Experimental and computational assessment of Antiparkinson Medication effects on meiofauna: Case study of Benserazide and Trihexyphenidyl.

Two concentrations (6.25 and 1.25 mg/L) were used for two Parkinson's disease medications, Benserazide, and Trihexyphenidyl, to test their effects on the meiobenthic nematofauna. It is predicted that these highly hydrosoluble drugs will end up in marine environments. The results showed that both medications when added alone, induced (i) important changes in the numbers and (ii) taxonomic composition. The impact of Benserazide and Trihexyphenidyl was also reflected in the (iii) functional traits of nematofauna, with the most affected categories following exposure being the trophic group 1B, the clavate tails, the circular amphids, the c-p2 life history, and the body length of 1-2 mm. These results were supported by the molecular interactions of the studied drugs with both GLD-3 and SDP proteins of Caenorhabditis elegans. (iv) The mixtures of both drugs did not show any changes in the nematode communities, suggesting that no synergistic or antagonistic interactions exist between them.