Occurrence and distribution of antibiotics in surface water

Ecotoxicology - The concentrations, distribution, and ecological risks of 24 typical antibiotics in Hong Kong rivers and seawater were investigated using high-performance liquid chromatography...     

Biodegradation of the ultraviolet filter benzophenone-3 under different redox conditions

Biodegradation of the ultraviolet (UV) filter benzophenone-3 (BP-3) was investigated in the laboratory to understand its behavior and fate under oxic and anoxic (nitrate, sulfate, and Fe [III]-reducing) conditions. Biodegradation experiments were conducted in microcosms with 10% of activated sludge and digested sludge under oxic and anoxic conditions, respectively. Benzophenone-3 was well degraded by microorganisms under each redox condition. Under the redox conditions studied, the biodegradation half-life for BP-3 had the following order: oxic (10.7 d) > nitrate-reducing (8.7 d) > Fe (III)-reducing (5.1 d) > sulfate-reducing (4.3 d) ≥ anoxic unamended (4.2 d). The results suggest that anaerobic biodegradation is a more favorable attenuation mechanism for BP-3. Biodegradation of BP-3 produced two products, 4-cresol and 2,4-dihydroxybenzophenone, under oxic and anoxic conditions. Biotransformation of BP-3 to 2,4-dihydroxybenzophenone by way of demethylation of the methoxy substituent (O-demethylation) occurred in cultures under each redox condition. The further biotransformation of 2,4-dihydroxybenzophenone to 4-cresol was inhibited under oxic, nitrate-reducing, and sulfate-reducing conditions.     

Liquid chromatography coupled with time-of-flight and ion trap mass spectrometry for qualitative analysis of herbal medicines

With the expansion of herbal medicine (HM) market, the issue on how to apply up-to-date analytical tools on qualitative analysis of HMs to assure their quality, safety and efficacy has been arousing great attention. Due to its inherent characteristics of accurate mass measurements and multiple stages analysis, the integrated strategy of liquid chromatography (LC) coupled with time-of-?ight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS) and ion trap mass spectrometry (IT-MS) is well-suited to be performed as qualitative analysis tool in this field. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview on the potential of this integrated strategy, including the review of general features of LC-IT-MS and LC-TOF-MS, the advantages of their combination, the common procedures for structure elucidation, the potential of LC-hybrid-IT-TOF/MS and also the summary and discussion of the applications of the integrated strategy for HM qualitative analysis (2006–2011). The advantages and future developments of LC coupled with IT and TOF-MS are highlighted.     

Terrestrial ecotoxicological effects of the antimicrobial agent triclosan

Triclosan is an antimicrobial agent widely used in many contemporary consumer and health care products. This study assayed phytotoxicity of triclosan using plant growth tests, soil microbial activity using soil respiration and phosphatase activity tests and soil microbial functional diversity using the Biolog ECO plates. The results showed that triclosan inhibited plant growth in soil, with rice seeds being more sensitive than cucumber seeds with EC50 values of 57 and 108 mg/kg. Soil respiration was significantly inhibited in the treatments with triclosan at concentrations more than 10mg/kg (dry soil) during the first 4 days of incubation, but recovered later on after longer incubation. Phosphatase activity was also inhibited for all the soils treated with triclosan (from 0.1 to 50mg/kg dry soil), but a declining inhibition was observed after 2 days of incubation. Biolog analysis found that triclosan treatment increased the utilization of carbon sources and exerted no adverse effects on the functional diversity of soil microbial community.     

Growth-inhibiting effects of 12 antibacterial agents and their mixtures on the freshwater microalga Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata

The growth-inhibiting and binary joint effects of 12 antibacterial agents on the freshwater green alga Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata (Korschikov) Hindák were investigated over 72-h exposures. The toxicity values (the median inhibitory concentration value, in micromoles) in decreasing order of sensitivity were triclosan (0.0018)>triclocarban (0.054)>roxithromycin (0.056)>clarithromycin (0.062)>tylosin (0.20)>tetracycline (2.25)>chlortetracycline (3.49)>norfloxacin (5.64)>sulfamethoxazole (7.50)>ciprofloxacin (20.22)>sulfamethazine (31.26)>trimethoprim (137.78). Several of these antibacterial compounds would be toxic at the micrograms per liter concentrations reported in surface waters and sewage effluents. Simple additive effects were observed in binary mixtures of sulfonamides, and most tylosin, triclosan, or triclocarban combinations. Potentially synergistic effects were observed in binary mixtures of the same class, such as macrolides, tetracyclines, and fluoroquinolones, as well as in some combined drugs, such as trimethoprim and sulfonamides or tylosin and tetracyclines. Potentially antagonistic effects were only observed between tylosin and triclocarban, triclosan and norfloxacin, and triclocarban and norfloxacin. Although present at low concentrations in the aquatic environment, mixtures of these antibacterial agents can potentially affect algal growth in freshwater systems due to their combined action.     

Changes in Histopathology,Enzyme Activities,and the Expression of Relevant Genes in Zebrafish (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Danio rerio</Emphasis>) Following Long-Term Exposure to Environmental Levels of Thallium

Thallium is a rare-earth element, but widely distributed in water environments, posing a potential risk to our health. This study was designed to investigate the chronic effects of thallium based on physiological responses, gene expression, and changes in the activity of relevant enzymes in adult zebra fish exposed to thallium at low doses. The endpoints assessed include mRNA expression of metallothionein (MT)2 and heat shock protein HSP70; enzymatic activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase; and the histopathology of gill, gonad, and liver tissues. The results showed significant increases in HSP70 mRNA expression following exposure to 100 ng/L thallium and in MT2 expression following exposure to 500 ng/L thallium. Significantly higher activities were observed for SOD in liver and Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase activity in gill in zebra fish exposed to thallium (20 and 100 ng/L, respectively) in comparison to control fish. Gill, liver, and gonad tissues displayed different degrees of damage. The overall results imply that thallium may cause toxicity to zebra fish at environmentally relevant aqueous concentrations.     

Toxic effects of Triclosan on the detoxification system and breeding of Daphnia magna

The toxic effects of different concentrations of Triclosan (TCS) (1–128 μg/L) on Daphnia magna (D. magna) were investigated by acute (48 h) and chronic (21-day) toxicity tests. The response of antioxidase system and Phase I metabolism process of D. magna exposed to TCS were investigated by measuring a series of biomarkers including glutathione S-transferase (GST), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD), Erythromycin N-demethylase (ERND) and Aminopyrine N-demethylase (APND). The 48 h LC₅₀ of TCS was 330 μg/L for D. magna. In the chronic test, total number of neonates per female, body length and the intrinsic rate of natural increase (r) of D. magna increased at the low exposure concentrations (1–16 μg/L) and decreased at the high concentrations (64–128 μg/L), while the total number of molting per adult decreased continually. The GST and CAT activities showed no significant increase in all treatments, and SOD activities were induced after 24-h exposure and inhibited after 48-h exposure at 4–128 μg/L of concentrations. The MDA content increased after 6-h exposure but decreased after 48-h exposure at 4–128 μg/L. EROD activities initially increased after 6-h exposure, but decreased after 24 and 48-h exposure, ERND and APND activities showed a similar temporal pattern among different treatments groups. SOD, MDA and APND were sensitive to TCS, thus they are suitable as potential biomarkers for the exposure to TCS.     

Development and application of whole-sediment toxicity test using immobilized freshwater microalgae Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata

A method for a whole-sediment toxicity test using alginate immobilized microalgae Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata was developed using spiked sediments and applied to contaminated field sediment samples. For method development, a growth inhibition test (72 h) with algal beads was conducted for the sediments spiked with Cu or diuron. The method was validated by determining dose-response relationships for Cu and diuron in both fine-grained and coarse-grained sediments. The results of a spiked sediment toxicity test suggested that sediment particle size distribution (clay content) had a significant effect on the growth of P. subcapitata. The developed method using immobilized microalgae P. subcapitata beads was applied successfully in the toxicity test and toxicity identification evaluation (TIE) for the four field sediment samples. After a series of extractions with 0.01 M CaCl(2) solution, acetone, and dichloromethane, the extracted sediment, which was shown to be nontoxic to algae, was used as the control and diluent for the same sediment in the whole-sediment toxicity test. The results showed that all investigated field sediment samples were found to be toxic to the immobilized algae P. subcapitata, with their median effective concentration (EC50) values ranging from 41.4 to 79.0% after 72 h exposure. In the whole sediment TIE, growth of P. subcapitata was improved to varying degrees after adding zeolite, resin, or activated charcoal, suggesting different contributions to toxicity from ammonia, metals, and organic contaminants in the tested sediments.     

Dydrogesterone Affects the Transcription of Genes in Innate Immune and Coagulation Cascade in Zebrafish Embryos

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology - Dydrogesterone (DDG) acts on the reproduction but also affects the functioning of non-reproductive system. So far, the knowledge about other...