Ecotoxicological evaluation of carbamazepine using six different model systems with eighteen endpoints

• Published in: Toxicology in vitro 2003-10, Vol.17 (5), p.525-532
• Main Authors: Jos, A, Repetto, G, Rios, J.C, Hazen, M.J, Molero, M.L, del Peso, A, Salguero, M, Fernández-Freire, P, Pérez-Martı́n, J.M, Cameán, A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Allium cepa; Alternatives; Animal Use Alternatives; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Anticonvulsants - toxicity; Applied ecology; Battery; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers - analysis; Carbamazepine; Carbamazepine - toxicity; Cell Line; Cercopithecus aethiops; Chlorella - drug effects; Chlorella - growth & development; Chlorella vulgaris; Contamination; Cytotoxicity; Daphnia - drug effects; Daphnia - physiology; Daphnia magna; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Ecosystem; Ecotoxicology; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Endpoint Determination - methods; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Micronuclei, Chromosome-Defective - drug effects; Oncorhynchus mykiss; Onions - drug effects; Onions - genetics; Techniques; Toxicity Tests - methods; Vero Cells; Vibrio - drug effects; Vibrio - physiology; Vibrio fischeri; Water Pollutants, Chemical - toxicity
• ISSN: 0887-2333; 1879-3177
• DOI: 10.1016/S0887-2333(03)00119-X

The occurrence of pharmaceutically active compounds in the aquatic environment has been recognized as one of the emerging issues in environmental chemistry. However, the ecotoxicological effects of pharmaceuticals have still not been researched adequately. Carbamazepine, an anticonvulsant commonly present in surface and groundwater, was studied, using six ecotoxicological model systems with eighteen endpoints evaluated at different exposure time periods. The battery included the immobilization of Daphnia magna, bioluminescence inhibition in the bacterium Vibrio fischeri, growth inhibition of the alga Chlorella vulgaris, and micronuclei induction and root growth inhibition in the plant Allium cepa. Cell morphology, neutral red uptake, total protein content, MTS metabolization, lactate dehydrogenase leakage and activity and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity were studied in the salmonid fish cell line RTG-2. The total protein content, LDH activity, neutral red uptake and MTT metabolization in Vero monkey kidney cells were also investigated. The most sensitive system to carbamazepine was the Vero cell line, followed by Chlorella vulgaris, Vibrio fischeri, Daphnia magna, Allium cepa, and RTG-2 cells. EC 50 values from 19 μ m in Vero cells at 72 h to more than 1200 μ m in other systems, were obtained. Comparing the concentrations in water and the toxicity quantified in our assay systems, carbamazepine is not expected to produce acute toxic effects in the aquatic biota under these circumstances, but chronic and synergistic effects with other chemicals cannot be excluded.