zone than the residential zone: iron, lead, zinc, nickel, and manganese were present at significantly higher levels in plants in the industrial zone compared to those growing in the residential zone (P<0.05); nevertheless, the concentrations of heavy metals in the air, water, and soil were under local legal environmental limits. This study demonstrates that pollution has significant effects on total phenolic, flavonoid and metal levels in B. glabra plants, not only demonstrating the effects of pollution on ecosystem health but also paving the way for using plants as bioindicators and for phytoremediation.
人为污染可能有多种形式，并影响空气、水、土壤和植物。通过监测生活在植物等生物体中形成的化合物，即所谓的生物标志物，对污染进行监测可能是环境监测的一种有用方法。本研究旨在调查和比较埃及萨达特市工业区和居民区生长的植物作为工业污染的生物标志物和生物标志物。通过高效液相色谱-质谱、中子激活分析和原子吸收分光光度法测量了变色牵牛花（纸花）叶片中的酚类化合物、类黄酮和金属。还分析了与 B. glabra 一起在工业区和居民区采集的空气、水和土壤样品中酚类化合物、类黄酮、金属和颗粒物的存在情况。与居民区相比，工业区生长的植物叶片提取物中的类黄酮和酚类化合物含量明显更高（P<0.05）。工业区叶片中的金属积累也明显高于居民区：工业区植物中的铁、铅、锌、镍和锰含量明显高于居民区（P<0.05）；然而，空气、水和土壤中的重金属浓度均低于当地法定环境限值。本研究表明，污染对 B. glabra 植物中的总酚、类黄酮和金属水平有显著影响，不仅表明污染对生态系统健康的影响，而且为将植物用作生物标志物和植物修复铺平了道路。
