Accumulation of chemical elements in the roots of <I>Euphorbia fischeriana</I> Steudel in the Shilka river basin (Transbaikal region)

Abstract

Background. Euphorbia fischeriana Steudel is used in traditional and herbal medicine in Russia and China. Its roots contain 241 chemical components, but there is not enough knowledge about the plant’s elemental composition. Concentrations of chemical elements in plants have an impact the effectiveness of medical products.Materials and methods. The research was conducted in the Transbaikal region. Plants were analyzed using an ICP-MS Elan 9000 mass spectrometer (Canada). The ICP-MS method of measuring metal content in solid objects, PND F 16.1:2.3:3.11-98 was used. Chemical analysis of the soil was performed at Kostromskaya State Station of Agrochemical Service. The obtained data were statistically processed using the Microsoft Excel software.Results. The accumulation of macro- and microelements in plant roots was studied (Ca, P, Mg, Na, Fe, Mn, Zn, Mo, Cr, Co, Se, Cu, B, Ni, V, As, Li, Pb, Ba, Bi, Cd, Hg, Be, Sb, Rb, Zr, Sn, Ag, W, Sr, and Ti). The chemical elements whose concentrations were significantly higher or, contrariwise, lower than the clarke of terrestrial plants were identified. Accumulations of Ti, Ag, As, Cr, Sr, Li, Ba, Mo, Fe, Bi, and Sb in descending order were 2–14 times higher than the clarke of terrestrial plants. Concentrations of Mn, Cd, Se, and especially V and Cu in E. fischeriana roots were low (0.01–5% of the clarke). The concentration of As in the test areas exceeded the threshold limit value for medicinal herbage and medicinal plant products (OFS.1.5.3.0009.15). Conclusion. The study made it possible to find deficiencies of a number of vital elements in E. fischeriana roots, discrepancy between the tested herbage and the threshold limit value for As, and increased accumulation of a number of toxic and potentially toxic elements compared with the clarke.