Aristolochic Acids as Persistent Soil Pollutants: Determination of Risk for Human Exposure and Nephropathy from Plant Uptake.

Abstract

Exposure to aristolochic acids (AAs) from Aristolochia plants is one of the major global causes of nephropathy, including Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN); renal failure; and urothelial cancer. The high incidence of BEN on the Balkan Peninsula is assumed to result from consumption of Aristolochia clematitis L. seeds coharvested with crops. Here, we show that AAs are long-lived soil contaminants that enter wheat and maize plants by root uptake with strong pH dependence. Soil and crops from Serbian farms in areas endemic for A. clematitis were found to be extensively contaminated with AAs, with contamination strongly correlated with local incidence of BEN. The persistence of AAs as soil contaminants suggests that weed control for A. clematitis plants is needed to reduce the incidence of BEN and aristolochic acid nephropathy, systematic surveys of soil and crop AA levels would identify high-risk regions, and it is imperative to research soil-remediation methods.

• Authors: Weiwei Li, Chi-Kong Chan, Yushuo Liu, Jing Yao, Branka Mitić, Emina N Kostić, Biljana Milosavljević, Ivana Davinić, William H Orem, Calin A Tatu, Peter C Dedon, Nikola M Pavlović, Wan Chan
• Journal: Journal of agricultural and food chemistry (J Agric Food Chem) Vol. 66 Issue 43 Pg. 11468-11476 (Oct 31 2018) ISSN: 1520-5118 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 30286603 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Aristolochic Acids
• Soil Pollutants

Topics

• Aristolochic Acids (adverse effects)
• Dietary Exposure (adverse effects)
• Humans
• Kidney Diseases (chemically induced, epidemiology)
• Molecular Structure
• Plant Roots (chemistry)
• Serbia (epidemiology)
• Soil Pollutants (adverse effects)
• Triticum (chemistry)
• Zea mays (chemistry)