Differential effects of pharmaceuticals and insecticides on swimming behaviour and survival in Gammarus pulex.

Many freshwater systems are continuously exposed to waste streams like municipal wastewater and agricultural runoff, leading to exposure to chemicals that can cause mortality and behavioural changes in aquatic organisms. While research has advanced our understanding of pesticide effects on behaviour of aquatic organisms, the impacts of pharmaceuticals are less understood. Psychopharmaceuticals are particularly interesting because they can act on nervous systems, potentially affecting the behaviour of aquatic organisms.

Cilostazol geno-protective effects mitigate carbamazepine-induced genotoxicity in human cultured blood lymphocytes.

Background: Carbamazepine is one of the most widely used antiepileptic drugs. Carbamazepine has been shown to be toxic to cells. Cilostazol, an antiplatelet agent, has known antioxidant, antiproliferative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumor effects.

Seasonal monitoring, ecological risk assessment, and prioritization of pharmaceuticals in a tropical semi-enclosed bay (Santos, São Paulo coast, Brazil).

Research on the occurrence and seasonal monitoring of pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) in estuarine and coastal waters has intensified recently. However, few studies have been conducted with PhACs flowing into the marine waters of South America (such as Brazil). Against this backdrop, the aims of this study were: (i) evaluate, for the first time, the seasonal occurrence throughout a year and the potential ecological risks of ten selected PhACs in marine bathing waters from Santos Bay, São Paulo, Brazil (a tropical low-wave energy semi-closed bay); and (ii) develop a list of high-priority PhACs for the monitoring based on "occurrence, persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity" criteria (OPBT).

Preclinical liver toxicity models: Advantages, limitations and recommendations.

Experimental animal models are crucial for elucidating the pathophysiology of liver injuries and for assessing new hepatoprotective agents. Drugs and chemicals such as acetaminophen, isoniazid, valproic acid, ethanol, carbon tetrachloride (CCl), dimethylnitrosamine (DMN), and thioacetamide (TAA) are metabolized by the CYP2E1 enzyme, producing hepatotoxic metabolites that lead to both acute and chronic liver injuries. In experimental settings, acetaminophen (centrilobular necrosis), carbamazepine (centrilobular necrosis and inflammation), sodium valproate (necrosis, hydropic degeneration and mild inflammation), methotrexate (sinusoidal congestion and inflammation), and TAA (centrilobular necrosis and inflammation) are commonly used to induce various types of acute liver injuries.

Toxicity assessment of Oreochromis mossambicus exposed to carbamazepine and selenium: Physiological and genotoxic approach.

Although the toxicity of selenium (Se) and carbamazepine (CBZ) has already been demonstrated, the possible effects of freshwater fish co-exposure to these pollutants have not been explored. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the potential impact of Se and CBZ (alone and combined) exposure (both 5 µg/L) in Oreochromis mossambicus after 28 days. Exposure to CBZ, alone or combined with Se, significantly increases the "red blood cells" and "mean corpuscular volume.

Harnessing polysialic acid (PSA)-embedded exudate-absorbing hydrogel for on-demand trigeminal neuralgia treatment.

A key characteristic of trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is cytokine-enriched exudate and a "reactive oxygen species (ROS) storm" generated from the inflammatory cascade, resulting in demyelination of the sensory root of the trigeminal nerve, tissue swelling, and intense electric shock-like pain. The clinically approved drug carbamazepine (CBZ) is capable of inhibiting pain, reducing inflammatory factors, and alleviating oxidative stress, but its clinical application is restricted by its systemic toxicity. Herein, we developed an exudate-absorbing hydrogel incorporating polysialic acid (PSA) and CBZ (F127@PSA@CBZ) for on-demand TN treatment.

Global transcriptome modulation by xenobiotics: the role of alternative splicing in adaptive responses to chemical exposures.

Background: Xenobiotic exposures can extensively influence the expression and alternative splicing of drug-metabolizing enzymes, including cytochromes P450 (CYPs), though their transcriptome-wide impact on splicing remains underexplored. This study used a well-characterized splicing event in the Cyp2b2 gene to validate a sandwich-cultured primary rat hepatocyte model for studying global splicing in vitro. Using endpoint PCR, RNA sequencing, and bioinformatics tools (rSeqDiff, rMATs, IGV), we analyzed differential gene expression and splicing in CYP and nuclear receptor genes, as well as the entire transcriptome, to understand how xenobiotic exposures shape alternative splicing and activate xenosensors.

A carbamazepine metabolite activates NLRP3 and controls skin homing of CD8 T-cells in SJS/TEN.

Background: Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are severe adverse drug reactions with extensive keratinocyte death. Carbamazepine (CBZ), the most commonly implicated drug in SJS/TEN, is metabolized by the cytochrome P450 enzyme 3A4 (CYP3A4) into carbamazepine-10,11-epoxide (CBZE) in the liver. While CD8 cytotoxic T cells play an important role in SJS/TEN, the underlying mechanism of exuberant immune response by CD8 T cells in these conditions remains incompletely understood.

Pharmaceuticals in urban streams: A review of their detection and effects in the ecosystem.

The presence of pharmaceuticals in urban freshwater has been considered an emerging issue. Although rivers are better studied, the streams crossing the cities, which are prone to higher concentrations of pharmaceuticals, and with a higher potential to affect animals, plant and human health, were never specifically addressed in a review. Thus, here we performed a literature review on the existing pharmaceutical contamination and impacts of these compounds in the urban stream ecosystems.

Impact of emerging pollutants mixtures on marine and brackish phytoplankton: diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum and cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa.

Pharmaceuticals and ionic liquids (ILs) are emerging as significant micropollutants with environmental presence and potential ecological impacts. The possible simultaneous occurrence of these two groups of pollutants in aquatic environments raises complex challenges due to their diverse chemical properties and potential for interactive effects. Given the documented widespread presence of pharmaceuticals and the emerging concerns about ILs, the study aims to evaluate the adverse effects of binary mixtures of imidazolium ionic liquid IM1-8C(CN) and two representatives of pharmaceuticals: antibiotic oxytetracycline (OXTC) and metabolite carbamazepine 10,11 epoxide (CBZ-E) on the brackish cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa and the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum during chronic exposure experiments.

Proof-of-concept for removing micropollutants through a combination of sub-atmospheric-pressure non-thermal plasma and hydrodynamic (super)cavitation.

The persistence and toxicity of hazardous pollutants present in wastewater effluents require the development of efficient and sustainable treatment methods to protect water resources. In this study, the efficacy and efficiency of a novel combination of two advanced oxidation processes - sub-atmospheric-pressure plasma and hydrodynamic cavitation - were systematically tested for the removal of valsartan (VAL), sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, naproxen, diclofenac (DF), tramadol, propyphenazone, carbamazepine, 17β-estradiol (E2) and bisphenol A (BPA). The results show that both sample temperature and plasma power play a role and the highest removal, from 29-99 %, was achieved at 25 ℃ and 53 W of plasma power.

Effect, Fate and Remediation of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) during Anaerobic Sludge Treatment: A Review.

Biomass energy recovery from sewage sludge through anaerobic treatment is vital for environmental sustainability and a circular economy. However, large amounts of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) remain in sludge, and their interactions with microbes and enzymes would affect resource recovery. This article reviews the effects and mechanisms of PPCPs on anaerobic sludge treatment.

Reactive Oxygen Species Generated in Situ During Carbamazepine Photodegradation at 222 nm Far-UVC: Unexpected Role of HO Molecules.

When 222 nm far-UVC is used to drive AOPs, photolysis emerges as a critical pathway for the degradation of numerous organic micropollutants (OMPs). However, the photodegradation mechanisms of the asymmetrically polarized OMPs at 222 nm remain unclear, potentially posing a knowledge barrier to the applications of far-UVC. This study selected carbamazepine (CBZ), a prevalent aquatic antiepileptic drug that degrades negligibly at 254 nm, to investigate its photodegradation mechanisms at 222 nm.