In June, the research team from the Institute for Environmental Solutions published a study titled “Fate of Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids in Soil: Insights from Myosotis arvensis L. and Senecio vulgaris L.” in the journal Toxins.
In this study researchers dive deep into Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA), toxic compounds found in more than 6000 plants, including common weeds found in Latvia: field forget-me-not (Myosotis arvensis L.) and common groundsel (Senecio vulgaris L.).
Under the leadership of Dr. Ilva Nakurte, head of the institute’s Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, a rain simulator was developed to study the leaching of water extracts from field forget-me-nots and common groundsel through soil.
Data analysis revealed that pyrrolizidine alkaloids leach rapidly from soil and have low sorption to soil particles. A fast transformation of the alkaloid N-oxides into their more stable—and simultaneously more toxic—base forms was observed. For example, within five days, more than 90% of heliosupine-N-oxide was transformed into heliosupine.
The way these plant toxins react greatly depends on the structure of alkaloids, temperature and what is the type of soil they comm in contact with. PA leakage is influenced allso by such factors as soils pH, calcium levels and organic matter in soil.
Learn more about the results in the publication for free HERE.
With the objective of ensuring high level of consumer protection and food safety, EU Regulation 2023/915 sets maximum permissible concentrations of PA in teas, spices, and bee products. Since pyrrolizidine alkaloids are known to be hepatotoxic, genotoxic, and carcinogenic, their leaching into surface or groundwater may pose environmental or health risks. Therefore, further studies are needed to investigate the degradation of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in the environment and their behavior in aquatic ecosystems.
The research is carried out within the project “Transfer of pyrrolizidine alkaloids from weeds to soil and medicinal plants (No lzp-2022/1-0543)”. The project is funded by the Fundamental and Applied Research Programme of the Latvian Council of Science.
More information on the project HERE.
