Abstract

KOLEVA, Vanya; KOYNOVA, Teodora; KULEVA, Ivaila  and  DRAGOEVA, Asya. A simple tool to assess the effect of water-soluble soil pollutants on enzyme activity in human whole blood samples using WST-1 assay. Rev. Int. Contam. Ambient [online]. 2023, vol.39, 54549.  Epub June 05, 2023. ISSN 0188-4999.  https://doi.org/10.20937/rica.54549.

Hazardous compounds accumulated in soil affect soil quality. Here we show that WST-1 can be used for evaluation of the effect of water soil extracts on enzyme activity in human whole-blood samples. Soil samples from the Shumen Plateau Nature Park (NP) and the City Park in Shumen (SCP) were studied. We observed significant differences between control and treated whole-blood samples. These results indicated that soil water extracts affected normal metabolic activity. In conclusion, the WST-1 assay can be used for biomonitoring soil quality. The presence of harmful water-soluble compounds in tested soils may pose a risk to ecosystems and human health.

Keywords : hazardous compounds; water soil extracts; tetrazolium salts; environmental biomonitoring.