title: Degradation of aromatic compounds in plants grown under aseptic conditions.
abstract: The aim of the work is to investigate the ability of higher plants to absorb and detoxify environmental pollutants - aromatic compounds via aromatic ring cleavage. Transformation of 14C specifically labelled benzene derivatives, [1-6-14C]-nitrobenzene, [1-6-(14)C]-aniline, [1-(14)C]- and [7-(14)C]-benzoic acid, in axenic seedlings of maize (Zea mays L.), kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), pea (Pisum sativum L.) and pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L.) were studied. After penetration in plants, the above xenobiotics are transformed by oxidative or reductive reactions, conjugation with cell endogenous compounds, and binding to biopolymers. The initial stage of oxidative degradation consists in hydroxylation reactions. The aromatic ring can then be cleaved and degraded into organic acids of the Krebs cycle. Ring cleavage is accompanied by 14CO2 evolution. Aromatic ring cleavage in plants has thus been demonstrated for different xenobiotics carrying different substitutions on their benzene ring. Conjugation with low molecular peptides is the main pathway of aromatic xenobiotics detoxification. Peptide conjugates are formed both by the initial xenobiotics (except nitrobenzene) and by intermediate transformation products. The chemical nature of the radioactive fragment and the amino acid composition of peptides participating in conjugation were identified.
authors.affiliation: Durmishidze Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Academy of Sciences of Georgia, David Agmasheneblis Kheivani 10 km, 0159, Tbilisi, Georgia.
authors.forename: Teimuraz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mithaishvili
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Scalla
authors.forename: Devi
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ugrekhelidze
authors.forename: Benedict
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tsereteli
authors.forename: Tinatin
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sadunishvili
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kvesitadze
mesh_terms: D000814:Aniline Compounds / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D019817:Benzoic Acid / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D028464:Cucurbita / Q000378:metabolism; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D009578:Nitrobenzenes / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D018532:Pisum sativum / Q000378:metabolism; D027805:Phaseolus / Q000378:metabolism; D063245:Plant Development; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000378:metabolism; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000378:metabolism; D010944:Plants / Q000378:metabolism*; D011865:Radioisotope Dilution Technique; D003313:Zea mays / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000814:Aniline Compounds; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D009578:Nitrobenzenes; D019817:Benzoic Acid; C036077:nitrobenzene; C023650:aniline