Evaluation of the ability of Salvinia biloba to act as a phytoextractor of emerging parabens

This study aimed to evaluate the phytoremediation potential of the aquatic macrophyte. Salvinia biloba Raddi Emend. de La Sota in mixed solutions containing the emerging compounds butylparaben and propylparaben. The experiment was conducted at concentrations of 100 and 500 μg/L of the contaminants. The levels of chlorophylls a and b, root absorption and translocation of the compound, as well as the activity of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), guaiacol peroxidase (GPX), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) were evaluated. The results demonstrated a high root-absorption capacity for the butylparaben and propylparaben solution, after 72 hours of experimentation, the roots accumulated between 600 µg/kg (in the 500 µg/L experiment) and 300 µg/kg (in the 100 µg/L experiment). In the aerial parts, accumulation levels were 200 µg/kg in the 100 µg/L experiment and 330 µg/kg in the 500 µg/L experiment, demonstrating the species' capacity for absorption, transport, and accumulation. Enzymatic analyses indicated inhibition of CAT and APX, accompanied by a compensatory increase in SOD and GPX, reflecting metabolic adjustment in response to oxidative stress. It was observed that a concentration of 500 micrograms of the contaminant elicited an immediate response in superoxide dismutase activity but had no significant effect on guaiacol peroxidase activity. Chlorophyll levels remained stable, indicating that the photosynthetic apparatus was not compromised even at different contaminant concentrations. It is concluded that S. biloba exhibits tolerance to butylparaben and propylparaben and has promising potential for application in phytoremediation and biomonitoring of aquatic environments contaminated by these emerging compounds.