Exploring the ecotoxicological impact of meropenem on Lemna minor: Growth, photosynthetic activity, and oxidative stress.

Environ Res

Laboratório de Fisiologia de Plantas sob Estresse, Departamento de Botânica, Setor de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Avenida Coronel Francisco H. dos Santos, 100, Centro Politécnico Jardim das Américas, C.P. 19031, 81531-980, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.

Published: October 2024

Meropenem is a potent carbapenem antibiotic frequently used in medical settings. Several studies have confirmed the pervasive presence of these antibiotics in wastewater treatment plants and aquatic environments. However, the effects of these substances on non-target organisms, such as plants, have not been adequately monitored. Thus, this study aimed to assess the short-term impact of meropenem on the growth, photosynthesis, chlorophyll content, and enzyme activity of the macrophyte plant Lemna minor. The methods involved exposing the plant to meropenem under controlled conditions and assessing physiological and biochemical parameters to determine the impact on photosynthetic activity and oxidative stress. These analyses included growth rate, antioxidant enzyme activity, and photosynthetic capacity. The findings suggest that the growth rate of Lemna minor remained unaffected by meropenem at concentrations <200000 μgL. However, plants exposed to concentrations >20 μgLshowed physiological alterations, such as decreased net photosynthesis rate (17%) and chlorophyll concentration (57%), compared to the control group. For acute toxicity assays, the calculated EC 7-day and EC 7-day were 1135 μgLand 33 μgL, respectively. In addition, in most treatments tested, meropenem caused an increase in the superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity as a defense mechanism against oxidative stress. Our results suggest that meropenem affects photosynthetic processes and induces oxidative stress in the macrophyte plant Lemna minor. Further studies are needed to assess the physiological and metabolic interactions between antibiotics and primary producers at different long-term trophic levels.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2024.119409DOI Listing

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