Ecotoxicological Effect on Modulation of Bioactive Molecules in the Medicinal Plant Acalypha indica

Plants have been used for their medicinal uses from time immemorial. Herbal medicines are gaining importance globally as synthetic medicines are associated with side effects and high costs. Heavy metal pollution is increasing day by day which is leading to varied ill consequences. Lead is one such heavy metal whose environmental content is increasing due to human activities. Lead pollution affects both flora and fauna. Among the plants that are getting affected, notable are the medicinal plants. In this work, we have studied the effects of lead pollution on Acalypha indica. This study used AAS to study lead concentration, LCMS and biochemical methods to study the bioactive molecules, and well diffusion method to study the antibacterial activity. There was a decrease in plant growth, chlorophyll content, protein content with increased lead concentration. On the other hand, there was an increase in the bioactive molecules such as malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, proline, flavonoids, carotenoids, tannin, and phenol with increased lead accumulation which was associated with a decreased antibacterial activity. The current work indicate the correlation of changes in bioactive molecules of Acalypha indica as biomarkers of lead stress which decreases the antibacterial efficacy establishing the need for remediation of lead pollution.