Accumulation of phenanthrene by roots of intact wheat (Triticum acstivnm L.) seedlings: passive or active uptake?

BACKGROUND: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are of particular concern due to their hydrophobic, recalcitrant, persistent, potentially carcinogenic, mutagenic and toxic properties, and their ubiquitous occurrence in the environment. Most of the PAHs in the environment are present in surface soil. Plants grown in PAH-contaminated soils or water can become contaminated with PAHs because of their uptake. Therefore, they may threaten human and animal health. However, the mechanism for PAHs uptake by crop roots is little understood. It is important to understand exactly how PAHs are transported into the plant root system and into the human food chain, since it is beneficial in governing crop contamination by PAHs, remedying soils or waters polluted by PAHs with plants, and modeling potential uptake for risk assessment. RESULTS: The possibility that plant roots may take up phenanthrene (PHE), a representative of PAHs, via active process was investigated using intact wheat (Triticum acstivnm L.) seedlings in a series of hydroponic experiments. The time course for PHE uptake into wheat roots grown in Hoagland solution containing 5.62 microM PHE for 36 h could be separated into two periods: a fast uptake process during the initial 2 h and a slow uptake component thereafter. Concentration-dependent PHE uptake was characterized by a smooth, saturable curve with an apparent Km of 23.7 microM and a Vmax of 208 nmol g(-1) fresh weight h(-1), suggesting a carrier-mediated uptake system. Competition between PHE and naphthalene for their uptake by the roots further supported the carrier-mediated uptake system. Low temperature and 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP) could inhibit PHE uptake equally, indicating that metabolism plays a role in PHE uptake. The inhibitions by low temperature and DNP were strengthened with increasing concentration of PHE in external solution within PHE water solubility (7.3 muM). The contribution of active uptake to total absorption was almost 40% within PHE water solubility. PHE uptake by wheat roots caused an increase in external solution pH, implying that wheat roots take up PHE via a PHE/nH+ symport system. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that an active, carrier-mediated and energy-consuming influx process is involved in the uptake of PHE by plant roots.

[Enzymatic activities of phenanthrene contaminated soil in wheat and clover intercropping system].

The dynamic changes of soil enzymatic activities during remediation of phenanthrene contaminated soil with clover or clover and wheat were investigated with pot experiments. Clover and wheat increased the activities of soil sucrase, polyphenol oxidase, urease and phosphatase with an increase rate in the range of 14.72%-46.52%, but inhibited the catalase activity with an inhibition rate in the range of 36.13%-94.79%. Sucrase and polyphenol oxidase reached the maximum activity values at the 14th day, and urease and phosphatase at the 21th day. Catalase got to the minimum activity value at the 7th day. In the light of these, catalase was relatively more sensitive to phenanthrene than the other enzymes, and could be employed as a key indicator to evaluate the risk of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contaminated soil during remedying. Sucrase and polyphenol oxidase activities in wheat and clover intercropping system were significantly higher than in wheat or clover single-cropping system. Furthermore, there was a good negative correlation between catalase and sucrase (r = - 0.482), and polyphenol oxidase (r = -0.599), and urease (r = -0.329), and phosphatase (r = -0.297). Nonetheless, a good positive correlation existed among sucrase, polyphenol oxidase, urease and phosphatase. It is concluded that in the process of phytoremediation, soil enzymes can be employed as indicators for soil quality, it is not necessary to monitor each enzymatic activity, but to the activity of a key enzyme.