Journal
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMISTRY & CELL BIOLOGY
Volume 41, Issue 8-9, Pages 1665-1677Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.biocel.2009.03.005
Keywords
Elements absorption; Mechanisms; Plants; Transfer; Food web
Categories
Funding
- National Science Foundation
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Cooperative Agreement Number [EF 0830117]
- Environmental Science and Engineering (UTEP)
- Direct For Biological Sciences [0830117] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
- Div Of Biological Infrastructure [0830117] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Plants absorb a number of elements from soil, some of which have no known biological function and some are known to be toxic at low concentrations. As plants constitute the foundation of the food chain, some concerns have been raised about the possibility of toxic concentrations of certain elements being transported from plants to higher strata of the food chain. Special attention has been given to the uptake and biotransformation mechanisms occurring in plants and its role in bioaccumulation and impact on consumers, especially human beings. While this review draws particular attention to metal accumulation in edible plants, researched studies of certain wild plants and their consumers are included. Furthermore. this review focuses on plant uptake of the toxic elements arsenic, cadmium, chromium, mercury, and lead and their possible transfer to the food chain. These elements were selected because they are well-established as being toxic for living systems and their effects in humans have been widely documented. Arsenic is known to promote cancer of the bladder, lung, and skin and can be acquired, for example, through the consumption of As-contaminated rice. Cadmium can attack kidney, liver, bone, and it also affects the female reproduction system. Cadmium also can be found in rice. Chromium can produce cancer, and humans can be exposed through smoking and eating Cr-laden vegetables. Lead and mercury are well known neurotoxins that can be consumed via seafood, vegetables and rice. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available