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- Carbamazepine (3)
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Organisationseinheit der BAM
Sorption of atrazine on soils subjected to three different organic amendments was measured using a batch equilibrium technique. A higher KF value (2.20 kg-1(mg L-1)-N) was obtained for soil fertilized with compost, which had a higher organic matter (OM) content. A correlation between the KFOC values and the percentage of aromatic carbon in OM was observed. The highest KFOC value was obtained for the soil with the highest aromatic content. Higher aromatic content results in higher hydrophobicity of OM, and hydrophobic interactions play a key role in binding of atrazine. On the other hand, the soil amended with farmyard manure had a higher content of carboxylic units, which could be responsible for hydrogen bonding between atrazine and OM. Dominance of hydrogen bonds compared to hydrophobic interactions can be responsible for the lower desorption capacity observed with the farmyard manure soil. The stronger hydrogen bonding can reduce the leaching of atrazine into drinking water resources and runoff to rivers and other surface waters.
The effects of long-term application of different organic amendments, as compared to mineral fertilizer, on Zn, Cu and Pb content and leachability in a luvisol derived from loess were assessed. The organic fertilizers, applied since 1962, were compost (COM) – from green organic household waste, sewage sludge (SLU) – from municipal water treatment facilities, farmyard manure (FYM) and the doses applied since 1997 were 90 t ha-1, 10 t ha-1 and 9 t ha-1, once in 3 years, respectively. The kinetics of metals extraction with 0.05 mol dm-3 EDTA at pH 6.0 has been studied. The two first-order reactions model was fitted to the kinetic data and allowed to distinguish two pools for each metal: a 'labile' fraction (Q1), quickly extracted with a rate constant k1, and a 'moderately labile' fraction (Q2), more slowly extracted, with a rate constant k2. Simultaneously, the pseudo-total metal contents in the soil samples were determined after digestion with aqua regia (3:1 HCl + HNO3). The obtained parameters Q1, k1, Q2, k2, for the kinetics of extraction of each metal in the three replicates of each fertilization mode, as well as the pseudo-total metal contents, were statistically analysed. COM and SLU application resulted in an increase of the total contents of Pb, Zn and Cu in soil. Further, the percentage of labile Zn and Pb also increased in consequence of the application of those amendments, particularly COM. The increase was more noticeable for Zn. FYM, despite not increasing the total content of Pb, Zn or Cu, did also have an effect on the leachability of Zn and Pb, increasing their labile fraction in soil. These results point to a potential risk of increasing metals mobility in soil, mainly Zn, associated to the use of organic amendments, particularly COM or SLU.
Pesticides may contaminate ground and surface waters and one of the major factors governing this property is soil sorption. Sorption can be assessed by batch equilibrium technique which produces lots of extracts with high dissolved organic carbon concentration in which the pesticide concentration has to be determined. We developed an ELISA procedure to analyse atrazine based on polyclonal antibodies (C193) for which tracer structure and dilutions of immunochemical reagents were adapted to fit the purpose. After a 1000-fold dilution (or after an SPE clean-up procedure) extracts of a sewage-sludge amended luvisol (used as an example application of the methodology developed) could be reliably analysed. The Freundlich model is able to describe adsorption for this system (r² = 0.977) delivering a distribution coefficient KF of 1.6 ± 0.2 (mg kg-1) (mg L-1)-N and an isotherm nonlinearity factor N of 0.70 ± 0.09.
Carbamazepine is a psychiatric pharmaceutical widely detected in aquatic environments. Due to its generalized occurrence and environmental persistence it might be considered as an anthropogenic pollution indicator. In this research, a previously developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), based on a commercial monoclonal antibody, was applied to the quantification of carbamazepine in ground, surface and wastewaters and results were validated by liquid chromatographytandem mass spectrometry (LCMS/MS).
The performance of the applied ELISA methodology was tested in the presence of high concentrations of sodium chloride and dissolved organic matter. The method was not significantly affected by matrix effects, being adequate for the quantification of carbamazepine in environmental samples, even without sample pre-treatment. This method allows the quantification of carbamazepine in the range of 0.0310 µg L-1, with a relative error lower than 30%. Due to a pH dependent cross-reactivity with cetirizine, an antihistaminic drug, the assay also enabled the quantification of cetirizine in the samples.
The application of the developed method to the quantification of carbamazepine was performed by using environmental samples with very different matrices, collected in the geographical area of Ria de Aveiro, an estuarine system located in the North of Portugal. Carbamazepine was detected in all analyzed wastewater samples and in one surface water with concentrations between 0.1 and 0.7 µg L-1. Validation with LCMS/MS revealed that results obtained by ELISA are 228% overestimated, which was considered highly satisfactory due to the absence of sample pre-treatments.
The transport and fate of hydrophobic organic contaminants in the environment involve complex phenomena that are influenced by many processes that include sorption by soil components. Sorption behavior of EE2 molecules onto different soil samples was studied and results correlated with the content and type of organic matter present. The highest Κ value, among all soils presented in this study, was obtained for soil fertilized with compost (1.22) which presented the highest organic carbon content. Also the sorption behavior depends greatly on the soil specific organic matter characteristics. A strong positive correlation was observed between aromatic and carboxylic units and ΚOC values. The results also suggested an association of the EE2 aromatic nuclei face to face with the surface and/or another EE2 molecule and also sorbentsorbate interactions due to hydrogen or covalent bonding, likely to occur due to the presence of phenolic function at C-3 and hydroxyl function at C-17 of the EE2 molecules that can react with carboxylic functional groups of soil organic matter. The stronger EE2 sorbs to soil organic matter lower is the leaching into drinking water resources and runoff to rivers and surface water, minimizing its residual toxicity.
This study comprises the development of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) for the quantification of 17β-estradiol (E2) and 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) in complex aqueous matrices without any sample clean-up procedures. Salinity and dissolved organic matter were selected as potential interfering agents in the analysis of E2 and EE2. The optimization was performed in order to (i) overcome matrix effects, and to (ii) increase sensitivity. The addition of a sample buffer containing bovine serum albumin (BSA) prior to the sample was found to decrease the influence of matrix effects. Moreover, adjustments of this buffer's pH together with the optimization of tracer (T) dilution and incubation time were undertaken in order to lower the quantification range. The optimized methods allowed the quantification of E2 and EE2 in the ranges 0.03200 µg L-1 and 0.0210 µg L-1, respectively. The assays were applied to real aqueous samples. It was possible to do a first approach to the levels of E2 in Portuguese surface and waste waters; however, it was not feasible to detect EE2 in the samples tested.
The implementation of the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) requires the establishment of monitoring programs. However, conventional procedures for sample preparation prior to chromatographic analysis are rather expensive and time consuming, being the development of cost-effective and easy tool a necessity. The aim of this work was to develop an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) able to determine atrazine in water samples. Matrix effects evaluation showed that the increase of humic acid (HA) concentration leads to flattened calibration curves and to the loss of the sigmoidal shape. However, such interference was overcome, by the presence of an environmental sample buffer, incubated together with the samples. Recoveries from 88.5 to 119.2 % were obtained in the presence of HA concentrations up to 20 mg-1. An analytical range from 0.003 to 1 µgL-1 was obtained, and atrazine was detected in a sewage treatment plant with concentrations ranging from 14 to 52 ngL-1.
Carbamazepine (CBZ), an antiepileptic drug, is one of the most commonly detected pharmaceutical drugs in aquatic ecosystems, and is used as a marker of urban pollution. Since CBZ is designed to exert a biological effect, when it reaches aquatic environment high probability exist for toxic effects on non-target organisms. The present study evaluated the acute toxicity of environmentally relevant concentrations of CBZ (0.00, 0.03, 0.30, 3.00, 9.00 µg/L) in the edible clams Venerupis decussata (a native species) and Venerupis philippinarum (an invasive species) collected from the Ria de Aveiro. The effects on both species were assessed through the use of a battery of biomarkers mainly related with health status and oxidative stress. Furthermore, in this work an alternative and promising tool, the direct competitive immunoassay ELISA, for the direct CBZ quantification in clam's tissues, was applied.
The results of the present work showed that CBZ in clam's tissues increased with the exposure concentration and V. decussata gave slightly higher values than V. philippinarum. Although the clams accumulated lower levels of CBZ than the concentration of exposure, these concentrations were enough to impair the health status and induce oxidative stress. However, a different response to CBZ was observed in the two species. While in V. philippinarum the lipid peroxidation levels increased at the highest CBZ concentration (9.00 µg/L), in V. decussata a significant decrease was seen. Moreover, glutathionse S-transferase activity was stimulated in V. decussata and decreased in V. philippinarum. Nevertheless, an induction of glutathione reductase, superoxide dismutase and cytochrome P450 3A4 activities was found in both species as a result of the exposure. The results indicate that, probably, V. philippinarum have a less efficient antioxidant system than V. decussata, and are therefore less capable to neutralize oxidative stress and consequently more sensitive to CBZ. The risk quotient determined for the Ria de Aveiro was higher than 1 indicating that a ecotoxicological risk is suspected. Furthermore, bioaccumulation of CBZ in clams should be taken into consideration since this chemical might be transferred along the food chain and affect non-target organisms.
This study comprises the development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the quantification of caffeine in complex aqueous matrices without any sample clean-up procedure. Salinity and dissolved organic matter were selected as potential interfering agents. The addition of a sample buffer containing bovine serum albumin (BSA) prior to the sample was found to decrease the influence of those interfering agents. The working range of the developed method was 0.1–100 µg L- 1. Quantification of caffeine was possible in 43 out of 51 real aqueous samples, at values between < LOD and 15 µg L- 1. Results correlate well with those obtained by LCMS/MS. To the best of our knowledge this is the first study dealing with the quantification of caffeine in Portugal's surface waters.
Estrogens, such as 17β-estradiol (E2) and 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2), are the major responsible for endocrine-disrupting effects observed in aquatic environments due to their high estrogenic potency, even at concentrations ranging from pg L-1 to ng L-1. Thus, it is essential to develop analytical methodologies suitable for monitoring their presence in water samples. Dispersive liquidliquid microextraction (DLLME) was used as a pre-concentration step prior to the quantification of E2 and EE2 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). First, an evaluation of the effect of DDLME on the E2 and EE2 ELISA calibration curves was performed. Since the extraction procedure itself had an influence on the ELISA optical density (OD), it became necessary to subject, not only the samples, but also all the standards to the DLLME process. Working ranges were determined, being between 1.2 and 8000 ng L-1, for E2, and between 0.22 and 1500 ng L-1, for EE2. The influence of organic matter, both in the extraction and quantification, was evaluated and it was observed that its presence in the solution did not affect considerably the calibration curve. Recovery rates were also determined, ranging from 77% to 106% for ultrapure water and from 104% to 115% for waste water samples, the most complex ones in what concerns matrix effects. Results obtained when applying the proposed method to real water samples can be considered quite satisfying. Moreover, the obtained working ranges encompass values generally reported in literature, confirming the practical use of the method for environmental samples.
In the present study, the bivalve Scrobicularia plana, collected from two contrasting areas (pristine location and mercury contaminated area), was selected to assess the biochemical alterations imposed by pH decrease, carbamazepine (an antiepileptic) and the combined effect of both stressors. The effects on oxidative stress related biomarkers after 96 h exposure revealed that pH decrease and carbamazepine induced alterations on clams, with greater impacts on individuals from the contaminated area which presented higher mortality, higher lipid peroxidation and higher glutathione S-transferase activity. These results emphasize the risk of extrapolating results from one area to another, since the same species inhabiting different areas may be affected differently when exposed to the same stressors. Furthermore, the results obtained showed that, when combined, the impact of pH decrease and carbamazepine was lower than each stressor acting alone, which could be related to the defence mechanism of valves closure when bivalves are under higher stressful conditions.
Sulfamethoxazol (SMX),a sulfonamide, is a widely used bacteriostatic antibiotic and therefore a promising marker for the entry of anthropogenic Pollution in the environment. SMX is frequently found in wastewater and surface water. This study presents the production of high affinity and selective polyclonal antibodies for SMX and the development and Evaluation of a direct competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)for the quantification of SMX in environmental watersamples. The crystal structures of the cross-reacting compounds sulfamethizole, N4-acetyl-SMX andsuccinimidyl-SMX were determined by x-ray diffraction aiming to explain their high cross-reactivity. These crystal structures are described for the first time. The quantification range of the ELISA is 0.82–63 µg/L. To verify our results, the SMX concentration in 20 environmental samples,including wastewater and surfacewater,was determined by ELISA and tandem mass spectrometry(MS/MS).A good Agreement of the measured SMX concentrations was found with average recoveries of 97–113%for the results of ELISA compared to LC-MS/MS.
Sulfamethoxazol (SMX),a sulfonamide, is a widely used bacteriostatic antibiotic and therefore a promising marker for the entry of anthropogenic Pollution in the environment. SMX is frequently found in wastewater and surface water. This study presents the production of high affinity and selective polyclonal antibodies for SMX and the development and Evaluation of a direct competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)for the quantification of SMX in environmental watersamples. The crystal structures of the cross-reacting compounds sulfamethizole, N4-acetyl-SMX andsuccinimidyl-SMX were determined by x-ray diffraction aiming to explain their high cross-reactivity. These crystal structures are described for the first time. The quantification range of the ELISA is 0.82–63 µg/L. To verify our results, the SMX concentration in 20 environmental samples,including wastewater and surfacewater,was determined by ELISA and tandem mass spectrometry(MS/MS).A good Agreement of the measured SMX concentrations was found with average recoveries of 97–113%for the results of ELISA compared to LC-MS/MS.
The toxicity induced in non-target organisms by pharmaceutical drugs has been the focus of several studies. In the aquatic environment, most of the studies have been devoted to fish and bivalves, while little is known on the impacts induced in polychaetes. The present study evaluated the impacts of carbamazepine and caffeine on the regenerative capacity of Diopatra neapolitana, a polychaete species with high ecological and economic relevance. Under laboratory controlled conditions polychaetes were exposed, during 28 days, to carbamazepine (Ctl-0.0; 0.3; 3.0; 6.0; 9.0 mg/L) and caffeine (Ctl-0.0; 0.5; 3.0; 18.0 mg/L). During the experiment, at days 11, 18, 25, 32, 39 and 46 after amputation, for each specimen, the percentage of the body width regenerated was determined and the number of new segments was counted. The regenerative capacity was assessed considering the number of days needed to achieve full regeneration and the total number of new segments. The obtained results revealed that with the increase of drugs concentrations organisms regenerated less new segments and took longer to completely regenerate.
Ocean acidification and increasing discharges of pharmaceutical contaminants into aquatic systems are among key and/or emerging drivers of environmental change affecting marine ecosystems. A growing body of evidence demonstrates that ocean acidification can have direct and indirect impacts on marine organisms although combined effects with other stressors, namely with pharmaceuticals, have received very little attention to date. The present study aimed to evaluate the impacts of the pharmaceutical drug Carbamazepine and pH 7.1, acting alone and in combination, on the clamScrobicularia plana. For this, a long-termexposure (28 days)was conducted and a set of oxidative stress markers was investigated. The results obtained showed that S. plana was able to develop mechanisms to prevent oxidative damage when under low pH for a long period, presenting higher survival when exposed to this stressor compared to CBZ or the combination of CBZ with pH 7.1. Furthermore, the toxicity of CBZ on S. plana was synergistically increased under ocean acidification conditions (CBZ + pH 7.1): specimens survival was reduced and oxidative stress was enhanced when compared to single exposures. These findings add to the growing body of evidence that ocean acidification will act to increase the toxicity of CBZ to marine organisms,which has clear implications for coastal benthic ecosystems suffering chronic pollution from pharmaceutical drugs.
Photodegradation of organic pollutants in water by immobilized porphyrins and phthalocyanines
(2016)
New methods for water treatment are required as a result from an increasing awareness in the reduction of the pollution impact in the environment. In the perspective of the photo-oxidation of organic pollutants present in water, the principal incentive for the preparation of heterogeneous photocatalysts is their easy recovery from the reaction mixture, which allows their reuse in successive runs, minimizing the loss of their original photocatalytic properties. Different types of supports can be used in the immobilization of photoactive species, such as porphyrins (Pors) and phthalocyanines (Pcs). This mini-review will consider the different methodologies for the immobilization of Pors and Pcs and their photocatalytic performance in the photodegradation of organic pollutants in water, addressing also their recycling ability in successive water treatments.
In the last decade studies have reported the presence of several pharmaceutical drugs in aquatic environments worldwide and an increasing effort has been done to understand the impacts induced on wildlife. Among the most abundant drugs in the environment is caffeine, which has been reported as an effective chemical anthropogenic marker. However, as for the majority of pharmaceuticals, scarce information is available on the adverse effects of caffeine on marine benthic organisms, namely polychaetes which are the most abundant group of organisms in several aquatic ecossystems. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the biochemical alterations induced by environmentally relevant concentrations of caffeine on the polychaete species Diopatra neapolitana and Arenicola marina. The results obtained demonstrated that after 28 days exposure oxidative stress was induced in both species, especially noticed in A. marina, resulting from the incapacity of antioxidant and biotransformation enzymes to prevent cells from lipid peroxidation. The present study further revealed that D. neapolitana used glycogen and proteins as energy to develop defense mechanisms while in A. marina these reserves were maintained independently on the exposure concentration, reinforcing the low capacity of this species to fight against oxidative stress.
Caffeine is known to be one of the most consumed psychoactive drugs. For this reason, caffeine is continuously released into the environment with potential impacts on inhabiting organisms. The current study evaluated the biochemical alterations induced in the clam species Ruditapes philippinarum after exposure for 28 days to caffeine (0.5, 3.0 and 18.0 mg/L). The results obtained showed that, with the increasing caffeine concentrations, an increase in clams defense mechanisms (such as antioxidant and biotransformation enzymes activity) was induced which was accompanied by an increase in protein content. Nevertheless, although an increase on defense mechanisms was observed, clams were not able to prevent cells from lipid peroxidation that increased with the increase of caffeine concentration. Furthermore, with the increase of exposure concentrations, clams increased their metabolic activity (measured by electron transport activity), reducing their energy reserves (glycogen content), to fight against oxidative stress. Overall, the present study demonstrated that caffeine may impact bivalves, even at environmentally relevant concentrations, inducing oxidative stress in organisms. The present study is an important contribution to address knowledge gaps regarding the impacts of long-term exposures to pharmaceuticals since most of the studies assessed the effects after acute exposures, most of them up to 96 h.
Several environmental stressors have been identified as key and/or emerging drivers of habitat change that could significantly influence marine near-shore ecosystems. These include increasing discharges of pharmaceutical contaminants into the aquatic coastal systems. Pharmaceutical drugs are often detected in aquatic environments but still information on their toxicity impacts on inhabiting species is scarce, especially when acting in combination. Furthermore, almost no information is available on the impacts of pharmaceuticals in polychaetes, often the most abundant taxon in benthic communities and commonly used as indicator species of environmental conditions. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the biochemical alterations induced in the polychaete Hediste diversicolor, from a low contaminated area at the Ria de Aveiro lagoon (Portugal), by the antiepileptic drug carbamazepine (0.0 - control, 0.3, 3.0, 6.0 and 9.0 μg/L) and the stimulant caffeine (0.0 - control, 0.5, 3.0, and 18.0 μg/L), acting alone and in combination (0.3 CBZ + 0.5 CAF and 6.0 CBZ + 3.0 CAF). Glutathione Stransferases (GSTs), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities was determined in Hediste diversicolor from each condition. Lipid peroxidation (LPO), glutathione reduced and oxidized (GSH and GSSG), glycogen and electron transport system (ETS) were also measured. The results obtained clearly revealed that both drugs induced oxidative stress in H. diversicolor, shown by the increase on LPO levels and decrease on total glutathione and GSH/GSSG ratio with the increase of exposure concentrations. Furthermore, the present findings demonstrated that polychaetes biotransformation capacity as well as antioxidant defense mechanisms were not sufficiently efficient to fight against the excess of reactive oxygen species (ROS) leading to LPO when organisms were exposed to both drugs. Our results also demonstrated that polychaetes tended to decrease the activity of ETSwhen exposed to drugs, avoiding energy expenditurewhich may prevent them fromgreater damages. The present study further revealed that the impacts induced by the combination of both drugswere similar to those obtained at the highest drugs concentrations acting alone.