Medicines, shaken and stirred: a critical review on the ecotoxicology of pharmaceutical mixtures

Backhaus, Thomas

doi:10.1098/rstb.2013.0585

Cited by 118 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 71 publications

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“…For example, both activity and feeding rate were influenced by antidepressants, psychiatric drugs and antihistamines, but not necessarily in the same direction between, or even within, species. The results become even more difficult to interpret, synthesize, and extrapolate, given that aquatic wildlife living in contaminated environments is exposed to a wide range of pharmaceuticals that could lead to additive or non-additive effects or even neutralize each other's effects [96]. Therefore, besides the use of standardized behavioural endpoints, studies on effects of mixtures of pharmaceuticals are sorely needed, to obtain a better understanding of ecological effects of exposed wildlife.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological effects of pharmaceuticals in aquatic systems—impacts through behavioural alterations

Brodin

Piovano

Fick

et al. 2014

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

409

257

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The study of animal behaviour is important for both ecology and ecotoxicology, yet research in these two fields is currently developing independently. Here, we synthesize the available knowledge on drug-induced behavioural alterations in fish, discuss potential ecological consequences and report results from an experiment in which we quantify both uptake and behavioural impact of a psychiatric drug on a predatory fish ( Perca fluviatilis ) and its invertebrate prey ( Coenagrion hastulatum ). We show that perch became more active while damselfly behaviour was unaffected, illustrating that behavioural effects of pharmaceuticals can differ between species. Furthermore, we demonstrate that prey consumption can be an important exposure route as on average 46% of the pharmaceutical in ingested prey accumulated in the predator. This suggests that investigations of exposure through bioconcentration, where trophic interactions and subsequent bioaccumulation of exposed individuals are ignored, underestimate exposure. Wildlife may therefore be exposed to higher levels of behaviourally altering pharmaceuticals than predictions based on commonly used exposure assays and pharmaceutical concentrations found in environmental monitoring programmes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological effects of pharmaceuticals in aquatic systems—impacts through behavioural alterations

Brodin

Piovano

Fick

et al. 2014

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

409

257

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“…Moreover, pharmaceuticals can break down into numerous metabolites within patients and transformation products in WWTPs and the environment, but their risks remain poorly understood. For most wildlife, exposure to pharmaceuticals in the environment could be long term, potentially occurring via multiple exposure routes (figure 1) and involving mixtures of compounds [20]. Making predictions based on such complex scenarios poses substantial and multi-disciplinary challenges to researchers.…”

Section: Medicating the Environment: Future Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, API binding and potency may be more difficult to gauge, depending on the shape and size of its ligand [8], and the structure and biochemistry of the drug target's ligand-binding domain, as well as the physiological function of the target [7,9]. In this Theme Issue, several papers discuss in more detail the uncertainties associated with risk assessment [20,38,42]. To assess uptake and thus exposure for wildlife, we need to integrate data on the physico-chemical properties and behaviour of pharmaceuticals and their metabolites with existing ecological and life-history data.…”

Section: How Can We Predict Environmental Risk?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…B 369: 20130569 contraindicated for human infants, pregnant and lactating women, or people with certain health conditions, combinations of drugs are also known to have additive or synergistic effects that might exacerbate the likelihood of adverse health outcomes [20]. In the environment, individuals will rarely be exposed to a single compound but a cocktail of pharmaceuticals and other contaminants, which can have interactive effects, as reviewed by Backhaus in this Theme Issue [20]: for example, quinolone antibiotics can cause effects on the central nervous system which are exacerbated by NSAIDs, resulting in seizures in humans [73]. This Theme Issue will review and extend our current understanding of pharmaceuticals as environmental contaminants and highlight the complex, multifaceted approaches required to investigate the ecological and evolutionary impacts of pharmaceuticals in the environment.…”

Section: Pharmaceuticals As Environmental Contaminants Of Concernmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, pharmaceutical effects can act indirectly on populations through the food chain, for example, if a key prey species is negatively affected [13]. Finally, we examine the prospective interactions of pharmaceuticals in environmental mixtures [20] and begin to explore their relative impacts on wildlife compared with the other environmental stressors, both natural and anthropogenic [21].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Medicating the environment: assessing risks of pharmaceuticals to wildlife and ecosystems

Arnold

Brown

Ankley

et al. 2014

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

362

187

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Global pharmaceutical consumption is rising with the growing and ageing human population and more intensive food production. Recent studies have revealed pharmaceutical residues in a wide range of ecosystems and organisms. Environmental concentrations are often low, but pharmaceuticals typically are designed to have biological effects at low doses, acting on physiological systems that can be evolutionarily conserved across taxa. This Theme Issue introduces the latest research investigating the risks of environmentally relevant concentrations of pharmaceuticals to vertebrate wildlife. We take a holistic, global view of environmental exposure to pharmaceuticals encompassing terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems in high- and low-income countries. Based on both field and laboratory data, the evidence for and relevance of changes to physiology and behaviour, in addition to mortality and reproductive effects, are examined in terms of the population- and community-level consequences of pharmaceutical exposure on wildlife. Studies on uptake, trophic transfer and indirect effects of pharmaceuticals acting via food webs are presented. Given the logistical and ethical complexities of research in this area, several papers focus on techniques for prioritizing which compounds are most likely to harm wildlife and how modelling approaches can make predictions about the bioavailability, metabolism and toxicity of pharmaceuticals in non-target species. This Theme Issue aims to help clarify the uncertainties, highlight opportunities and inform ongoing scientific and policy debates on the impacts of pharmaceuticals in the environment.

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17α‐Ethynylestradiol‐induced changes in Brassica rapa during the seedling growth stage

Wijewardana

Gonzales

Vogel

et al. 2022

Agrosystems Geosci & Env

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Estrogens and estrogen-like compounds are considered contaminants of emerging concern due to their endocrine disrupting capability and potential to build up in soil and aquatic environments, although little is known about the effects of estrogenic compounds on plant life. This research aims to understand the effect of the synthetic hormone 17-α ethynylestradiol (EE2) on Brassica rapa L. (field mustard) root and shoot vigor at the seedling stage. Endpoints considered included: plant height; root, shoot, and total dry biomass; number of leaves and inflorescences; leaf carbon and nitrogen; root growth traits (length, surface area, diameter, and volume); and root developmental parameters (tips, forks, and crossings). Tukey's method for multiple comparisons was used to determine the significance of pairwise differences between treatment means for each endpoint. 17-α Ethynylestradiol acted generally as a biostimulant at the concentrations considered (0, 0.5, 1, 5, 10, and 15 μg L −1 ), with the most pronounced differences occurring in seedlings treated with 1 μg L −1 EE2.Although number of leaves and biomass appeared to be inhibited at EE2 concentrations of ≥5 μg L −1 and ≥10 μg L −1 , respectively, all other traits in estrogen-treated plants were similar or improved compared with the control plants. Study results suggest that at certain concentrations, EE2 contributes to more structured root systems, triggering vigorous plant development that may potentially enhance a successful seedling establishment.

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Medicines, shaken and stirred: a critical review on the ecotoxicology of pharmaceutical mixtures

Cited by 118 publications

References 71 publications

Ecological effects of pharmaceuticals in aquatic systems—impacts through behavioural alterations

Ecological effects of pharmaceuticals in aquatic systems—impacts through behavioural alterations

Medicating the environment: assessing risks of pharmaceuticals to wildlife and ecosystems

17α‐Ethynylestradiol‐induced changes in Brassica rapa during the seedling growth stage

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