Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Arsenic accumulation in Ocimum spp. and its effect on growth and oil constituents

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Acta Physiologiae Plantarum Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A comparative evaluation of As accumulation and subsequent effects upon exposure to arsenite [As(III)] was performed in three species of Ocimum. Plants accumulated high amount of As (μg g−1 dry weight; dw) (662 in O. tenuiflorum, 764 in O. basilicum and 831 in O. gratissimum at 100 μM As(III) after 10 days) with the order of accumulation being roots > stem > leaves. A significant reduction in plant height and biomass was observed. However, essential oil yield and major oil constituents, such as eugenol, methyl chevicol, and linalool, increased at lower As(III) concentrations [mostly up to 25 μM As(III)] in all three species. Positively, no detectable amount of As was found in oil of any species. The study proposes that Ocimum may be used as a phytoremediator and at the same time as a source of essential oils under proper regulation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adams RP (1995) Identification of essential oil components by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Allured Publishing Corporation, Carol Stream

    Google Scholar 

  • Ali W, Isayenkov SV, Zhao F-J, Maathuis FJM (2009) Arsenite transport in plants. Cell Mol Life Sci 66:2329–2339

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Anand AK, Mohan M, Haider SZ, Sharma A (2011) Essential oil composition and antimicrobial activity of three Ocimum species from Uttarakhand (India). Int J Pharm Sci 3:223–225

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Angelova V, Ivanova R, Ivanov K (2007) Heavy metals uptake by plants from family Lamiaceae growing in the polluted soils. Geophys Res Abstr 9:05206

    Google Scholar 

  • Arpadjan S, Celik G, Taskesen S, Gucer S (2008) Arsenic, cadmium and lead in medicinal herbs and their fractionation. Food Chem Toxicol 46:2871–2875

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bernath J (1986) Production ecology of secondary plant products. In: Craker LE, Simon J (eds) Herbs, spices, and medicinal plants: recent advances in botany, horticulture, and pharmacology, vol 1. Oryx Press, AZ, pp 185–234

    Google Scholar 

  • Bleeker PM, Schat H, Vooijs R, Verkleij JAC, Ernst WHO (2003) Mechanisms of arsenate tolerance in Cytisus striatus. New Phytol 157:33–38

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chaiyarat R, Rujira S, Narupot P, Maleeya K, Prayad P (2011) Effects of soil amendments on growth and metal uptake by Ocimum gratissimum grown in Cd/Zn-contaminated soil. Water Air Soil Pollut 214:383–392

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chakraborty D, Maji S, Bandyopadhyay A, Basu S (2007) Biosorption of cesium-137 and strontium-90 by mucilaginous seeds of Ocimum basilicum. Bioresour Technol 98:2949–2952

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dwivedi S, Tripathi RD, Srivastava S, Singh R, Kumar A, Tripathi P, Dave R, Rai UN, Chakrabarty D, Trivedi PK, Tuli R, Adhikari B, Bag MK (2010) Arsenic affects mineral nutrients in grains of various Indian rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes grown on arsenic-contaminated soils of West Bengal. Protoplasma 245:113–124

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gupta SK, Prakash J, Srivastava S (2002) Validation of traditional claim of Tulsi, Ocimum sanctum Linn. as a medicinal plant. Indian J Exp Biol 40:765–773

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hewitt EJ (1966) Sand and water culture method used in the study of plant nutrition. Common Wealth Agric, Bureau, 2nd edn. England

  • Hossain MF (2006) Arsenic contamination in Bangladesh—an overview. Agric Ecosyst Environ 113:1–16

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jha AB, Dubey RS (2004) Carbohydrate metabolism in growing rice seedlings under arsenic toxicity. J Plant Physiol 161:867–872

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jomova K, Jenisova Z, Feszterova M, Baros S, Liska J, Hudecova D, Rhodes CJ, Valkoc M (2011) Arsenic: toxicity, oxidative stress and human disease. J Appl Toxicol 31:95–107

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Keita SM, Vincent C, Schmit J, Belanger A (2000) Essential oil composition of Ocimum basilicum L., O. gratissimum L. and O. suave L. in the Republic of Guinea. Flavour Frag J 15:339–341

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Langenau IEE (1948) The examination and analysis of essential oils, synthetics and isolates. In: Guenther E (ed) The essential oil. Huntington, vol I. Krieger Publishing Co., New York, pp 227–348

    Google Scholar 

  • Lobinski R, Adams FC (1993) Recent advances in speciation analysis by capillary gas chromatography—microwave induced plasma atomic emission spectrometry. Trends Anal Chem 12:41–49

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Martena MJ, Van Der Wielen JC, Rietjens IM, Klerx WN, De Groot HN, Konings EJ (2010) Monitoring of mercury, arsenic, and lead in traditional Asian herbal preparations on the Dutch market and estimation of associated risks. Food Addit Contam A 27:190–205

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Meharg AA, Raab A (2004) Getting to the bottom of arsenic standards and guidelines. Environ Sci Technol 44:4395–4399

    Google Scholar 

  • Melo JS, D’Souza SF (2004) Removal of chromium by mucilaginous seeds of Ocimum basilicum. Bioresour Technol 92:151–155

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mishra S, Srivastava S, Dwivedi S, Tripathi RD (2011) Investigation of biochemical responses of Bacopa monnieri L. upon erxposure to arsenate. Environ Toxicol. doi:10.1002/tox.20733

    Google Scholar 

  • Mondal P, Majumder CB, Mohanty B (2006) Laboratory based approaches for arsenic remediation from contaminated water: recent developments. J Hazard Mater 137:464–479

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Morales C, Cissudo RMS, Palazon J, Bonfill M (1993) Response of Digitalis purpurea plants to temporary salinity. J Plant Nutr 16:327–335

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mukherjee A, Sengupta MK, Hossain A, Ahamed S, Das B, Nayak B, Lodh D, Rahman MM, Chakraborti D (2006) Arsenic contamination in groundwater: a global perspective with emphasis on the Asian scenario. J Health Popul Nutr 24:142–163

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rai V, Kakkar P, Khatoon S, Rawat AKS, Mehrotra S (2001) Heavy metal accumulation in some herbal drugs. Pharm Biol 39:384–387

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rai V, Vajpayee P, Singh SN, Mehrotra S (2004) Effect of chromium accumulation on photosynthetic pigments, oxidative stress defense system, nitrate reduction, proline level and eugenol content of Ocimum tenuiflorum L. Plant Sci 167:1159–1169

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Saper RB, Phillips RS, Sehgal A, Khouri N, Davis RB, Paquin J, Thuppil V, Kales SN (2008) Lead, mercury, and arsenic in US and Indian-manufactured Ayurvedic medicines sold via the Internet. J Am Med Assoc 300:915–923

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Scora RW, Chang AC (1997) Essential oil quality and heavy metal concentrations of peppermint grown on a municipal sludge-amended soil. J Environ Qual 26:975–979

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sharma H (2011) Metal hyperaccumulation in plants: a review focusing on phytoremediation in plants. J Environ Sci Technol 4:118–138

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singh N, Ma LQ, Vu JC, Raj A (2009) Effects of arsenic on nitrate metabolism in arsenic hyperaccumulating and non-hyperaccumulating ferns. Environ Pollut 157:2300–2305

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stancheva I, Geneva M, Hristozkova M, Boychinova M, Markovska Y (2009) Essential oil variation of salvia officinalis (L.), grown on heavy metals polluted soil. Biotechnol Biotechnol Equip 23:373–376

    Google Scholar 

  • Trease GE, Evans GE (1989) Text book of pharmacognosy, 2nd edn. Bailliera Tindall, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Tripathi P, Dwivedi S, Mishra A, Kumar A, Dave R, Srivastava S, Shukla MK, Srivastava PK, Chakrabarty D, Trivedi PK, Tripathi RD (2012) Arsenic accumulation in native plants of West Bengal, India: prospects for phytoremediation but concerns with the use of medicinal plants. Environ Monit Assess 184:2617–2631

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tsai S, Chou H, The H, Chen CM, Chen CJ (2003) The effects of chronic arsenic exposure from drinking water on the neurobehavioral development in adolescence. Neurotoxicology 24:747–753

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zheljazkov VD, Warman PR (2003) Application of high Cu compost to Swiss chard and basil. Sci Total Environ 302:13–26

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zheljazkov VD, Craker LE, Xing B (2006) Effects of Cd, Pb, and Cu on growth and essential oil contents in dill, peppermint, and basil. Environ Exp Bot 58:9–16

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zheljazkov VD, Jeliazkova EA, Kovacheva N, Dzhurmanski A (2008) Metal uptake by medicinal plant species grown in soils contaminated by a smelter. Environ Exp Bot 64:207–216

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful to the University of Lucknow, Lucknow for the facilities provided. FS and SKK are grateful to Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi, India for the award of Junior Research Fellowship (JRF).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, University of Lucknow, Lucknow, 226007, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Fauzia Siddiqui, Sunil Kumar Krishna & P. K. Tandon

  2. Nuclear Agriculture and Biotechnology Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, 400085, Maharashtra, India

    Sudhakar Srivastava

Authors
  1. Fauzia Siddiqui
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sunil Kumar Krishna
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. P. K. Tandon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Sudhakar Srivastava
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sudhakar Srivastava.

Additional information

Communicated by B. Zheng.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Siddiqui, F., Krishna, S.K., Tandon, P.K. et al. Arsenic accumulation in Ocimum spp. and its effect on growth and oil constituents. Acta Physiol Plant 35, 1071–1079 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-012-1145-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-012-1145-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation