Quantification of Pharmaceutical Related Biological Activity in Effluents from Wastewater Treatment Plants in UK and Japan

Biological-Activity-Based Prioritization of Antidepressants in Wastewater in England and Japan

Antidepressants are one of the most commonly prescribed pharmaceuticals. Although they have been frequently detected in aquatic environments around the globe, little is known regarding their adverse effects on humans and aquatic organisms. Recently, an in vitro monoamine transporter inhibition assay was developed to detect transporter-inhibitory activities of antidepressants in wastewater in Japan. However, it was unclear which antidepressants were responsible for transporter-inhibitory activities in wastewater. Herein, the per capita consumption of 32 antidepressants, their excretion of unchanged parent compounds, per capita water consumption, removal rate during wastewater treatment processes, and potency values from the monoamine transporter inhibition assay were used to prioritize antidepressants of concern in effluent wastewater in England and Japan. In both countries, sertraline and O-desmethylvenlafaxine had the highest contribution to inhibitory activities against the human serotonin transporter (hSERT) and zebrafish SERT (zSERT), respectively. It was found that the antidepressants inhibited the zSERT more strongly than the hSERT. The inhibitory activities found against the zSERT in wastewater in England and Japan were higher than thresholds for abnormal behavior in fish. The antidepressants prioritized in this study provide insight into launching environmental monitoring and ecotoxicological studies of antidepressants.

Dopamine removal from water by advanced oxidative processes with Fe/N-doped carbon nanotubes

Dopamine (DA) is an important neurotransmitter in the human body, and a subnormal level is associated with some neurological problems, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Its use as medicine has progressively increased, as well as its appearance in water bodies, such as domestic or hospital effluents. Dopamine has been found to produce neurological and cardiac damage to the animals that have consumed water with its content, so the removal of dopamine from water is of utmost importance to ensure water safety. Advanced oxidative processes (AOPs) are one of the most effective technologies to eliminate hazardous and toxic compounds in wastewater. In this work, Fe-based multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were synthesized by aerosol-assisted catalytic chemical vapor deposition to be applied in the AOP of DA. MWCNTs (carbon nanotubes) exhibited high catalytic activity in removing DA with 99% of elimination.By increasing 4 times the initial concentration of DA, the removal percentage of the molecule was lower than the original one, which was attributed to the DA saturation of active sites. Even so, the percentage of degradation was high (76.2%).

Acute Toxicity of a Marine Emerging Pollutant (Promethazine Hydrochloride) on Artemia sp

Recently, there has been a worrying increase in the pollution of the aquatic ecosystem caused by emerging contaminants (ECs) detected in wastewater effluent discharges. Although traces of ECs in waters have been found in low concentrations, it leads to negative effects for nontarget organisms. Antihistamines are a class of drugs largely used, whose metabolites are widespread in the aquatic ecosystem. The aim of the study was to evaluate the short-term effects of promethazine hydrochloride on nauplii of Artemia sp. A high percentage of mortality and morphological alterations were found. The results suggest a possible correlation between exposure to antihistamine and an acceleration of larval development.

Biological Activity-Based Prioritization of Pharmaceuticals in Wastewater for Environmental Monitoring: G Protein-Coupled Receptor Inhibitors

Pharmaceuticals raise concerns for aquatic species owing to their biological activities. It is estimated that nearly 40% of marketed pharmaceuticals target G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Using an in vitro transforming growth factor-α (TGFα) shedding assay, we previously detected antagonistic activities of GPCR-acting pharmaceuticals against angiotensin (AT1), dopamine (D2), acetylcholine (M1), adrenergic family members (β1), and histamine (H1) receptors at up to μg-antagonist-equivalent quantities/L in wastewater in England and Japan. However, which pharmaceuticals were responsible for biological activities in wastewater remained unclear. Here, we used (1) the consumption of GPCR-acting pharmaceuticals, particularly antagonists, as calculated from prescriptions, (2) their urinary excretion, and (3) their potency measured by the TGFα shedding assay to prioritize them for analysis in wastewater in England and Japan. We calculated predicted activities of 48 GPCR-acting pharmaceuticals in influents in England and Japan and identified which were mainly responsible for antagonistic activities in wastewater against each GPCR. Mixtures of pharmaceuticals tested in this study were confirmed to behave additively. The combination of consumption and potency is useful in prioritizing pharmaceuticals for environmental monitoring and toxicity testing.