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. 2023 Jan 25;12(3):551.
doi: 10.3390/plants12030551.

Determination of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Content in Garden Herbal Plants Using Liquid Chromatographic Analysis (HPLC-FL)

Magdalena Woźniak  1 , Karolina Hoppe  1 , Kinga Drzewiecka  1
Affiliations

Determination of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Content in Garden Herbal Plants Using Liquid Chromatographic Analysis (HPLC-FL)

Magdalena Woźniak et al. Plants (Basel). .

Abstract

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of chemical compounds generated as a result of the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels or wood. PAHs are known for their negative effect on living organisms, including teratogenic, carcinogenic and mutagenic activity. The objective of this study is to determine the contamination of three popular herbal species showing pro-health properties, i.e., lavender, parsley and mint, with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, collected from three different backyard gardens in Poland. The concentration of PAHs in plant material was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with a fluorescence detector (HPLC-FL). The concentration of eleven PAHs in plant material was determined with high-pressure liquid chromatography after extraction using the QuEChERS purification technique. Mint collected within an area of a mining and energy production complex (the city of Konin) was characterized by the highest Σ of 11 PAHs, equaled to 902.35 µg/g FW, with anthracene being the most abundant compound. However, it contained the lowest sum of PAHs, among all tested plants, with high carcinogenicity. Parsley from the city of Poznań showed the highest content of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), showing the strongest carcinogenicity, while the highest value of BaP equivalent was calculated for mint collected in Konin. The obtained results suggest that the level and profile of plant contamination with PAHs depend on the species and the location of herb cultivation. In particular, mining and energy industry facilities are sources of PAHs, which contaminate plant material for further direct use or as bioactive herbal extracts.

Keywords: HPLC; PAH contaminants; lavender; mint; parsley.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The content of low and high molecular weight PAHs expressed as average (n = 3) (values denoted with identical letters do not differ significantly at p = 0.05 according to the post-hoc test, following two-way ANOVA for the ‘site×species’ fixed effect; FW—fresh weight).
Figure 2
Figure 2
The content of benzo[a]pyrene equivalent (BaPeq) in plant material expressed as average (n = 3) (values denoted with identical letters do not differ significantly at p = 0.05 according to the post-hoc test, following two-way ANOVA for the ‘site×species’ fixed effect; FW—fresh weight).
Figure 3
Figure 3
The content of low and high carcinogenicity PAHs in plant material expressed as average (n = 3) (values denoted with identical letters do not differ significantly at p = 0.05 according to the post-hoc test, following two-way ANOVA for the ‘site×species’ fixed effect; FW—fresh weight).
Figure 4
Figure 4
The sites of plant collection in Poland (1—Konin, 2—Tczew, 3—Poznań).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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