generating products that are more toxic than the original molecule. Several studies
have shown that NSAIDs are not eliminated in conventional treatments used by
wastewater treatment plants and represent a continuous contribution to the environment, causing significant effects on biota. However, there has been little attention
given to the study of its toxic effects on aquatic organisms. The objective of this
chapter is to review, compile, and analyze the oxidative damage induced by NSAIDs
in different aquatic organisms, to evaluate the ecotoxicological effects of this type of
drugs.
Keywords Aquatic species, Drugs, Toxic effects
1 Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are drugs commonly used to treat
pain, inflammation, and fever and occupy the first position among the most widely
used drugs worldwide [1, 2]. These drugs are available in a variety of doses and
formulations making them more accessible to the population. These include acetaminophen, acetylsalicylic acid, diclofenac, ibuprofen, ketorolac, and naproxen,
among others. Its mechanism of action consists in the inhibition of cyclooxygenase,
COX-1 and COX-2 isoforms, involved in the synthesis of different prostaglandins
from arachidonic acid [3, 4].
Once they have fulfilled the purpose for which they were designed, these drugs
are discharged and can reach the bodies of water through municipal, hospital, and
industrial effluents, where transformation products that are formed are molecules
that form in the environment as a result of abiotic processes such as photolysis and
hydrolysis and which may be more toxic than the original drug. The presence of
drugs in the environment is a function of multiple variables, among which the
quantity manufactured, dose, and frequency of elimination are highlighted, as well
as the effectiveness of wastewater treatment plants for their removal [5].
Pharmaceuticals are designed to persist in the environment and have a long halflife; they can accumulate by continuous releases to the environment. NSAIDs have
been detected worldwide in the aquatic environment at concentrations of ng L
À1 to
μg L
À1 [6], and these concentrations have been shown to have a toxic effect on
aquatic and terrestrial organisms at different trophic levels and consequently generate damage to the ecosystem [1].
106
N. SanJuan-Reyes et al.
have shown that NSAIDs are not eliminated in conventional treatments used by
wastewater treatment plants and represent a continuous contribution to the environment, causing significant effects on biota. However, there has been little attention
given to the study of its toxic effects on aquatic organisms. The objective of this
chapter is to review, compile, and analyze the oxidative damage induced by NSAIDs
in different aquatic organisms, to evaluate the ecotoxicological effects of this type of
drugs.
Keywords Aquatic species, Drugs, Toxic effects
1 Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are drugs commonly used to treat
pain, inflammation, and fever and occupy the first position among the most widely
used drugs worldwide [1, 2]. These drugs are available in a variety of doses and
formulations making them more accessible to the population. These include acetaminophen, acetylsalicylic acid, diclofenac, ibuprofen, ketorolac, and naproxen,
among others. Its mechanism of action consists in the inhibition of cyclooxygenase,
COX-1 and COX-2 isoforms, involved in the synthesis of different prostaglandins
from arachidonic acid [3, 4].
Once they have fulfilled the purpose for which they were designed, these drugs
are discharged and can reach the bodies of water through municipal, hospital, and
industrial effluents, where transformation products that are formed are molecules
that form in the environment as a result of abiotic processes such as photolysis and
hydrolysis and which may be more toxic than the original drug. The presence of
drugs in the environment is a function of multiple variables, among which the
quantity manufactured, dose, and frequency of elimination are highlighted, as well
as the effectiveness of wastewater treatment plants for their removal [5].
Pharmaceuticals are designed to persist in the environment and have a long halflife; they can accumulate by continuous releases to the environment. NSAIDs have
been detected worldwide in the aquatic environment at concentrations of ng L
À1 to
μg L
À1 [6], and these concentrations have been shown to have a toxic effect on
aquatic and terrestrial organisms at different trophic levels and consequently generate damage to the ecosystem [1].
106
N. SanJuan-Reyes et al.