EFFECT OF CADMIUM ON TOBACCO CELL SUSPENSION BY-2

Our objective was to clarify the character of influence of cadmium as a significant pollutant on tobacco cell suspension BY-2. Cadmium hardly damages tobacco cells, namely by oxidative stress. Concretely was studied the influence of cadmium on viability of suspension, number of cells of suspension, raising of pH of medium, morphology of suspension, dry matter of suspension and the content of glutathione in suspension cells. Viability was measured by means of fluorescence microscopy on Olympus IX 70 microscope, number of cells on Fuchs-Rosenthal hematocytometer, dry matter by means of lyophilisation, pH on pH meter, morphology microscopically on Olympus E 410 microscope, glutathione spectrophotometrically after reaction with Ellmann surfactant. All characteristics were influenced by cadmium. Viability was in both variants in which cadmium was added lower in comparison with control variants without content of this metal. The number of cells was in fifth and eighth day of experiment lower by variants with cadmium in comparison with variants with the same pH but without cadmium. Cadmium caused raise of medium pH from pH 3.5 to pH 5.5. It also caused decrease of dry matter of suspension cells in fifth and eight day of cultivation by cultivation in medium with pH 3.5. In case of glutathione, only the reduced form of it raised up, the oxidized form remained low. The experiment led to enrichment of knowledge about the influence of cadmium on plant cell