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. 2021 Apr 8;18(8):3904.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph18083904.

Toxic Metals (As, Cd, Ni, Pb) Impact in the Most Common Medicinal Plant (Mentha piperita)

Cristina Dinu  1 , Stefania Gheorghe  1 , Anda Gabriela Tenea  1   2 , Catalina Stoica  1 , Gabriela-Geanina Vasile  1 , Roxana Luisa Popescu  3 , Ecaterina Anca Serban  1 , Luoana Florentina Pascu  1
Affiliations

Toxic Metals (As, Cd, Ni, Pb) Impact in the Most Common Medicinal Plant (Mentha piperita)

Cristina Dinu et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the behavior of Mentha piperita under Cd, Pb, Ni, and As soil contamination and their transfer from soil in plants as well as translocation in the roots/stems/leaves system compared with a control without metal addition. The mint seedlings were exposed for a three-month period using two metal mixtures in the same concentrations such as AsCd and AsCdNiPb (23.7 mg/kg As, 5 mg/kg Cd, 136 mg/kg Ni, and 95 mg/kg Pb). The results of metal concentration in plants showed that Cd, Ni, and Pb were accumulated in different parts of the plant, except for As. In plants organs, the order of metal accumulation was roots > stems > leaves. No significant impact on the growth, development, and chlorophyll content compared to the control was observed in the first month of exposure. After three months of exposure, phytotoxic effects occurred. Generally, the transfer coefficients and translocation factors values were less than 1, indicating that Mentha piperita immobilized the metals in root. The laboratory experiments highlighted that for a short period of time, Mentha piperita has the capacity to stabilize the metals at the root level and was a metal-tolerant plant when using a garden rich-substrate.

Keywords: Mentha piperita; metals; translocation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Variation of As concentration in soil (average ± SD, n = 6).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Variation of Cd concentration in soil (average ± SD, n = 6).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Variation of Ni concentration in soil (average ± SD, n = 6).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Variation of Pb concentration in soil (average ± SD, n = 6).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Variation of Cd concentration in Mentha piperita. The gray lines on the top indicate significant differences: ** in root (p < 0.01) and * in stem (p < 0.05), during the exposed period (from May to July) compared to control (M).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Variation of Ni concentration in Mentha piperita. The gray lines on the top indicate significant differences: ** in root (p < 0.01) and * in stem (p < 0.05), during the exposed period (from May to July) compared to control (M).
Figure 7
Figure 7
Variation of Pb concentration in Mentha piperita. The gray lines on the top indicate significant differences: * in root and stem (p < 0.05), during the exposed period (from May to July) compared to control (M).
Figure 8
Figure 8
Biometrical data of Mentha piperita leaves (after 1 month of exposure), expressed as average ± SD (n = 12), where: (A)—Leaves length; (B)—Leaves width; (C)—Leaves weight; and * significant differences (p < 0.05), ** very significant differences (p < 0.01) compared to control (M)
Figure 9
Figure 9
Chlorophyll pigments concentration in Mentha piperita leaves, expressed as average ± SD (n = 4).
Figure 10
Figure 10
Transfer coefficient (TC) of metals from soil to Mentha piperita root.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Translocation factor (TF) of metals from root to stem in Mentha piperita.
Figure 12
Figure 12
Translocation factor (TF) of metals from root to leaves in Mentha piperita.
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