Low-frequency EPR study of chromium(V) formation from chromium(VI) in living plants

Ke Jian Liu, Jinjie Jiang, Xianglin Shi, Halina Gabrys, Tadeusz Walczak, Harold M. Swartz

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

62 Scopus citations

Abstract

The reduction of Cr(VI) by green algae and higher plants was investigated using a low-frequency EPR spectrometer equipped with an extended loop gap resonator. Incubation of algae (Spirogyra and Mongeotia) with Cr(VI) generated both Cr(V) and Cr(III). The maximum Cr(V) signal was observed in about 10 minutes. Incubation of Cr(VI) with oat, soybean, and garlic generated Cr(V). The maximum Cr(V) peak appeared after more than 10 hours of incubation, and Cr(V) was located predominantly in the roots. The Cr(V) peak exhibited hyperfine splittings of about 0.79 gauss, typical of the Cr(V) complexes with diol-containing molecules. The results suggest that the reduction of Cr(VI) to lower oxidation states by living plants may provide a detoxification pathway for Cr(VI) in ecological systems. The results also indicate that low-frequency EPR may be used to investigate the metabolism of paramagnetic metal ions in intact plants.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)829-834
Number of pages6
JournalBiochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
Volume206
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 1995

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biophysics
  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

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