title: Uptake of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by maize plants.
abstract: Roots and above-ground parts (tops) of maize plants, comprising cuticles, leaves and stems, have been exposed separately to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by means of air-tight bicameral exposure devices. Maize roots and tops of plants directly accumulate PAHs from aqueous solutions and from air in proportion to exposure levels. Root and leaf concentration factors (log RCF and log LCF) are log-linear functions of log-based octanol-water partition coefficient (log Kow) and log-based octanol-air partition coefficient (log Koa). The PAHs' concentrations among cuticles, leaves and stems display good correlations with each other. PAH concentrations in each part of the plant tested correlated positively with atmospheric PAHs' concentrations. Comparisons between PAHs' concentrations of root epidermis and root tissue showed similar correlations. Bulk concentrations of contaminants in various plant tissues differed greatly, but these differences disappeared after normalization to lipid contents suggesting lipid-based partitioning of PAHs among maize tissues.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zuo
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Coveney
mesh_terms: D000073:Acenaphthenes / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000378:metabolism; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D005449:Fluorenes / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D010616:Phenanthrenes / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D019441:Plant Epidermis / Q000378:metabolism; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000378:metabolism; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000378:metabolism; D018547:Plant Stems / Q000378:metabolism; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis; D003313:Zea mays / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000073:Acenaphthenes; D000393:Air Pollutants; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D005449:Fluorenes; D010616:Phenanthrenes; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D012989:Soil Pollutants; C041509:fluorene; C031181:phenanthrene; C042552:acenaphthene