Mucolytic Drugs Ambroxol and Bromhexine: Transformation under Aqueous Chlorination Conditions.

Bromhexine and ambroxol are among the mucolytic drugs most widely used to treat acute and chronic respiratory diseases. Entering the municipal wastewater and undergoing transformations during disinfection with active chlorine, these compounds can produce nitrogen- and bromine-containing disinfection by-products (DBPs) that are dangerous for aquatic ecosystems. In the present study, primary and deep degradation products of ambroxol and bromhexine obtained in model aquatic chlorination experiments were studied via the combination of high-performance liquid and gas chromatography with high-resolution mass spectrometry.

Cocamidopropyl betaine - a potential source of nitrogen-containing disinfection by-products in pool water.

Water treatment for most public pools involves disinfection with active chlorine leading to the formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs). Among them, nitrogen-containing compounds (N-DBPs) having increased toxicity and adverse effects on human health are of the greatest concern. Being the major component of various body washers for swimmers, cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB) represents a potential and still underestimated anthropogenic precursor of N-DBPs in pool water.

Photoinduced Reduction of Novel Dual-Action Riboplatin Pt(IV) Prodrug.

Controlled photoreduction of Pt(IV) prodrugs is a challenging task due to the possibility of targeted light-controlled activation of anticancer agents without affecting healthy tissues. Also, a conjugation of photosensitizers and clinically used platinum drugs into one Pt(IV) prodrug allows combining photodynamic therapy and chemotherapy approaches into one molecule. Herein, we designed the cisplatin-based Pt(IV) prodrug Riboplatin with tetraacetylriboflavin in the axial position.

Pt(IV) Prodrugs with Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs in the Axial Position.

We report herein the design, synthesis, and biological investigation of a series of novel Pt(IV) prodrugs with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs naproxen, diclofenac, and flurbiprofen, as well as these with stearic acid in the axial position. Six Pt(IV) prodrugs were designed, which showed superior antiproliferative activity compared to cisplatin as well as an ability to overcome tumor cell line resistance to cisplatin. By tuning the drug lipophilicity via variation of the axial ligands, the most potent Pt(IV) prodrug was obtained, with an enhanced cellular accumulation of up to 153-fold that of cisplatin and nanomolar cytotoxicity both in 2D and 3D cell cultures.

Antiviral drug Umifenovir (Arbidol) in municipal wastewater during the COVID-19 pandemic: Estimated levels and transformation.

An indole derivative umifenovir (Arbidol) is one of the most widely used antiviral drugs for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 and some other viral infections. The purpose of the present study was to shed light on the transformation processes of umifenovir in municipal wastewater, including disinfection with active chlorine, as well as to assess the levels of the antiviral drug and its metabolites entering and accumulating in natural reservoirs under conditions of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The combination of high-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization high-resolution mass-spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was used for tentative identification and quantification of umifenovir and its transformation products in model reaction mixtures and real samples of wastewater, river water, biological sludge and bottom sediments taken at the wastewater treatment plant in Arkhangelsk, a large cultural and industrial center at the Russian North.