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Lee H, De Saeger J, Bae S, Kim M, Depuydt S, Heynderickx PM, Wu D, Han T, Park J. Giant Duckweed ( Spirodela polyrhiza) Root Growth as a Simple and Sensitive Indicator of Copper and Chromium Contamination. Toxics 2023; 11:788. [PMID: 37755798 PMCID: PMC10536059 DOI: 10.3390/toxics11090788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023]
Abstract
Aquatic environment are often contaminated with heavy metals from various industrial sources. However, physicochemical techniques for pollutant detection are limited, thus prompting the need for additional bioassays. We investigated the use of greater duckweed (Spirodela polyrhiza) as a bioindicator of metal pollution. We exposed S. polyrhiza to four pollutants (namely, silver, cadmium, copper, and chromium) and assessed metal toxicity by measuring its frond area and the length of its regrown roots. The plant displayed significant differences in both frond size and root growth in response to the four metals. Silver was the most toxic (EC50 = 23 µg L-1) while copper the least (EC50 = 365-607 µg L-1). Direct comparisons of metal sensitivity and the reliability of the two endpoint assays showed that root growth was more sensitive (lower in terms of 50% effective concentration) to chromium, cadmium, and copper, and was more reliable (lower in terms of coefficient of variation) than those for frond area. Compared to conventional Lemna-based tests, the S. polyrhiza test is easier to perform (requiring only one 24-well plate, 3 mL of medium and a 72-h exposure). Moreover, it does not require livestock cultivation/maintenance, making it more suitable for repeated measurements. Measurements of S. polyrhiza root length may be suitable for assessment when copper and chromium in municipal and industrial wastewater exceed the environmentally permissible levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hojun Lee
- Bio Environmental Science and Technology (BEST) Lab, Ghent University Global Campus, 119-5, Songdomunhwa-ro, Incheon 21985, Republic of Korea
| | - Jonas De Saeger
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Technologiepark 71, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Technologiepark 71, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Sunwoo Bae
- Bio Environmental Science and Technology (BEST) Lab, Ghent University Global Campus, 119-5, Songdomunhwa-ro, Incheon 21985, Republic of Korea
| | - Mirae Kim
- Bio Environmental Science and Technology (BEST) Lab, Ghent University Global Campus, 119-5, Songdomunhwa-ro, Incheon 21985, Republic of Korea
| | - Stephen Depuydt
- Erasmushogeschool Brussel, Quai de l'industrie 170, 1070 Anderlecht, Belgium
| | - Philippe M Heynderickx
- Center for Environmental and Energy Research, Ghent University Global Campus, 119-5, Songdomunhwa-ro, Incheon 21985, Republic of Korea
- Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 653 Coupure Links, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Di Wu
- Center for Environmental and Energy Research, Ghent University Global Campus, 119-5, Songdomunhwa-ro, Incheon 21985, Republic of Korea
- Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 653 Coupure Links, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Taejun Han
- Bio Environmental Science and Technology (BEST) Lab, Ghent University Global Campus, 119-5, Songdomunhwa-ro, Incheon 21985, Republic of Korea
- Department of Animal Sciences and Aquatic Ecology, Ghent University, Wetenschapspark 1, Bluebridge, 8400 Oostende, Belgium
| | - Jihae Park
- Bio Environmental Science and Technology (BEST) Lab, Ghent University Global Campus, 119-5, Songdomunhwa-ro, Incheon 21985, Republic of Korea
- Center for Environmental and Energy Research, Ghent University Global Campus, 119-5, Songdomunhwa-ro, Incheon 21985, Republic of Korea
- Department of Animal Sciences and Aquatic Ecology, Ghent University, Wetenschapspark 1, Bluebridge, 8400 Oostende, Belgium
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