Degradation and mineralization of anti-cancer drugs Capecitabine, Bicalutamide and Irinotecan by UV-irradiation and ozone.

The degradation of three anti-cancer drugs (ADs), Capecitabine (CAP), Bicalutamide (BIC) and Irinotecan (IRI), in ultrapure water by ozonation and UV-irradiation was tested in a bench-scale reactor and AD concentrations were measured through ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). A low-pressure mercury UV (LP-UV) lamp was used and degradation by UV (λ = 254 nm) followed pseudo-first order kinetics. Incident radiation in the reactor was measured via chemical actinometry using uridine.

Towards the understanding of the uptake and depuration of microplastics in the ragworm Hediste diversicolor: Field and laboratory study.

An important number of studies have evaluated the presence of microplastics, particles with a size below 5 mm, in aquatic organisms. Studies have shown that these fragments are widely present in the marine environment, but research on the estuarine ecosystem is still scarce. In this study, two different approaches were used to evaluate the presence and ingestion of plastic particles in the ragworm Hediste diversicolor: a field study for the environmental assessment and a laboratory experiment in controlled condition.

Effect of an environmental microplastic mixture from the Seine River and one of the main associated plasticizers, dibutylphthalate, on the sentinel species Hediste diversicolor.

The aim of this study was to explore the adverse effects of a microplastic (MP) mixture obtained from litter accumulated in the Seine River (France) compared to those of their major co-plasticizer, dibutylphthalate (DBP), on the sentinel species Hediste diversicolor. A suite of biomarkers has been investigated to study the impacts of MPs (100 mg kg sediment), DBP (38 μg kg sediment) on worms compared to non-exposed individuals after 4 and 21 days. The antioxidant response, immunity, neurotoxicity and energy and respiratory metabolism were investigated using biomarkers.

Is cell culture a suitable tool for the evaluation of micro- and nanoplastics ecotoxicity?

Plastic particles have been described in aquatic ecosystems worldwide. An increasing number of studies have tried to evaluate the toxic impacts of microplastics (1-5000 µm) but also nanoplastics (<1 µm) in marine and freshwater organisms. However, the wide variety of plastic particles characteristics such as various sizes, shapes, functionalization or types of polymer, makes it difficult to evaluate their impact with regular ecotoxicity testing.

Realistic environmental exposure to microplastics does not induce biological effects in the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the presence and potential toxic effects of plastic fragments (<400 μm) of polyethylene and polypropylene on the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas. Oysters were exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations (0, 0.008, 10, 100 μg of particles/L) during 10 days, followed by a depuration period of 10 days in clean seawater.

Accumulation and immunotoxicity of microplastics in the estuarine worm Hediste diversicolor in environmentally relevant conditions of exposure.

The presence of plastic debris < 5 mm called microplastics (MPs) which results mainly from macroplastic's fragmentation has been reported in aquatic ecosystems. Several studies have shown that MPs are persistent and their accumulation was observed in various aquatic species. However, the majority of studies focused on marine species, and much less on continental and estuarine biota.

Immunotoxicity and genotoxicity of single-walled carbon nanotubes co-exposed with cadmium in the freshwater mussel, Elliptio complanata.

Potential immunotoxicity and genotoxicity of as-produced and purified single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT, 500 μg L-¹) with or without cadmium (20 μg L-¹) was investigated in hemocytes of the freshwater mussel, Elliptio complanata. Our results showed a decrease in hemocyte viability after 3, and 8 days of exposure and an increase of hemocyte phagocytic efficiency for organisms exposed to Cd. No modification of the cyclo-oxygenase (COX) activity was measured.

Combined influence of oxygenation and salinity on aggregation kinetics of the silver reference nanomaterial NM-300K.

The combined influence of oxygenation and salinity on agglomeration and/or aggregation kinetics of the silver (Ag) nanomaterial NM-300K was investigated, and the relationship between its physicochemical fate and toxicity toward an estuarine bivalve was established. The results showed that the presence of NaCl under certain oxygen conditions (8.5 ppm) promoted the formation of AgCl aggregates that could be linked to toxicity effects on aquatic organisms.

Omics tools: New challenges in aquatic nanotoxicology?

In recent years, the implication of genomics into ecotoxicological studies has been studied closely to allow a better understanding of organism's responses to environmental contaminants including engineering nanomaterials (ENMs). ENMs are increasingly produced for various applications including cosmetics, electronics, sports equipment, biomedicine and agriculture. Because of their small size, ENMs possess chemical or physical characteristics improved compared to the corresponding macro-sized material.

Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Toxicity to the Freshwater Amphipod : Influence of to the Freshwater Amphipod Sediment and Exposure Duration.

Carbon nanomaterials are present in various industrial applications and therefore their release into the environment including freshwater ecosystem is expected to increase. The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of several parameters on the toxicity of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) to the freshwater amphipod, . The effect of period of exposure, sediment presence and possible impurities released during SWCNT preparation on survival and/or growth of such organism was evaluated.

Altruism during predation in an assassin bug.

Zelus annulosus is an assassin bug species mostly noted on Hirtella physophora, a myrmecophyte specifically associated with the ant Allomerus decemarticulatus known to build traps on host tree twigs to ambush insect preys. The Z. annulosus females lay egg clutches protected by a sticky substance.

DNA strand breaks detected in embryos of the adult snails, Potamopyrgus antipodarum, and in neonates exposed to genotoxic chemicals.

We tested the freshwater mudsnail Potamopyrgus antipodarum, which is a species that has already been used for endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) to determine whether early life stages of aquatic organisms are sensitive to genotoxic chemicals. For this purpose, we first developed the alkaline comet assay on adults, embryos, and neonates. The comet assay protocol was validated on both embryonic cells exposed in vitro to hydrogen peroxide and adult snails in the reproducing stage exposed to methyl methane sulfonate.

An assassin among predators: the relationship between plant-ants, their host Myrmecophytes and the Reduviidae Zelus annulosus.

Tropical plants frequently live in association with ants that protect their foliage from defoliators. Among them, myrmecophytes have evolved mutualisms with a limited number of plant-ants that they shelter and feed, and, in return, benefit from some protection. Hirtella physophora (Chrysobalanaceae), for example, houses Allomerus decemarticulatus (Myrmicinae) that build gallery-shaped traps to catch large prey.