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. 2023 Nov 11;11(11):922.
doi: 10.3390/toxics11110922.

Growth Hormones in Broad Bean (Vicia faba L.) and Radish (Raphanus raphanistrum subsp. sativus L.) Are Associated with Accumulated Concentrations of Perfluoroalkyl Substances

Thimo Groffen  1 , Niels Kuijper  1 , Sevgi Oden  2 , Tim Willems  2 , Lieven Bervoets  1 , Els Prinsen  2
Affiliations

Growth Hormones in Broad Bean (Vicia faba L.) and Radish (Raphanus raphanistrum subsp. sativus L.) Are Associated with Accumulated Concentrations of Perfluoroalkyl Substances

Thimo Groffen et al. Toxics. .

Abstract

In this study, we grew radish (Raphanus raphanistrum subsp. sativus L.) and broad beans (Vicia faba L.) in a greenhouse on soils spiked with a mixture of 15 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and investigated the association between accumulated ∑PFAS concentrations, growth, and hormone levels. Short-chained PFASs dominated aboveground tissues, whereas long-chained PFASs were most abundant in the plant roots. Our results showed that the presence or absence of exodermal Casparian strips, as well as the hydrophobicity and anion exchange capacities of PFASs, could explain the translocation of PFASs within plants. Significant associations found between accumulated PFAS concentrations and levels of gibberellins (GA1 and GA15), methionine, and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) imply potential effects of PFASs on plant development and growth. This study provides the first evidence of associations between PFAS accumulation in plants and growth hormone levels, possibly leading to growth reduction of the apical dome and effects on the cell cycle in pericycle cells and methionine metabolism in plants.

Keywords: IAA; PFAS; gibberellins; methionine; phytotoxicity; plant hormones.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Heatmaps representing the relative PFAS concentrations in V. faba in mmol/g dw. The highest PFAS concentrations are shown in red, whereas the lowest concentrations are shown in blue. n = 15 for apex (a), stem (c), and lower leaves (e). n = 13 for control flowers, n = 15 for exposed flowers (b), n = 13 for control upper leaves, and n = 14 for exposed upper leaves (d). The green line in each heatmap separates the control (Con) and exposed (Exp) plants on the x-axis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
PFAS concentrations (mmol/g dw) in (a) upper leaves (n = 13 for control, n = 14 for exposed), (b) lower leaves (n = 15 per treatment), (c) stem (n = 15 per treatment), (d) apex (n = 15 per treatment), and (e) flowers (n = 13 for control, n = 15 for exposed) of exposed (Exp, blue) and control (Con, red) plants of V. faba. Outliers are indicated as red data points. Only compounds detected in at least 2/3 of the samples were included.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Concentrations (ng/g dw) of (a) PFBA, (b) PFPeA, (c) PFHxA, (d) PFOA, (e) PFDA, and (f) PFDoDA in exposed tissues of V. faba. n = 15 for apex, flower, stem and lower leaves, n = 14 for upper leaves. Significant differences among tissues are displayed by an asterisk.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Heatmaps representing the relative PFAS concentrations in R. raphanistrum in mmol/g dw. The highest PFAS concentrations are shown in red, whereas the lowest concentrations are shown in blue. (a) concentrations in leaves; (b) concentrations in root; (c) concentrations in tubers. Con = control, Exp = exposed. n = 15 per treatment. The green line in each heatmap separates the control (Con) and exposed (Exp) plants on the x-axis.
Figure 5
Figure 5
PFAS concentrations (mmol/g dw) in (a) leaves, (b) roots, and (c) tubers of exposed (Exp, blue) and control (Con, red) plants of R. raphanistrum. Outliers are indicated as red data points. Only compounds detected in at least 2/3 of the samples were included. n = 15 per treatment.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Concentrations (ng/g dw) of (a) PFPeA, (b) PFHxA, (c) PFOA, (d) PFDA, (e) PFUnDA, and (f) PFDoDA in leaves, tubers, and roots of R. raphanistrum exposed to spiked soils. Significant differences among tissues are displayed by an asterisk. n = 15 per tissue.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Correlations between hormone levels (ng/g dw) and ∑PFAS concentrations (ng/g dw) in the apex of V. faba ((a) (GA1, n = 10), (b) (GA15, n = 10), and (c) (MET, n = 10)) and tuber of R. raphanistrum ((d) (IAA, n = 8)). Controls are shown in red, whereas exposed plants are shown in blue.
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