Determination of the psychoactive drugs carbamazepine and diazepam in hospital effluent and identification of their metabolites

Neurotoxic effects induced by flunitrazepam and its metabolites in zebrafish: Oxidative stress, apoptosis, and histone hypoacetylation

Benzodiazepines (BZDs) have been widely detected in aquatic environments, but their neurotoxic effects and potential mechanisms are still unclear. This study focuses on flunitrazepam (FLZ) and its metabolite, 7-aminoflunitrazepam (7-FLZ), as representative psychotropic BZD. We investigated their neurotoxic effects on adult zebrafish following a 30-day exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations. The findings reveal that exposure to these drugs induces anxiety-like and aggressive behaviors in zebrafish. Additionally, notable morphological damage to brain tissue and mitochondrial structures was observed. Through TUNEL staining, an increase in apoptotic cells was detected in the brain tissue of the exposed group, accompanied by marked elevations in ROS and caspase-3/9 levels. The upregulation of apoptosis-related genes Bax, p53, and Bcl-2 confirmed the occurrence of apoptosis. Furthermore, exposure to the drugs resulted in decreased acetylation levels of brain histones H3 and H4. The upregulation of histone deacetylation enzyme genes (HDAC1, HDAC3, HDAC4, and HDAC6) supported this result. Molecular docking results suggest that compared to 7-FLZ, FLZ has a higher binding affinity with HDAC3 and HDAC4, explaining why it causes lower histone acetylation levels. This study in zebrafish elucidates the neurotoxicity and molecular mechanisms induced by FLZ and 7-FLZ, which is significant for further understanding the impact of BZDs on human health and assessing their ecological risks.

Ecological risk assessment of pharmaceuticals and endocrine disrupting compounds in Brazilian surface waters

Pharmaceuticals and endocrine disrupting compounds are organic micropollutants that can cause adverse effects at low concentrations. Their occurrence in surface waters has been reported in several countries, including Brazil, at concentrations on the order of ngL-1, while the concentrations at which toxic effects are observed are often in the range of mg.L-1 to μg.L -1, however few studies have been undertaken to characterize risks they represent in Brazilian surface waters. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the ecological risk to Brazilian surface waters caused by the presence of pharmaceuticals and natural and environmental estrogens. Twenty-nine pharmaceuticals, hormones and environmental estrogens were included in the risk assessment while twelve were discarded due to insufficient data availability. The endocrine disrupting compounds were the most frequently detected (39.8% of the reported concentrations), followed by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (16.3%), antibiotics (6.6%), antiseptics (5.1%), analgesics (5.1%), antihypertensives (4.6%), and to a lesser extent, lipid controllers, anticonvulsants, antidepressants, antihistamines, antivirals and corticosteroids. Bisphenol-A was the most frequently detected compound, followed by diclofenac, 17-β-estradiol, 17-α-ethynilestradiol, naproxen, triclosan and 4-n-nonylphenol. Acute ecological risk was predicted in two thirds and chronic risk in one third of the water bodies surveyed. The presence of diclofenac or triclosan was determinant for acute risk while estrogenic hormones proved to be decisive for chronic risk. In addition to natural and synthetic endocrine disruptors, the pharmacological groups estimated to have the highest average associated risks were non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, followed by anticonvulsants. No discharge limits exist for most of the compounds found to contribute to ecological risks, indicating the need for regulatory action by the proper Brazilian authorities.

Phototactic behaviour and neurotransmitter profiles in two Daphnia magna clones: Vertical and horizontal responses to fish kairomones and psychotropic drugs

Animal behavioural responses are increasingly being used in environmental risk assessment. Nevertheless, behavioural responses are still hampered by a lack of standardisation. Phototactic behaviour in zooplankton and in particular in Daphnia has often been associated to vertical migration but there is also 'shore-avoidance' horizontal behaviour: Daphnia uses shades along the shore to swim either to or away from the shore and predators. Previously, we develop a vertical oriented behavioural hardware able to reproduce phototactic fish induced depth selection in Daphnia magna, its modulation by fish kairomones and psychotropic drugs and the neurotransmitter profiles associated to those responses. This study aims to test if it is possible to use an horizontal 24 multi-well plate maze set up to assess phototactic fish induced responses in D. magna. The study was conducted using two clones with opposed phototaxis upon exposure to fish kairomones and using psychotropic drugs known to modulate phototaxis. Acrylic strips opaque to visible light but not to the infrared one were used to cover half of the arena of each of the wells of the multi-well plate. Clone P₁32,85 showed positive phototaxis in either the vertical and horizontal set up and negative phototaxis when exposed to fish kairomones or to the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist's scopolamine and atropine. The opposite behaviour was observed for clone F. Diazepam and pilocarpine ameliorate fish kairomone induced negative phototaxis and picrotoxin increased it only in clone P₁32,85 in the vertical set up. The determination of neurotransmitters showed much greater concentrations of dopamine and of glycine in clone F, which may be relate to its negative phototaxis and its observed lower responsiveness to fish kairomones. The results from this study suggest a simple, fast, and high throughput phototactic behaviour assay for D. magna that can be easily adapted to other species.

Effect of seasonal variation on the occurrences of high-risk pharmaceutical in drain-laden surface water: A risk analysis of Yamuna River

The occurrence of pharmaceutical residues in the aquatic ecosystem is an emerging concern of environmentalists. This study primarily investigated the seasonal variation of high-priority pharmaceutical residues in the Yamuna River, accompanied by 22 drains discharge from different parts of Delhi. Five sampling sites were selected for analyzing high-priority pharmaceuticals along with physico-chemical and biological parameters for 3 season's viz. pre-monsoon (PrM), monsoon (DuM), and post-monsoon (PoM), respectively. The maximum occurrences were detected during the PoM, compared to the PrM and DuM seasons. The maximum concentration of BOD, COD, and Phosphate was detected at the last sampling station (SP-5). Similarly, all targeted pharmaceuticals concentration were maximum at the last sampling point i.e. Okhla barrage (SP-5, max: DIC = 556.1 ng/l, IBU = 223.4 ng/l, CAR = 183.1 ng/l, DIA = 457.8 ng/l, OFL = 1726.5 ng/l, FRU = 312.2 ng/l and SIM = 414.9 ng/l) except at Barapulla downstream (SP-4, max: ERY = 178.1 ng/l). The mean concentrations of Fecal coliform (FC) ranged from 1700 to 6500 CFU/100 ml. The maximum colonies were detected in PrM season (6500 CFU/100 ml) followed by PoM (5800 CFU/100 ml) and least in DuM (1700 CFU/100 ml). Risk quotient (RQ) analysis of high-priority pharmaceuticals indicated high ecotoxicological risks exposure (>1) from DIC, DIA, OFL, and SIM in all seasons at all the sampling sites. However, lower risk was predicted for IBU, CAR, ERY, and FRU, respectively. This risk assessment indicated an aquatic ecosystem potentially exposed to high risks from these pharmaceutical residues. Moreover, seasonal agricultural application, rainfall, and temperature could influence the levels and compositions of pharmaceutical residue in the aquatic ecosystem. Hence, attention is required particularly to this stream since it is only a local lifeline source for urban consumers for domestic water supply and farmers for cultivation.

Automated method to determine pharmaceutical compounds in wastewater using on-line solid-phase extraction coupled to LC-MS/MS

An automated method was developed using on-line solid-phase extraction (SPE) as a sample preparation step, coupled to liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), for determination of pharmaceutical compounds in wastewater samples at nanograms per liter to micrograms per liter concentration levels. This method is suitable for use in routine analysis, especially in environmental applications, avoiding cross-contamination and requiring minimal sample handling. Results can be obtained rapidly, with a chromatographic run time of only 24 min (including sample preparation and chromatographic analysis). Using a 50 μL injection volume, the method was validated according to international guidelines, considering parameters included in terms of method detection (MDL) and quantification limit (MQL), linearity, inter-day and intra-day precisions, and matrix effects. Assessment of chromatographic efficiency considered peak resolution and asymmetry, and carryover was evaluated to ensure analytical reliability and the ability to reuse the SPE cartridge. The intra- and inter-day precisions were lower than 10 and 17%, respectively. The MDL values ranged from 1×10^-6 to 1 μg L^-1, while the MQL values were from 0.001 to 3 μg L^-1. Matrix effects were minimized by isotope dilution calibration. Application of the method to 20 wastewater samples showed that caffeine was the most frequently detected compound, with the highest concentration of 715 μg L^-1, while other pharmaceutical compounds were detected in fewer samples and at lower concentrations (up to 8.51 μg L^-1).

Proposal of a new, fast, cheap, and easy method using DLLME for extraction and preconcentration of diazepam and its transformation products generated by a solar photo-Fenton process

This work evaluated the formation of transformation products (TPs) during the degradation of diazepam (DZP) by a solar photo-Fenton process. Six TPs were identified, three of them for the first time. After elucidation of the TPs, a new, cheap, fast, and easy method was employed to extract and preconcentrate DZP and its TPs, using dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME). The method was optimized using factorial and Doehlert designs, with the best results obtained using acetonitrile as disperser solvent and chloroform as extraction solvent, with volumes of 1000 and 650 µL, respectively. When DZP degradation was performed in ultrapure water, the extraction/preconcentration of DZP and its TPs by DLLME was very similar to the results obtained using a traditional SPE method. However, when hospital wastewater was used as the matrix, more limited extraction efficiency was obtained using DLLME, compared to SPE. Meanwhile, all the TPs extracted by SPE were also extracted by the DLLME technique. Furthermore, DLLME was much less expensive than SPE, besides being faster, easier, and requiring only small amounts of organic solvents. This work reports a new and very important tool for the extraction and preconcentration of TPs formed during degradation using techniques such as advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), since without this step it would not be possible to identify all the TPs formed in some complex wastewater matrices.

Tracking the occurrence of psychotropic pharmaceuticals in Brazilian wastewater treatment plants and surface water, with assessment of environmental risks

According to the World Health Organization, >360 million people worldwide suffer from mental diseases such as depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder, for which psychotropic drugs are frequently prescribed. Despite being highly metabolized in the human organism, non-metabolized portions of these drugs are excreted, subsequently reaching wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), where they may be incompletely removed during treatment, leading to the contamination of surface waters. In this work, ten psychotropic drugs widely consumed in Brazil (alprazolam, amitriptyline, bupropion, carbamazepine, clonazepam, escitalopram, fluoxetine, nortriptyline, sertraline, and trazadone) were monitored at five WWTPs located in the metropolitan region of Campinas (São Paulo State, Brazil). The drugs were determined in the influents, at different stages of the treatments, and in the effluents. Surface waters from the Atibaia River and the Anhumas Creek were also monitored. Quantitation of the pharmaceuticals was carried out by online solid-phase extraction coupled with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. The method was validated and presented a limit of quantitation of 50 ng L^-1 for all the drugs assessed. Six of the substances monitored were quantified in the samples collected from the different treatment processes employed at the WWTPs. These technologies were unable to act as barriers for these psychotropics drugs. The concentrations ranged from 50 to 3000 ng L^-1 in the WWTP effluents, while the main contaminants were found in surface waters at concentrations from 25 to 3530 ng L^-1. The levels of the psychotropic detected in this work did not appear to present risks to the aquatic biota.

Biogeochemical characteristics and ecological risk assessment of pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) in the surface seawaters of Jiaozhou Bay, North China

The occurrence and distribution of 168 pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) in the surface seawater of Jiaozhou Bay (JZB) were investigated using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography in tandem with a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer equipped with an electrospray ionization source (UHPLC-ESI-MS-MS). Thirty-six compounds were detected, and 17 of these compounds were first detected in seawater, including sulfabenzamide, sulphacetamide, cephalonium, desacetyl-cefotaxime, cefminox, cefotaxime, cephradine, cefazolin, carprofen, nabumetone, glibenclamide, glimepiride, glipizide, prednisone, fluoromethalone, diazepam and amantadine. The total concentration of PhACs in the surface seawater ranged from 23.6 ng/L to 217 ng/L. The compounds found at the highest mean concentrations included amantadine (24.7 ng/L), lincomycin (8.55 ng/L), carprofen (8.30 ng/L), and tetracycline (7.48 ng/L). The PhAC concentration was higher in the inner bay than in the outside of the bay. In the inner bay, the eastern district showed higher concentrations of PhACs than the western district. Input from the Licun River may be the primary source of pollution. A statistically significant positive correlation was observed between nutrients and PhACs in seawater. Phosphate can be used to indicate the distribution of PhACs in JZB. Based on the individual risk quotient (RQ) values, lincomycin and ofloxacin posed high risks to the relevant aquatic organisms in JZB, especially in the eastern parts. Regular monitoring is required to evaluate the levels of PhACs as they are constantly released into JZB.

Development and Validation of an Analytical Method for the Detection and Quantification of Bromazepam, Clonazepam and Diazepam by UPLC-MS/MS in Surface Water

The development of analytical methods capable of determining micropollutants is essential for quality control of drinking water. Benzodiazepines, a class of pharmaceuticals with anxiolytic properties, have received increasing attention as micropollutants. The purpose of this study was to develop an analytical method for determination of three benzodiazepine drugs (bromazepam, clonazepam and diazepam) in surface water. For the extraction of the matrix analytes, SPE cartridges (C18, 500 mg/3 mL) were used. The method was validated according to the quality criteria of the USEPA 8000D Validation Guide. The developed and validated method showed recovery values between 57 and 100%, RSD < 20% and R² > 0.9949. LD ranged between 2.70 and 5.00 ng L^-1 for bromazepam and clonazepam respectively whereas LQ was 0.01 μg L^-1 for all analytes. The matrix affected the signal intensity of clonazepam thus evidencing the matrix effect by analysis statistic (F test).

Occurrence, control and fate of contaminants of emerging concern in environmental compartments in Brazil

This is the first review to present data obtained in Brazil over the years regarding contaminants of emerging concern (CEC) and to contrast it with contamination in other countries. Data gathered indicated that caffeine, paracetamol, atenolol, ibuprofen, cephalexin and bisphenol A occur in the μg L^-1 range in streams near urban areas. While endocrine disruptors are frequently detected in surface waters, highest concentrations account for 17α-ethynylestradiol and 17β-estradiol. Organochlorine pesticides are the most frequently found and persistent in sediments in agricultural regions. Moreover, in tropical agricultural fields, pesticide volatilization and its implications to ecosystem protection must be better investigated. The reality represented here for Brazil may be transposed to other developing countries due to similarities related to primitive basic sanitation infrastructure and economic and social contexts, which contribute to continuous environmental contamination by CEC. Municipal wastewater treatment facilities in Brazil, treat up to the secondary stage and lead to limited CEC removal. This is also true for other nations in Latin America, such as Argentina, Colombia and Mexico. Therefore, it is an urgent priority to improve sanitation infrastructure and, then, the implementation of tertiary treatment shall be imposed.

Characterization, Source and Risk of Pharmaceutically Active Compounds (PhACs) in the Snow Deposition Near Jiaozhou Bay, North China

The occurrence and distribution of 110 pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) were investigated in snow near Jiaozhou Bay (JZB), North China. All target substances were analyzed using solid phase extraction followed by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry.A total of 38 compounds were detected for the first time in snow, including 23 antibiotics, eight hormones, three nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, two antipsychotics, one beta-adrenergic receptor and one hypoglycemic drug. The total concentration of PhACs in snow ranged from 52.80 ng/L to 1616.02 ng/L. The compounds found at the highest mean concentrations included tetracycline (125.81 ng/L), desacetylcefotaxime (17.73 ng/L), ronidazole (8.79 ng/L) and triamcinolone diacetate (2.84 ng/L). The contribution of PhACs in the vicinity of JZB to the PhACs in the snow is far greater than the contribution of those transmitted over a long distance. PhACs are mainly derived from drugs applied to local humans and animals. Based on the individual risk quotient (RQ) values, tetracycline poses high risks to the relevant aquatic organisms (algae and invertebrates). The rational application and scientific management of PhACs is an effective approach to reduce the ecological risks in JZB.

Pharmaceutical Mixtures: Still A Concern for Human and Environmental Health

In the present work, recent data on the sources, occurrence and fate of human-use pharmaceutical active compounds (PhACs) in the aquatic environment have been reviewed. Since PhACs and their metabolites are usually present as mixtures in the environment at very low concentrations, a particular emphasis was placed onto the PhACs mixtures, as well as on their short-term and long-term effects against human and environmental health. Moreover, a general overview of the main conventional as well as of the latest trends in wastewaters decontaminant technologies was outlined. Advantages and disadvantages of current processes were also pointed out. It appears that numerous gaps still exist in the current knowledge related to this field of interest, and further studies should be conducted at the global level in order to ensure a more efficient monitorisation of the presence of PhACs and their metabolites into the aquatic environment and to develop new mitigation measures.

LC-MS/MS based detection and characterization of covalent glutathione modifications formed by reactive drug of abuse metabolites

Conjugation with the tripeptide glutathione (GSH) is a common mechanism of detoxification of many endogenous and exogenous compounds. This phenomenon typically occurs through the formation of a covalent bond between the nucleophilic free thiol moiety of GSH and an electrophilic site on the compound of interest. While GSH adducts have been identified for many licit drugs, there is a lack of information on the ability of drugs of abuse to adduct GSH. The present study utilized a metabolic assay with GSH as a nucleophilic trapping agent to bind reactive drug metabolites formed in situ. Extracted ion MS spectra were collected via LC-QqQ-MS/MS for all potentially significant ions and examined for fragmentation common to GSH-containing compounds, followed by confirmation of adduction and structural characterization performed by LC-QTOF-MS/MS. In addition to the two positive controls, of the 14 drugs of abuse tested, 10 exhibited GSH adduction, with several forming multiple adducts, resulting in a total of 22 individual identified adducts. A number of these are previously unreported in the literature, including those for diazepam, naltrexone, oxycodone and Δ⁹-THC.

Psychoactive drugs: occurrence in aquatic environment, analytical methods, and ecotoxicity-a review

This review focused on seven psychoactive drugs being six benzodiazepines (alprazolam, bromazepam, clonazepam, diazepam, lorazepam, and oxazepam) and one antidepressant (citalopram) widely consumed by modern society and detected in different aqueous matrices (drinking water, surface water, groundwater, seawater, estuary water, influent and effluent of wastewater treatment plants). The review included 219 selected scientific papers from which 1642 data/entries were obtained, each entry corresponding to one target compound in one aqueous matrix. Concentrations of all investigated drugs in all aqueous matrices varied from 0.14 to 840,000 ng L^-1. Citalopram presented the highest concentrations in the aqueous matrices. Based on the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test, differences between wastewater influents and effluents were not significant for most wastewater categories, suggesting that conventional wastewater treatment systems as such do not remove or remove partially these compounds. High-income countries showed much lower concentrations in surface water than the group formed by upper-middle-, lower-middle-, and low-income countries. Regarding analytical methods, solid-phase extraction (SPE) was by far the most used extraction method (83%) and performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) (73%) coupled to mass spectrometry (99%) the most common analytical method. Changes in behavior and in survival rates were the most common effects reported on bioindicators (aquatic species) due to the presence of these drugs in water. Concentrations of psychoactive drugs found in surface waters were most of the time within the range that caused measurable toxic effects in ecotoxicity assays.

Reaction of diazepam and related benzodiazepines with chlorine. Kinetics, transformation products and in-silico toxicological assessment

In this work, the reaction of four benzodiazepines (diazepam, oxazepam, nordazepam and temazepam) during water chlorination was studied by means of liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS). For those compounds that showed a significant degradation, i.e. diazepam, oxazepam and nordazepam, parameters affecting to the reaction kinetics (pH, chlorine and bromide level) were studied in detail and transformation products were tentatively identified. The oxidation reactions followed pseudofirst-order kinetics with rate constants in the range of 1.8-42.5 M^-1 s^-1, 0.13-1.16 M^-1 s^-1 and 0.04-20.4 M^-1 s^-1 corresponding to half-life values in the range of 1.9-146 min, 1.8-87 h and 2.5-637 h for oxazepam, nordazepam and diazepam, respectively, depending of the levels of studied parameters. Chlorine and pH affected significantly the reaction kinetics, where an increase of the pH resulted into a decrease of the reaction rate, whereas higher chlorine dosages led to faster kinetics, as expected in this case. The transformation of the studied benzodiazepines occurs mainly at the 1,4-diazepine 7-membered-ring, resulting in ring opening to form benzophenone derivatives or the formation of a 6-membered pyrimidine ring, leading to quinazoline derivatives. The formation of these by-products was also tested in real surface water samples observing kinetics of oxazepam degradation slower in river than in creek water, while the degradation of the two other benzodiazepines occurred only in the simpler sample (creek water). Finally, the acute and chronical toxicity and mutagenicity of precursors and transformation products were estimated using quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) software tools: Ecological Structure Activity Relationships (ECOSAR) and Toxicity Estimation Software Tool (TEST), finding that some transformation products could be more toxic/mutagenic than the precursor drug, but additional test would be needed to confirm this fact.

Determination of carbamazepine and 12 degradation products in various compartments of an outdoor aquatic mesocosm by reliable analytical methods based on liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

The aims of this work are to develop suitable analytical methods to determine the widely used anticonvulsant carbamazepine and 12 of its degradation/transformation products in water, sediment, fish (Gasterosteus aculeatus) and mollusc (Dreissena polymorpha). Protocols based on solid phase extraction for water, pressurized-liquid extraction for sediments and QuEChERS (quick easy cheap efficient rugged and safe) extraction for both organisms followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) are developed, validated and finally applied to samples collected during a 6-month experiment in outdoor mesocosms. Very low detection limits are reached, allowing environmentally realistic doses (namely, 0.05, 0.5 and 5 μg/L nominal concentrations) to be employed. The results indicate several metabolites and/or transformation products in each compartment investigated, with concentrations sometimes being greater than that of the parent carbamazepine. Biotic degradation of carbamazepine is demonstrated in water, leading to 10,11-dihydrocarbamazepine and 10,11-epoxycarbamazepine. In sediment, the degradation results in the formation of acridine, and 2- and 3-hydroxycarbamazepine. Finally, in both organisms, a moderate bioaccumulation is observed together with a metabolization leading to 10,11-epoxycarbamazepine in fish and 2-hydroxycarbamazepine in mollusc. Acridone is also present in fish. This study provides new and interesting data, helping to elucidate how chronic exposure to carbamazepine at relevant concentrations may affect impact freshwater ecosystems.

Studies on photodegradation process of psychotropic drugs: a review

Consumption of psychotropic drugs is still increasing, especially in high-income countries. One of the most crucial consequences of this fact is significant release of them to the environment. Considerable amounts of atypical antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, antidepressants, and their metabolites were detected in river, lake, and sea water, as well as in tissues of aquatic organisms. Their ecotoxicity was proved by numerous studies. It should be noticed that interaction between psychotropic pharmaceuticals and radiation may lead to formation of potentially more toxic intermediates. On the other hand, photo-assisted wastewater treatment methods can be used as an efficient way to eliminate them from the environment. Many methods based on photolysis and photocatalysis were proposed and developed recently; nevertheless, the problem is still unsolved. However, according to recent studies, photocatalysis could be considered as the most promising and far more effective than regular photolysis. An overview on photolytic as well as homogenous and heterogeneous photocatalytic degradation methods with the use of various catalysts is presented. The photostability and phototoxicity of pharmaceuticals were also discussed. Various analytical methods were used for the photodegradation research, and this issue was also compared and summarized. Use of high-resolution multistage mass spectrometry (Q-TOF, ion trap, Orbitrap) was suggested. The combined techniques such as LC-MS, GC-MS, and LC-NMR, which enable qualitative and quantitative analyses in one run, proved to be the most valuable in this case. Assembling of MS/MS spectra libraries of drug molecules and their phototransformation products was identified as the future challenge.

Municipal wastewater affects adipose deposition in male mice and increases 3T3-L1 cell differentiation

Trace concentration of EDs (endocrine disrupting compounds) in water bodies caused by wastewater treatment plant effluents is a recognized problem for the health of aquatic organisms and their potential to affect human health. In this paper we show that continuous exposure of male mice from early development to the adult life (140 days) to unrestricted drinking of wastewater collected from a municipal sewage treatment plant, is associated with an increased adipose deposition and weight gain during adulthood because of altered body homeostasis. In parallel, bisphenol A (BPA) at the administration dose of 5 μg/kg/body weight, shows an increasing effect on total body weight and fat mass. In vitro, a solid phase extract (SPE) of the wastewater (eTW), caused stimulation of 3T3-L1 adipocyte differentiation at dilutions of 0.4 and 1 % in the final culture medium which contained a concentration of BPA of 40 nM and 90 nM respectively. Pure BPA also promoted adipocytes differentiation at the concentration of 50 and 80 μM. BPA effect in 3T3-L1 cells was associated to the specific activation of the estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) in undifferentiated cells and the estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) in differentiated cells. BPA also activated the Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor gamma (PPARγ) upregulating a minimal 3XPPARE luciferase reporter and the PPARγ-target promoter of the aP2 gene in adipose cells, while it was not effective in preadipocytes. The pure estrogen receptor agonist diethylstilbestrol (DES) played an opposite action to that of BPA inhibiting PPARγ activity in adipocytes, preventing cell differentiation, activating ERα in preadipocytes and inhibiting ERα and ERβ regulation in adipocytes. The results of this work show that the drinking of chemically-contaminated wastewater promotes fat deposition in male mice and that EDs present in sewage are likely responsible for this effect through a nuclear receptor-mediated mechanism.