Avaliação da citoproteção de flavonoides contra a toxicidade do cloreto de mercúrio

Abstract

Soils and waters contaminated by mercury, reaching proportions that compromise the quality of life on the planet. Once in the environment, mercury can enter the food chain and cause lethal effects on many forms of life. Research is being carried out to demonstrate that some plant species have bioactive properties that protect plants from the toxic action of mercury chloride and has suggested that phytoremediation is a less costly technique than conventional remediation technologies to remediate environments contaminated by these metals. This research aimed to verify the antioxidant, chelating and cytoprotective activities of the flavonoid rutin in a prokaryotic and unicellular and plant eukaryotic model. To achieve the objectives, antioxidant assays by free radical scavenging (DPPH) and by reduction of ferric ions were performed; the results of these tests were evidenced through the EC50, where rutin presented a high antioxidant and chelating activity. For microbiological tests, serial microdilution was performed to obtain the value of the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC), and from the subinhibitory concentration, the fungicidal and bactericidal concentrations (CFM and CBM) were established. The plant's cytoprotective potential was evaluated with the species Lactuca sativa (lettuce) using the products in subalelopathic concentration and different concentrations of HgCl2. The results showed that the flavonoid rutin did not reduce the toxicity of HgCl2 in microbiological models, but favored the development of roots and stem in lettuce seedlings, providing cytoprotection, increasing the growth and development of roots of these seedlings and this activity may be related to the effect chelating and antioxidant of the substance, reducing the toxicity of the metal. The interaction of rutin with mercury chloride was evidenced by vibrational spectroscopy (Raman and FTIR). Although mercury chloride causes cytotoxicity in several plant species, its complex with rutin can mitigate these effects. This is the first report on the cytoprotective activity of rutin flavonoid in a prokaryotic and eukaryotic model against the toxic action of mercury chloride. Studies of this nature can contribute to the advancement of research on cytoprotective mechanisms against damage to potentially toxic elements to the environment, presenting itself as an interesting alternative for the treatment of areas contaminated by metals.