An article recently published in Science of the Total Environment Journal evaluated the presence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) drugs in river water and their effects on microalgae and cyanobacteria.
In some countries, repositioned drugs have been followed to treat COVID-19 symptoms before a vaccine or remedy is available. In Brazil, the COVID kit included azithromycin (AZI), hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and ivermectin (IVP), among other medications.
Because these drugs are not completely absorbed, they are eliminated in urine and feces. Therefore, increased use of these drugs could endanger the aquatic environment due to their toxic effects on aquatic biota.
These drugs were reported to be provided in aquatic systems in other regions even before the COVID-19 pandemic. The presence of pharmaceutical compounds in aquatic systems can have negative effects.
Side effects of these drugs may come from the action of the parent molecule or its metabolites. Although simultaneous lifestyles of AZI, HCQ and UTI are expected in water bodies, their interactions and hazards are defined.
In the existing study, the researchers tested the grades of IVE, HCQ and AZI in samples from Brazilian rivers and their effect on the growth, oxidative metabolism and photosynthesis of cyanobacteria and microalgae. Water samples were collected from 3 urban rivers (Iguazú, Belém and Barigui) between August and September 2020. A total of nine samples were taken, 3 at each site.
Samples were filtered with fiberglass membranes and concentrated by forged phase extraction, followed by tandem mass spectrometry analysis with liquid chromatography (LC-MS).
The analytical grades AZI, HCQ and IVE were used to generate the calibration curves. It was decided to recover the drug by doping samples with a mixture of 4 μg/L of drug and the limit of quantification (LOQ) was estimated.
Progenitor cultures of Synechococcus elongatus (Cyanobacterium) and Chlorella vulgaris (microalgae) were received and preserved. Sterile culture plates were inoculated with stem cultures corresponding to five x 10five C. vulgaris cells and 1. 3 x 106 S cells. elongatus and were exposed to drugs for 72 hours at varying concentrations (2 μg/L to 200 μg/L).
The cumulative effect of binary or tertiary drug combinations was also assessed at 0 or two μg/L of each drug.
Specific expansion rate (SR), net photosynthetic rates (Pn) and catalase activities were evaluated. The threat quotient determined the environmental threat and the possibility of drugs causing adverse effects.
The researchers detected IVE and AZI in all samples. Only HCQ did not have a one hundred percent detection rate. Mean drug concentrations were higher in samples from the first site (Barigui River). RBCs decreased for S. elongatus with exposure to AZI or HCQ regardless of drug concentrations, while IVE had no effect on RBC.
The GR of C. vulgaris was adversely affected through drugs, regardless of its concentration. The lowest semimaximal effective concentration (EC50) observed for EVI and HCQ for C. vulgaris and S. elongatus, respectively. S. elongatus exposed to HCQ and AZI had a higher RBC than individual exposure to the drug.
Similarly, exposure to HCQ and EV resulted in a higher amount of RBC than individual treatment. However, the RBC was lower when those cells were exposed to all 3 drugs. There was a significant drop in Pn for S. Elongatus for all treatments.
Cells treated with AZI and HCQ had a lower Pn than those exposed to AZI alone. In addition, Pn decreased in cells treated with HCQ or all 3 drugs.
S. elongatus with combined exposure to HCQ and AZI or IVE and HCQ had a higher catalase activity than those exposed to individual drugs. Similarly, catalase activity was higher in cells treated with all 3 drugs than in those treated with HCQ or EVI alone.
For C. vulgaris, red blood cells are higher for all drug combinations than for individual drugs, and Pn is negatively affected in all treatments.
C. vulgaris cells had a lower Pn with the combined cure of EVI and HCQ than those treated with EVI alone. Pn vulgaris decreased when exposed to all 3 drugs compared to combined IVE and AZI cure or IVE exposure alone. Higher catalase activities were observed for all combinations of remedies.
In summary, the researchers demonstrated the presence of three used for COVID-19 in Brazilian urban rivers. Cyanobacteria were more sensitive than microalgae.
Exposure to EVI had a significant effect on photosynthesis for either species. For Cyanobacterium, additive effects of EVI and AZI and antagonistic effects of HCQ and AZI or EVI and HCQ were observed.
The drug combinations did not affect the expansion of microalgae in photosynthesis. Overall, the findings raise considerations about the effect of indiscriminate drug use on the ecosystem and the need for long-term studies to evaluate in the long term. Forward risk.
Marques, R. et al. (2023) “COVID-19 pharmaceuticals in aquatic matrices: threatening effects on cyanobacteria and microalgae”, Science of The Total Environment, 892, p. 164309. doi: 10. 1016/j. scitotenv. 2023. 164309. https://www. sciencedirect. com/science/article/pii/S0048969723029303
Written by
Tarun was founded in Hyderabad, India. He holds a master’s degree in Biotechnology from the University of Hyderabad and is passionate about clinical studies. She enjoys reading study articles and literature reviews and is passionate about writing.
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