The Mutagenic Effects of Environmental Radon Gas Radiation on the Tanshinone Related Metabolites in Artemisia Absinthium

In the present study, the effects of radiation from radioactive waste in an obsolete uranium mine on the change in the quantity and quality of the metabolic content in the essential oil of Artemisia absinthium were investigated.

In order to have full access to the radiation exposure information of the study areas, a point-to-point radon map was measured at 10 points with a radiometer for two consecutive years. This measurement included points at the same level in two neighboring mountains (the mountain had points that contained radioactive material A and the mountain had points that did not contain radioactive material B). Sampling of Artemisia absinthium branches was performed systematically in three different replications. The essential oil in the branches was extracted by steam distillation methods, and the essential oil of metabolites was identified using Gas chromatography equipped with a mass spectrometer (GC-Mass).

Mean comparisons (P <0.01) with protected fisher by the statistical software GenStat12.1 showed significant changes in the values of the metabolites in both study points. At an altitude of 930 m with the highest radioactivity of 1.8 mSv (A930 / R1.8), in comparison with the control point (B930 / R0.16), increasing changes in the levels of Gamma-terpinene, Eucalyptol, Thujon, and Camphor were observed.

Prolonged exposure of perennial plants to environmental radiation has led to biochemical changes that may be the result of the mutagenicity of radioactive elements in genes involved in the biosynthetic pathways of secondary metabolites.