BIOREMEDIATION - Part II 

Minerva Biotecnologica 2001 June;13(2):85-91

Copyright © 2001 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Metabolism of organic xenobiotics in plants: conjugating enzymes and metabolic end points

Schoder P. ¹, Scheer C. ¹, Belford E. J. D. ²

¹ Institute for Soil Ecology, GSF-National Research Center for Environmental and Health, Neuherberg, Oberschleißheim, Germany; ² Department of Botany, Fourah Bay College, Freetown, Sierra Leone

The increas­ing use of chem­i­cals in all sec­tors of mod­ern agri­cul­ture, pro­duc­tion ­systems and pri­vate house­holds has led to ­increased pol­lu­tion of ­soil and ­water eco­sys­tems. The ­fate of ­these com­pounds in the bio­sphere ­creates the impres­sion ­that con­su­mers ­might be ­exposed to numer­ous xen­o­bi­o­tics ­with ­high poten­tial of tox­ic­ity. Several remov­al tech­niques are avail­able, but ­only the ­uptake and sub­se­quent remov­al of chem­i­cals ­from the envi­ron­ment by ­plants ­seems to be an envi­ron­men­tal­ly ­sound meth­o­dol­o­gy in the reme­di­a­tion of organ­ic for­eign com­pounds. Even recal­ci­trant sub­stanc­es of ­high stabil­ity ­with phy­to­tox­ic prop­er­ties ­might be tak­en up in the rhiz­o­sphere of ­plants. Remediation of ­these com­pounds may be ­achieved if ­some pre­cau­tions are tak­en and the ­final ­fate of the for­eign com­pound is tak­en ­into con­sid­er­a­tion. Plants are ­able to metab­o­lise and detox­i­fy xen­o­bi­o­tics by sug­ar con­ju­ga­tion, glu­tath­i­one con­ju­ga­tion and ­more com­plex reac­tions end­ing in dif­fer­ent meta­bol­ic end­points. This ­review empha­sis­es the enzy­mat­ic detox­ifi­ca­tion ­systems and the ­role of ­bound xen­o­bi­o­tic res­i­dues in ­plants.