Bioaccumulation of abacavir and efavirenz in Rhinella arenarum tadpoles after exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) 2022-08, Vol.301, p.134631-134631, Article 134631
• Main Authors: Fernández, Lesly Paradina, Brasca, Romina, Repetti, Maria Rosa, Attademo, Andrés M., Peltzer, Paola M., Lajmanovich, Rafael C., Culzoni, María J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antiretrovirals; Bioaccumulation; Emerging contaminants; UHPLC-MS/MS
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.134631

Antiretrovirals are pharmaceuticals used in the treatment of the human immunodeficiency virus; they are contaminants of emerging concern that have received considerable attention in recent decades due to their potential negative environmental effects. Data on the bioaccumulation and possible environmental risks posed by these drugs to aquatic organisms are very scarce. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the bioaccumulation of abacavir and efavirenz in Rhinella arenarum tadpoles subjected to acute static toxicity tests (96 h) at environmentally relevant concentrations. The analytical procedure consisted of the development and optimization of a method involving ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry detection. The instrumental conditions, optimized by design of experiments using the response surface methodology, yielded limits of detection of 0.3 μg L−1 for abacavir and 0.9 μg L−1 for efavirenz; and limits of quantification of 1.9 μg L−1 for abacavir and 5.6 μg L−1 for efavirenz. Subsequently, the bioaccumulation of the pharmaceutical drugs in tadpoles was evaluated at three exposure concentrations. Efavirenz displayed the highest bioaccumulation levels. This study shows the bioaccumulation potential of abacavir and efavirenz in amphibian tadpoles at exposure concentrations similar to those already detected in the environment, indicating an ecological risk for R. arenarum and probably other aquatic organisms exposed to these drugs in water bodies. [Display omitted] •Assessment of bioaccumulation of the antiretrovirals abacavir and efavirenz on Rhinella arenarum tadpoles.•Development of acute static toxicity tests (96 h) at concentration levels expected to be found in the environment.•Development and optimization of a method involving UHPLC-MS/MS.•Optimization of the MS detection to reach high sensitivity by Design of Experiments.