Extenuating lead toxicity in Chinese cabbage using organic acids: Comparative efficacy of acetic, citric, and tartaric acids
Lead (Pb) toxicity in the environment and plants has emerged as a significant global concern, primarily due to its entry into the human body through the food chain. Several physicochemical and biological techniques are being explored for Pb removal/immobilization. This study explored the efficacy of...
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Elsevier
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651325007870 |
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| author | Muhammad Rizwan Umair Riaz Humera Aziz Wajiha Anum Muhammad Rizwan Ghulam Murtaza Jean Wan Hong Yong Hong Chen |
| author_facet | Muhammad Rizwan Umair Riaz Humera Aziz Wajiha Anum Muhammad Rizwan Ghulam Murtaza Jean Wan Hong Yong Hong Chen |
| author_sort | Muhammad Rizwan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Lead (Pb) toxicity in the environment and plants has emerged as a significant global concern, primarily due to its entry into the human body through the food chain. Several physicochemical and biological techniques are being explored for Pb removal/immobilization. This study explored the efficacy of organic acids—citric acid (CA), acetic acid (AA), and tartaric acid (TA) in mitigating Pb toxicity in plants parts. The treatments included a control (CK, no acid treatment), citric acid (CA) at 0.25 mM (CA0.25) and 0.5 mM (CA0.5), tartaric acid (TA) at 100 mM (TA100) and 200 mM (TA200), and acetic acid (AA) at 100 mM (AA100) and 200 mM (AA200), each replicated in triplicate. Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa) was used as the test crop. Our results revealed significant reductions in Pb concentrations in both plant parts (roots and leaves) as well as in soil following the addition of organic acid. Among the three acid treatments at different concentrations, tartaric acid (TA200) at 200 mM delivered the best results in reducing Pb accumulation in soil-plant system. It notably increased catalase activity (144 μmol g⁻¹), ascorbic acid (12,344 mg L⁻¹), superoxide dismutase (178 U mg⁻¹ protein), and glutathione (98.0 μg g⁻¹ FW), compared to citric and acetic acids treatments. Further, Pearson’s correlation showed a strong negative relationship between Pb content and antioxidant activities, such as catalase, glutathione, and peroxidase (r > 0.90). This study revealed that the application of tartaric acid (TA), particularly at 200 mM through both exogenous and soil treatments, could be an effective strategy to minimize Pb accumulation in polluted areas. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a61f41103b0e4e15856bfad3db07d751 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0147-6513 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety |
| spelling | doaj-art-a61f41103b0e4e15856bfad3db07d7512025-08-20T03:45:28ZengElsevierEcotoxicology and Environmental Safety0147-65132025-07-0130011844710.1016/j.ecoenv.2025.118447Extenuating lead toxicity in Chinese cabbage using organic acids: Comparative efficacy of acetic, citric, and tartaric acidsMuhammad Rizwan0Umair Riaz1Humera Aziz2Wajiha Anum3Muhammad Rizwan4Ghulam Murtaza5Jean Wan Hong Yong6Hong Chen7Key Laboratory of Water-Sediment Sciences and Water Disaster Prevention of Hunan Province, School of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering, Changsha University of Science & Technology, Changsha 410114, China; Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Yildiz Technical University, Esenler, Istanbul 34220, TürkiyeDepartment of Soil & Environmental Sciences, MNS-University of Agriculture, Multan 60000, Pakistan; Corresponding authors.Department of Environmental Sciences, Government College University, Faisalabad 38040, PakistanDepartment of Agronomy, Regional Agriculture Research Institute, Bahawalpur, Agriculture Department. Government of Punjab, PakistanDepartment of Environmental Sciences, Government College University, Faisalabad 38040, PakistanSchool of Agriculture, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan 650504, ChinaDepartment of Biosystems and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Alnarp, 23456, Sweden; Corresponding authors.Key Laboratory of Water-Sediment Sciences and Water Disaster Prevention of Hunan Province, School of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering, Changsha University of Science & Technology, Changsha 410114, China; Corresponding authors.Lead (Pb) toxicity in the environment and plants has emerged as a significant global concern, primarily due to its entry into the human body through the food chain. Several physicochemical and biological techniques are being explored for Pb removal/immobilization. This study explored the efficacy of organic acids—citric acid (CA), acetic acid (AA), and tartaric acid (TA) in mitigating Pb toxicity in plants parts. The treatments included a control (CK, no acid treatment), citric acid (CA) at 0.25 mM (CA0.25) and 0.5 mM (CA0.5), tartaric acid (TA) at 100 mM (TA100) and 200 mM (TA200), and acetic acid (AA) at 100 mM (AA100) and 200 mM (AA200), each replicated in triplicate. Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa) was used as the test crop. Our results revealed significant reductions in Pb concentrations in both plant parts (roots and leaves) as well as in soil following the addition of organic acid. Among the three acid treatments at different concentrations, tartaric acid (TA200) at 200 mM delivered the best results in reducing Pb accumulation in soil-plant system. It notably increased catalase activity (144 μmol g⁻¹), ascorbic acid (12,344 mg L⁻¹), superoxide dismutase (178 U mg⁻¹ protein), and glutathione (98.0 μg g⁻¹ FW), compared to citric and acetic acids treatments. Further, Pearson’s correlation showed a strong negative relationship between Pb content and antioxidant activities, such as catalase, glutathione, and peroxidase (r > 0.90). This study revealed that the application of tartaric acid (TA), particularly at 200 mM through both exogenous and soil treatments, could be an effective strategy to minimize Pb accumulation in polluted areas.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651325007870PhytoremediationSoil chemistryMetal toxicityBiocharWasteAcids |
| spellingShingle | Muhammad Rizwan Umair Riaz Humera Aziz Wajiha Anum Muhammad Rizwan Ghulam Murtaza Jean Wan Hong Yong Hong Chen Extenuating lead toxicity in Chinese cabbage using organic acids: Comparative efficacy of acetic, citric, and tartaric acids Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety Phytoremediation Soil chemistry Metal toxicity Biochar Waste Acids |
| title | Extenuating lead toxicity in Chinese cabbage using organic acids: Comparative efficacy of acetic, citric, and tartaric acids |
| title_full | Extenuating lead toxicity in Chinese cabbage using organic acids: Comparative efficacy of acetic, citric, and tartaric acids |
| title_fullStr | Extenuating lead toxicity in Chinese cabbage using organic acids: Comparative efficacy of acetic, citric, and tartaric acids |
| title_full_unstemmed | Extenuating lead toxicity in Chinese cabbage using organic acids: Comparative efficacy of acetic, citric, and tartaric acids |
| title_short | Extenuating lead toxicity in Chinese cabbage using organic acids: Comparative efficacy of acetic, citric, and tartaric acids |
| title_sort | extenuating lead toxicity in chinese cabbage using organic acids comparative efficacy of acetic citric and tartaric acids |
| topic | Phytoremediation Soil chemistry Metal toxicity Biochar Waste Acids |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651325007870 |
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