Toxicological effects resulting from co-exposure to nanomaterials and to a β-blocker pharmaceutical drug in the non-target macrophyte species Lemna minor.

The wide use of carbon-based materials for various purposes leads to their discharge in the aquatic systems, and simultaneous occurrence with other environmental contaminants, such as pharmaceutical drugs. This co-occurrence can adversely affect exposed aquatic organisms. Up to now, few studies have considered the simultaneous toxicity of nanomaterials, and organic contaminants, including pharmaceutical drugs, towards aquatic plants.

Evaluation of parental and transgenerational effects of clotrimazole in Daphnia magna - A multi-parametric approach.

Azole antifungals inhibit the cytochrome P450 complex, decreasing the production of ergosterol in fungi, and compromising the biosynthesis of ecdysteroids in crustaceans, which are hormones regulating reproduction and ecdysis. The azole antifungal clotrimazole (CLO) raises environmental concerns due its toxicity. This work evaluated the effects on the number of moults, feeding rate, growth, reproduction, transgenerational reproductive effects on two different generations (F0, parental generation; and F1, organisms born from F0), and energetic balance in Daphnia magna.

Investigation of potential behavioral and physiological effects of caffeine on D. magna.

With the ever-increasing consumption of pharmaceutical compounds, their presence in the environment is now an undisputable reality. The majority of these compounds are released into the wild after their therapeutic use, as biotransformation products or in their original form. The presence of this class of compounds in the environment, due to their biological properties, can exert effects on non-target organisms, with adverse consequences.

Ecotoxicological effects of the azole antifungal agent clotrimazole on the macrophyte species Lemna minor and Lemna gibba.

Pharmaceuticals are a large and diverse group of compounds used to treat, prevent and diagnose disease. Among these, a group that has been recently detected in the aquatic environment is that of the azole compounds, commonly used as antifungals. Clotrimazole (CLO) is a nonbiodegradable persistent azole compound, with broad-spectrum antifungal activity for which virtually no toxicological data are available, especially towards aquatic plants.

Single and combined effects of the drugs salicylic acid and acetazolamide: Adverse changes in physiological parameters of the freshwater macrophyte, Lemna gibba.

Pharmaceutical drugs are among the most used chemicals, for human and veterinary medicines, aquaculture and agriculture. Pharmaceuticals are biologically active molecules, having also environmental persistence, thereby exerting biological effects on non-target species. Among the most used pharmaceuticals, one may find salicylic acid (SA), a non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and acetazolamide (ACZ), a diuretic drug that acts by inhibiting the activity of carbonic anhydrase (CA).

Daphnia magna responses to fish kairomone and chlorpromazine exposures.

To avoid being preyed, organisms must be able to identify predatory threats by sensing molecules released by predators (kairomones), and to employ effective strategies to prevent detection by predators. Furthermore, in the wild, organisms are also exposed to chemicals that may alter their behavioral traits, such as neuroactive pharmaceuticals. Considering the co-occurrence of both types of chemicals, their possible interaction needs to be studied.

Analysis of vitellogenin by histochemical method as an indicator of estrogenic effect in male Danio rerio exposed to metals.

Several chemicals present in the aquatic environment have the ability to alter the endocrine system of aquatic organisms, including the metals cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn). In males, a tool to analyze this effect is the vitellogenin (VTG) detection, a protein with defined function in the yolk production and subsequent aid to embryo-larval development. This protein is produced just by females and can be detected by simple and cheap methods such as histochemical method.

Phytoremediation processes of domestic and textile effluents: evaluation of the efficacy and toxicological effects in Lemna minor and Daphnia magna.

Phytoremediation has been proposed as a potential biotechnological strategy to remediate effluents before their release into the environment. The use of common aquatic plant species, such as macrophytes (e.g.

Multi-parametric analysis of ciprofloxacin toxicity at ecologically relevant levels: Short- and long-term effects on Daphnia magna.

The increased presence of emergent compounds, such as pharmaceuticals drugs, in the aquatic compartment has been acknowledged as an evolving environmental issue whose consequences are not yet fully characterized. Specific classes of pharmaceutical drugs, such as fluoroquinolone antibiotics, can exert toxic effects to non-target species with ecological significance, since these compounds are environmentally stable and persistent, and may interact with some of the key physiologic processes of organisms. Despite such characteristics, knowledge about the effects of these drugs is still scarce, especially to non-target organisms.

Acute and chronic effects of paracetamol exposure on Daphnia magna: how oxidative effects may modulate responses at distinct levels of organization in a model species.

The modern usage of pharmaceutical drugs has led to a progressive increase in their presence and environment concentrations, particularly in the aquatic compartment which is the most common final dumping location for this specific class of chemicals. These substances, due to their chemical and biological properties, can exert mostly uncharacterized toxic effects to non-target aquatic species, given the diverse pathways they activate, and the large number of putative targets in the wild. Among drugs in the environment, paracetamol assumes a leading role, considering its widespread therapeutic use and consequently, environmental presence.