Metabolic fate of [14C]-2,4-dichlorophenol in macrophytes

From phenols to quinones: Thermodynamics of radical scavenging activity of para-substituted phenols

Radical scavenging activity and subsequent oxidation resulting in quinone products represent one of the important features of phenols occurring in plants and other biological systems. However, corresponding thermochemistry data can be still considered scarce. For phenol and 25 para-substituted phenols, we investigate the thermodynamics of the individual reaction steps, including three subsequent hydrogen atom transfers, as well as hydroxyl HO radical addition, leading to final ortho-quinone formation. The substituent and solvent effect of water on corresponding reactions enthalpies is elucidated. Solvent enhances substituent induced changes in the investigated reaction enthalpies. The reliability of employed computational methods for the thermodynamics of hydrogen atom donating ability of studied phenols and catechols is assessed, too. Obtained linear equations enable estimation of studied reaction enthalpies from Hammett constants of substituents.

Glycosylation of Tetrabromobisphenol A in Pumpkin

Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) is the most widely used brominated flame retardant (BFR), and it bioaccumulates throughout the food chains. Its fate in the first trophic level, plants, is of special interest. In this study, a four-day hydroponic exposure of TBBPA at a concentration of 1 μmol L^-1 to pumpkin seedlings was conducted. A nontarget screening method for hydrophilic bromine-containing metabolites was modified, based on both typical isotope patterns of bromine and mass defect, and used to process mass spectra data. A total of 20 glycosylation and malonyl glycosylation metabolites were found for TBBPA in the pumpkin plants. Representative glycosyl TBBPA reference standards were synthesized to evaluate the contribution of this glycosylation process. Approximately 86% of parent TBBPA was metabolized to form those 20 glycosyl TBBPAs, showing that glycosylation was the most dominant metabolism pathway for TBBPA in pumpkin at the tested exposure concentration.

Plant Uptake and Metabolism of 2,4-Dibromophenol in Carrot: In Vitro Enzymatic Direct Conjugation

Plants can extensively uptake organic contaminants from soil and subsequently transform them into various products. Those compounds containing hydroxyl may undergo direct conjugation with endogenous biomolecules in plants, and potentially be preserved as conjugates, thus enabling overlooked risk via consumptions of food crops. In this study, we evaluated the uptake and metabolism of 2,4-dibromophenol (DBP) by both carrot cells and whole plant. DBP was completely removed from cell cultures with a half-life of 10.8 h. Four saccharide conjugates, three amino acid conjugates, and one phase I metabolite were identified via ultraperformance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry analysis. The dibromophenol glucopyranoside (glucose conjugate) was quantitated by synthesized standard and accounted for 9.3% of the initial spiked DBP at the end of incubation. The activity of glycosyltransferase was positively related to the production of 2,4-dibromophenol glucopyranoside ( p = 0.02, R² = 0.86), implying the role of enzymatic catalysis involved in phase II metabolism.

Removal and metabolism of triclosan by three different microalgal species in aquatic environment

Triclosan, an antimicrobial additive widely used in personal care products, has caused the contamination of various aquatic environment. Biodegradation was proved to play a vital role in the treatment of triclosan in wastewater. However, there is limited information about the metabolic pathway. In this study, three common freshwater microalgae including Chlorella pyrenoidosa (C. pyrenoidosa), Desmodesmus sp., and Scenedesmus obliquus (S. obliquus) were applied to remove and biodegrade triclosan in aqueous culture medium. High removal rate up to 99.7% was observed during the treatment of 400μgL^-1 triclosan by the three microalgae for 1day. The removal of triclosan attributed to cellular uptake by C. pyrenoidosa, and biotransformation by Desmodesmus sp. and S. obliquus. Simultaneously, triclosan metabolites resulted from hydroxylation, reductive dechlorination, or ether bond cleavage and their conjugates produced through glucosylation and/or methylation were detected in the biodegradation samples. Metabolic pathway of triclosan by algae were firstly proposed in this work, shedding light on the environmental fate of triclosan.

Typha latifolia as potential phytoremediator of 2,4-dichlorophenol: Analysis of tolerance, uptake and possible transformation processes

2,4-Dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) is considered a priority pollutant due to its high toxicity. Therefore, it is urgent to develop technologies for the disposal of this pollutant. Various remediation processes have been proposed for the elimination of 2,4-DCP in contaminated water, however, most of them involve high costs of operation and maintenance. This study aimed to determine the capacity of remediation of 2,4-DCP in water by Typha latifolia L. wild plants. For that, the tolerance, removal, accumulation and biotransformation of 2,4-DCP by T. latifolia were investigated. The plants were exposed to 2,4-DCP solutions with a concentration range from 1.5 to 300 mgL^-1 for 10 days. They exhibited a reduction in chlorophyll levels and growth rate when 2,4-DCP solutions were ≥30 mgL^-1 and ≥50 mgL^-1, respectively. The removal of contaminant was dose-depended, being 99.7% at 1.5-3 mgL^-1, 59-70% at 10-70 mgL^-1 and 35-42% at 100-300 mgL^-1 of 2,4-DCP in the solution. Studies indicated that 2,4-DCP was mainly accumulated in root tissue rather than in shoot tissue. Acid hydrolysis of biomass extracts suggests 2,4-DCP bioconjugates formation in root tissue as a response mechanism. Additionally, an increment in glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity could indicate a 2,4-DCP conjugation with glutathione as a detoxification mechanism of T. latifolia.

Metabolization of the bacteriostatic agent triclosan in edible plants and its consequences for plant uptake assessment

Persistent environmental contaminants may enter agricultural fields via the application of sewage sludge, by irrigation with treated municipal wastewater or by manuring. It has been shown that such contaminants can be incorporated into crop plants. The metabolism of the bacteriostatic agents triclocarban, triclosan, and its transformation product methyl triclosan was investigated after their uptake into carrot cell cultures. A fast metabolization of triclosan was observed and eight so far unknown phase II metabolites, conjugates with saccharides, disaccharides, malonic acid, and sulfate, were identified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Triclocarban and methyl triclosan lack a phenolic group and remained unaltered in the cell cultures. Phase I metabolization was not observed for any of the compounds. All eight triclosan conjugates identified in the cell cultures were also detected in extracts of intact carrot plants cultivated on triclosan contaminated soils. Their total amount in the plants was assessed to exceed the amount of the triclosan itself by a factor of 5. This study shows that a disregard of conjugates in studies on plant uptake of environmental contaminants may severely underestimates the extent of uptake into plants and, eventually, the potential human exposure to contaminants via food of plant origin.

Assessing the metabolic potential of phototrophic communities in surface water environments: fludioxonil as a model compound

Differences are often apparent in the observed rates of degradation between laboratory water-sediment studies and outdoor studies in surface water environments. Indeed, previous work has shown that including phototrophic communities in laboratory systems can result in the enhancement of degradation, when compared against systems that exclude phototrophs, incubated in darkness. In phototroph-inclusive systems, a range of metabolic processes and community effects are absent in the standard laboratory systems: metabolism by macrophytes, algae, and periphyton, as well as enhancement of bacterial and fungal communities by macrophyte root structures, algal biofilms, and planktonic algae. Here, the authors demonstrate the metabolic capability of algae and macrophytes in isolation from bacterial and fungal communities. The authors have isolated subcommunities and individual species from complex, phototroph-inclusive test systems, and demonstrated significant degradation of the fungicide fludioxonil in their presence. They have also shown the intrinsic metabolic competence of Elodea canadensis as well as algae from three phyla (Chlorophyta, Cyanophyta, and Bacillariophyta [diatoms]), demonstrating that phototrophic communities have the potential to play a direct role in metabolism in surface water environments. Thus, it seems that current laboratory test systems are failing to consider the role of active, competent organisms that are likely to be involved in the degradation of crop protection products in surface water environments.

Removal capacity and pathways of phenolic endocrine disruptors in an estuarine wetland of natural reed bed

Phenolic compounds are partly known as endocrine disruptors with various harmful effects including feminization and carcinogenesis at very low concentrations. Consequently, the pathways and removal of these compounds in natural and artificial sewage treatment systems such as wetlands have received wide concern. In this paper, a natural reed bed wetland with an area of 695ha located in the Liaohe River estuary in Northeast China was employed as a demonstration site to study the retention and removal efficiency of phenolic compounds including 4-nonylphenol (4-NP), bisphenol A (BPA), 4-t-octylphenol (4-t-OP), and 2,4-dichlorophenol (DCP), and to evaluate their purification capacity via water and mass balance analyses during an irrigation period from May 9 to September 8, 2009. The results showed that the phenolic compounds could be retained in the wetland system and removed through various processes. On average, 27.5% of phenolic compounds could be retained by the wetland substrate during the initial three-day irrigation period with a retention capacity order of 4-t-OP>4-NP>BPA>DCP. During the following 120d irrigation period, the phenolic compounds could be efficiently removed with an average percentage of 91.6%. It is estimated that 1.76kgd(-1) of phenolic compounds could be removed by the Liaohe River estuarine wetland (∼8×10(4)ha). The reed bed wetland system therefore provides a feasible mitigation option for phenolic pollutants in sewage and wastewater.

Assessing the potential for algae and macrophytes to degrade crop protection products in aquatic ecosystems

Rates of pesticide degradation in aquatic ecosystems often differ between those observed within laboratory studies and field trials. Under field conditions, a number of additional processes may well have a significant role, yet are excluded from standard laboratory studies, for example, metabolism by aquatic plants, phytoplankton, and periphyton. These constituents of natural aquatic ecosystems have been shown to be capable of metabolizing a range of crop protection products. Here we report the rate of degradation of six crop protection products assessed in parallel in three systems, under reproducible, defined laboratory conditions, designed to compare aquatic sediment systems which exclude macrophytes and algae against those in which macrophytes and/or algae are included. All three systems remained as close as possible to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 308 guidelines, assessing degradation of parent compound in the total system in mass balanced studies using ((14) C) labeled compounds. We observed, in all cases where estimated, significant increases in the rate of degradation in both the algae and macrophyte systems when compared to the standard systems. By assessing total system degradation within closed, mass balanced studies, we have shown that rates of degradation are enhanced in water/sediment systems that include macrophytes and algae. The contribution of these communities should therefore be considered if the aquatic fate of pesticides is to be fully understood.

Assessment of plant-driven removal of emerging organic pollutants by duckweed

Constructed treatment wetlands have the potential to reclaim wastewaters through removal of trace concentrations of emerging organic pollutants, including pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and pesticides. Flask-scale assessments incorporating active and inactivated duckweed were used to screen for plant-associated removal of emerging organic pollutants in aquatic plant systems. Removals of four of eight pollutants, specifically atrazine, meta-N,N-diethyl toluamide (DEET), picloram, and clofibric acid, were negligible in all experimental systems, while duckweed actively increased aqueous depletion of fluoxetine, ibuprofen, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, and triclosan. Active plant processes affecting depletion of experimental pollutants included enhancement of microbial degradation of ibuprofen, uptake of fluoxetine, and uptake of degradation products of triclosan and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. Passive plant processes, particularly sorption, also contributed to aqueous depletion of fluoxetine and triclosan. Overall, studies demonstrated that aquatic plants contribute directly and indirectly to the aqueous depletion of emerging organic pollutants in wetland systems through both active and passive processes.

Transformation of (14)C-pyrimidynyloxybenzoic herbicide ZJ0273 in aerobic soils

A soil metabolism study of propyl 4-(2-(4,6-dimethoxypyrimidin-2-yloxy)benzylamino)benzoate (ZJ0273), a novel broad-spectrum herbicide, was carried out using (14)C labeled on two different rings, i.e., [pyrimidine-4,6-(14)C] ZJ0273 and [benzyl-U-(14)C] ZJ0273. Ultralow liquid scintillation counting and LC-MS/MS were used to identify the degradation intermediates and quantify their dynamics in aerobic soils. Four aromatic intermediates, 4-(2-(4,6-dimethoxypyrimidin-2-yloxy)benzylamino)benzoic acid (M1), 4-(2-(4,6-dimethoxypyrimidin-2-yloxy)benzamido)benzoic acid (M2), 2-(4,6-dimethoxypyrimidin-2-yloxy)benzoic acid (M3), and 4,6-dimethoxypyrimidin-2-ol (M4), were identified and their identity was further confirmed against authentic standards. Analysis of metabolites suggested two degradation pathways: (1) Upon loss of the propyl group, M1 was produced via hydrolysis of propyl 4-(2-(4,6-dimethoxypyrimidin-2-yloxy)benzylamino)benzoate after which the C-N bond between rings A and B was cleaved by oxidation and biochemical degradation to yield M3, which was further converted into M4 and finally mineralized to CO(2); and (2) the first step was the same as in pathway 1, but M1 first underwent a carbonylation to form M2. The C-N bond between rings A and B of M2 was cleaved by hydrolysis to yield M3. Dynamic changes in the four metabolites in aerobic soils were also investigated by HPLC coupled analysis of radioactivity of isolated peaks. After a 100-day incubation, 1.7-9.7% of applied (14)C was found as M1, 0.3-1.1% as M2, 14.5-20.9% as M3, and 3.7-6.7% as M4 in the soils, and pH appeared to be the most influential soil property affecting the formation and dissipation of these metabolites.

Bioconcentration, bioaccumulation, and metabolism of pesticides in aquatic organisms

The ecotoxicological assessment of pesticide effects in the aquatic environment should normally be based on a deep knowledge of not only the concentration of pesticides and metabolites found but also on the influence of key abiotic and biotic processes that effect rates of dissipation. Although the bioconcentration and bioaccumulation potentials of pesticides in aquatic organisms are conveniently estimated from their hydrophobicity (represented by log K(ow), it is still indispensable to factor in the effects of key abiotic and biotic processes on such pesticides to gain a more precise understanding of how they may have in the natural environment. Relying only on pesticide hydrophobicity may produce an erroneous environmental impact assessment. Several factors affect rates of pesticide dissipation and accumulation in the aquatic environment. Such factors include the amount and type of sediment present in the water and type of diet available to water-dwelling organisms. The particular physiological behavior profiles of aquatic organisms in water, such as capacity for uptake, metabolism, and elimination, are also compelling factors, as is the chemistry of the water. When evaluating pesticide uptake and bioconcentration processes, it is important to know the amount and nature of bottom sediments present and the propensity that the stuffed aquatic organisms have to absorb and process xenobiotics. Extremely hydrophobic pesticides such as the organochlorines and pyrethroids are susceptible to adsorb strongly to dissolved organic matter associated with bottom sediment. Such absorption reduces the bioavailable fraction of pesticide dissolved in the water column and reduces the probable ecotoxicological impact on aquatic organisms living the water. In contrast, sediment dweller may suffer from higher levels of direct exposure to a pesticide, unless it is rapidly degraded in sediment. Metabolism is important to bioconcentration and bioaccumulation processes, as is detoxification and bioactivation. Hydrophobic pesticides that are expected to be highly stored in tissues would not be bioconcentrated if susceptible to biotic transformation by aquatic organisms to more rapidly metabolized to hydrophilic entities are generally less toxic. By analogy, pesticides that are metabolized to similar entities by aquatic species surely are les ecotoxicologically significant. One feature of fish and other aquatic species that makes them more relevant as targets of environmental studies and of regulation is that they may not only become contaminated by pesticides or other chemicals, but that they constitute and important part of the human diet. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the enzymes that are capable of metabolizing or otherwise assisting in the removal of xenobiotics from aquatic species. Many studies have been performed on the enzymes that are responsible for metabolizing xenobiotics. In addition to the use of conventional biochemical methods, such studies on enzymes are increasingly being conducted using immunochemical methods and amino acid or gene sequences analysis. Such studies have been performed in algae, in some aquatic macrophytes, and in bivalva, but less information is available for other aquatic species such as crustacea, annelids, aquatic insecta, and other species. Although their catabolizing activity is often lower than in mammals, oxidases, especially cytochrome P450 enzymes, play a central role in transforming pesticides in aquatic organisms. Primary metabolites, formed from such initial enzymatic action, are further conjugated with natural components such as carbohydrates, and this aids removal form the organisms. The pesticides that are susceptible to abiotic hydrolysis are generally also biotically degraded by various esterases to from hydrophilic conjugates. Reductive transformation is the main metabolic pathway for organochlorine pesticides, but less information on reductive enzymology processes is available. The information on aquatic species, other than fish, that pertains to bioconcentration factors, metabolism, and elimination is rather limited in the literature. The kinds of basic information that is unavailable but is needed on important aquatic species includes biochemistry, physiology, position in food web, habitat, life cycle, etc. such information is very important to obtaining improved ecotoxicology risk assessments for many pesticides and other chemicals. More research attention on the behavior of pesticides in, and affect on many standard aquatic test species (e.g., daphnids, chironomids, oligochaetes and some bivalves) would particularly be welcome. In addition to improving ecotoxicology risk assessments on target species, such information would also assist in better delineating affects on species at higher trophic levels that are predaceous on the target species. There is also need for designing and employing more realistic approaches to measure bioconcentration and bioaccumulation, and ecotoxicology effects of pesticides in natural environment. The currently employed steady-state laboratory exposure studies are insufficient to deal with the complexity of parameters that control the contrasts to the abiotic processes of pesticide investigated under the strictly controlled conditions, each process is significantly affected in the natural environment not only by the site-specific chemistry of water and sediment but also by climate. From this viewpoint, ecotoxicological assessment should be conducted, together with the detailed analyses of abiotic processes, when higher-tier mesocosm studies are performed. Moreover, in-depth investigation is needed to better understand the relationship between pesticide residues in organisms and associated ecotoxicological endpoints. The usual exposure assessment is based on apparent (nominal) concentrations fo pesticides, and the residues of pesticides or their metabolites in the organisms are not considered in to the context of ecotoxicological endpoints. Therefore, more metabolic and tissue distribution information for terminal pesticide residues is needed for aquatic species both in laboratory settings and in higher-tier (microcosm, mesocosm) studies.

Metabolic fate of [14C] chlorophenols in radish (Raphanus sativus), lettuce (Lactuca sativa), and spinach (Spinacia oleracea)

Chlorophenols are potentially harmful pollutants that are found in numerous natural and agricultural systems. Plants are a sink for xenobiotics, which occur either intentionally or not, as they are unable to eliminate them although they generally metabolize them into less toxic compounds. The metabolic fate of [ (14)C] 4-chlorophenol (4-CP), [ (14)C] 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP), and [ (14)C] 2,4,5-trichlorophenol (2,4,5-TCP) was investigated in lettuce, spinach, and radish to locate putative toxic metabolites that could become bioavailable to food chains. Radish plants were grown on sand for four weeks before roots were dipped in a solution of radiolabeled chlorophenol. The leaves of six-week old lettuce and spinach were treated. Three weeks after treatments, metabolites from edible plant parts were extracted and analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and characterized by mass spectrometry (MS), and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). Characterization of compounds highlighted the presence of complex glycosides. Upon hydrolysis in the digestive tract of animals or humans, these conjugates could return to the toxic parent compound, and this should be kept in mind for registration studies.

Metabolic fate of [(14)C]-2,4-dichlorophenol in tobacco cell suspension cultures

In plant tissues, xenobiotics often are conjugated with natural constituents such as sugars, amino acids, glutathione, and malonic acid. Usually, conjugation processes result in a decrease in the reactivity and toxicity of xenobiotics by increasing the water solubility and polarity of conjugates, and reducing their mobility. Due to their lack of an efficient excretory system, xenobiotic conjugates finally are sequestered in plant storage compartments or cell vacuoles, or are integrated as bound residues in cell walls. Chlorophenols are potentially harmful pollutants that are found in numerous natural and agricultural systems. We studied the metabolic fate of 2,4-dichlorophenol (DCP) in cell-suspension cultures of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.). After a standard metabolism experiment, 48 h of incubation with a [U-phenyl-(14)C]-DCP solution, aqueous extracts of cell suspension cultures were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Metabolites then were isolated and their chemical structures determined by enzymatic and chemical hydrolyses, electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry in negative mode (ESI-NI), and (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance analyses. The main terminal metabolites identified were DCP-glycoside conjugates, DCP-(6-O-malonyl)-glucoside, DCP-(6-O-acetyl)-glucoside, and their precursor, DCP-glucoside. More unusual and complex DCP conjugates such as an alpha(1-->6)-glucosyl-pentose and a triglycoside containing a glucuronic acid were further characterized. All the metabolites identified were complex glycoside conjugates. However, these conjugates still may be a source of DCP in hydrolysis reactions caused by microorganisms in the environment or in the digestive tract of animals and humans. Removal of xenobiotics by glycoside conjugation thus may result in underestimation of the risk associated with toxic compounds like DCP in the environment or in the food chain.

Sequestration of a fluorinated analog of 2,4-dichlorophenol and metabolic products by L. minor as evidenced by 19F NMR

Fate of halogenated phenols in plants was investigated using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to identify and quantify contaminants and their metabolites. Metabolites of 4-chloro-2-fluorophenol (4-Cl-2-FP), as well as the parent compound, were detected in acetonitrile extracts using 19F NMR after various exposure periods. Several fluorinated metabolites with chemical shifts approximately 3.5 ppm from the parent compound were present in plant extracts. Metabolites isolated in extracts were tentatively identified as fluorinated-chlorophenol conjugates through examination of signal-splitting patterns and relative chemical shifts. Signal intensity was used to quantify contaminant and metabolite accumulation within plant tissues. The quantity of 4-Cl-2-F metabolites increased with time and mass balance closures of 90-110% were achieved. In addition, solid phase 19F NMR was used to identify 4-Cl-2-FP which was chemically bound to plant material. This work used 19F NMR for developing a time series description of contaminant accumulation and transformation in aquatic plant systems.

Activity of Desulfitobacterium sp. strain Viet1 demonstrates bioavailability of 2,4-dichlorophenol previously sequestered by the aquatic plant Lemna minor

Aquatic plants take up and sequester organic contaminants such as chlorophenols through incorporation in cell wall materials and storage in vacuoles. The ultimate fate of plant-sequestered chlorophenols, however, remains unclear. This research investigated 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) sequestration by the aquatic plant Lemna minor and evaluated contaminant release and bioavailability after plant death and cellular disruption. 14C-labeled 2,4-DCP was used to establish that contaminant removed from the aqueous phase was retained internal to L. minor. An assay with Desulfitobacterium sp. strain Viet1 was used to assess the readily bioavailable fraction of plant-sequestered 2,4-DCP and plant metabolites of 2,4-DCP. In plant-free systems, strain Viet1 dechlorinated 2,4-DCP to stoichiometric amounts of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) as a stable and quantifiable end product. Anaerobic microcosms containing inactivated L. minor, which had accumulated 3.8 micromol of 2,4-DCP equivalents/g of plant material (fresh weight) during a preceding aerobic exposure, were inoculated with strain Viet1. After 118 d of incubation with strain Viet1, 43.5% (+/-1.4%) of the contaminant was recovered as 4-CP, indicating a large portion of plant-sequestered 2,4-DCP was bioavailable for dechlorination by strain Viet1. In contrast, 4-CP formation was not observed in autoclaved microcosms, and only 26.1% (+/-1.0%) of plant-sequestered 2,4-DCP was recovered in the aqueous phase. These findings demonstrate contaminant cycling between plants and microorganisms, and emphasize that understanding the mechanisms and pathways of contaminant sequestration by plants is critical for predicting long-term contaminant fate.