Protective Effect of Extracts from Some Artemisia L. Species at Plant Plasma Membrane Disturbances Caused by Heavy Metals

Plant bioactive compounds are supposed to be the modifiers of structural-functional properties of cell plasma membrane under heavy metals contamination. To test a protective effect of extracts from Artemisia L. species, possessing high adaptive potential to different soil contaminations, on electrical properties of algae cells under HM treatments was the aim of the present work. Extracts from Artemisia plants were isolated from above-ground parts of A.scoparia and A.szovitsiana by acetone hydrolyzation. Microelectrode techniques were used to study the regularities of change of membrane potential and membrane resistance of Сhara gymnophylla and Nitella flexilis plasmalemma under influence of Cd, Cu, Zn, Pb and the extracts from Artemisia species. Statistically reliable hyperpolarizing effect of A.szovitsiana and A.scoparia extracts in relation to Zn and Pb was revealed, respectively. Elimination by extracts a decrease of membrane conductivity caused by Cd and Zn and also an increase of conductivity by Cu was determined. Though a high HM accumulation capacity of Artemisia L. species is noticed to not connect with protective effect of their extracts on membrane conductivity, they can be a potential source for the searching new chemical compounds which are capable to induce the plant tolerance to stress impacts