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Review
. 2014 Jan 9:2014:921581.
doi: 10.1155/2014/921581. eCollection 2014.

Plants as useful vectors to reduce environmental toxic arsenic content

Nosheen Mirza  1 , Qaisar Mahmood  1 , Mohammad Maroof Shah  1 , Arshid Pervez  1 , Sikander Sultan  2
Affiliations
Review

Plants as useful vectors to reduce environmental toxic arsenic content

Nosheen Mirza et al. ScientificWorldJournal. .

Erratum in

Abstract

Arsenic (As) toxicity in soil and water is an increasing menace around the globe. Its concentration both in soil and environment is due to natural and anthropogenic activities. Rising arsenic concentrations in groundwater is alarming due to the health risks to plants, animals, and human beings. Anthropogenic As contamination of soil may result from mining, milling, and smelting of copper, lead, zinc sulfide ores, hide tanning waste, dyes, chemical weapons, electroplating, gas exhaust, application of municipal sludge on land, combustion of fossil fuels, As additives to livestock feed, coal fly ash, and use of arsenical pesticides in agricultural sector. Phytoremediation can be viewed as biological, solar-driven, pump-and-treat system with an extensive, self-extending uptake network (the root system) that enhances the natural ecosystems for subsequent productive use. The present review presents recent scientific developments regarding phytoremediation of arsenic contaminated environments and its possible detoxification mechanisms in plants.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The overview of arsenic accumulation during phytoremediation experiments as suggested by the recent studies of Mirza et al. [91] and Doucleff and Terry [92]. It was suggested that arsenic is absorbed as arsenate and some part of it is converted into arsenite by an enzyme called arsenate reductase. Arsenite is stored in vacuole and is further detoxified. Majority of arsenate is transported to leaf cells where it is again converted into arsenite (in cytosol) and stored/detoxified in vacuoles. Still majority of investigators have proposed that arsenite form is transported from roots to shoots.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Various options for arsenic containing wastes disposal.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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