title: Phytotoxicity evaluation of five pharmaceutical pollutants detected in surface water on germination and growth of cultivated and spontaneous plants.
abstract: The phytotoxicity of 5 pharmaceuticals detected in Italian rivers, atorvastatin (7-[2-(4-fluorophenyl)-3-phenyl-4-(phenylcarbamoyl)-5-propan-2-yl-pyrrol-1-yl]-3,5-dihydroxy-heptanoic acid), gemfibrozil (5-(2,5-dimethylphenoxy)-2,2-dimethyl-pentanoic acid), tamoxifene (2-[4-(1,2-diphenylbut-1-enyl)phenoxy]-N,N-dimethyl-ethanamine), ethinyl estradiol (17-ethynyl-13-methyl-7,8,9,11, 12,13,14,15,16,17-decahydro-6H-cyclopenta[a]phenanthrene-3,17-diol) and sildenafil (methyl-9-propyl-2,4,7,8-tetrazabicyclo[4.3.0] nona-3,8,10-trien-5-one), has been assessed in a laboratory model. The treatment system consists of three main successive sections. The first one includes the phytotoxic evaluation of the single compounds on crops, Lactuca sativa (lettuce), Dacus carota subsp. sativa (carrot), and Lycopersicon esculentum (tomato), until the 10(-9) M, concentration lower then the environmental amounts. The second section includes the phytotoxicity assessment of all the selected chemicals on wild species, Avena fatua (wild oats), Amaranthus retroflexus (redroot pigweed), Lolium perenne (perennial ryegrass), Taraxacum officinale (common dandelion), and Chenopodium album (lambsquarter), at the same concentration as previously used. The third section of the procedure includes the evaluation of the effects of the five pharmaceuticals, at 1 microM and 1 nM environmental concentrations, on the metabolism of L. sativa. The variation of the composition of the photosynthetic pigments, sugars, lipids, phenols, fatty acids and flavonoids in lettuce seedlings exposed to the pollutants in respect to the blank was evaluated. The results of the phytotoxicity assays showed the possibility of a notable impact on the different vegetal communities and evidenced different sensitivity among cultivated and wild species, probably due to the different plant physiology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Second University of Naples, Caserta, Italy.
authors.forename: Brigida
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: D'Abrosca
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fiorentino
authors.forename: Angelina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Izzo
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cefarelli
authors.forename: Maria Teresa
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Pascarella
authors.forename: Piera
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Uzzo
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Monaco
mesh_terms: D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D018525:Germination / Q000187:drug effects*; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000737:chemistry; D010788:Photosynthesis / Q000187:drug effects; D063245:Plant Development; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D010944:Plants / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D012639:Seeds / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical