analysis of other environmentally relevant analytes such as pesticide residues.
Although a range of metabolites formed in plants upon uptake of xenobiotics from
the environment has already been identified according to the highest standards (level
1 of the scheme presented by Schymanski [68]), more standard substances should
also be available for phase II metabolites, thereby allowing to move from tentative
formulas and structures to unambiguously identified ones. Standards are also
required for quantitative analysis, when following traditional workflows in HPLCESI-MS. Here new approaches allowing the standard-free quantification in HPLCESI-MS might be an alternative worth considering [70]. For a more comprehensive
understanding of metabolism pathways in plants, improved knowledge about the
exact location of metabolites within the plant is of utmost concern. Besides a move
toward more miniaturized methods for sampling (i.e., analyzing smaller and smaller
plant parts), the use of imaging techniques as demonstrated by Villette et al. might be
the way to go [67].
Finally despite the fact that a range of pharmaceuticals has already been investigated with respect to their metabolization in plants, there is still a lot of work left for
the future with important classes of pharmaceuticals still missing completely.
Acknowledgment Part of this work was supported by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) project
I-3046 (Pharmaceuticals in the Environment and their Interaction with Plants).
References
1. aus der Beek T, Weber FA, Bergmann A, Hickmann S, Ebert I, Hein A, Küster A (2016)
Pharmaceuticals in the environment – global occurrences and perspectives. Environ Toxicol
Chem 35:823–835
2. Pérez-Fernández V, Mainero Rocca L, Tomai P, Fanali S, Gentili A (2017) Recent advancements and future trends in environmental analysis: sample preparation, liquid chromatography
and mass spectrometry. Anal Chim Acta 983:9–41
3. Wilkinson JL, Boxall ABA, Kolpin DW (2019) A novel method to characterise levels of
pharmaceutical pollution in large-scale aquatic monitoring campaigns. Appl Sci 9:1368
4. Tran NH, Gin KY (2017) Occurrence and removal of pharmaceuticals, hormones, personal care
products, and endocrine disrupters in a full-scale water reclamation plant. Sci Total Environ
599-600:1503–1516
5. Ek M, Baresel C, Magnér J, Bergström R, Harding M (2014) Activated carbon for the removal
of pharmaceutical residues from treated wastewater. Water Sci Technol 69:2372–2380
6. Baresel C, Malmborg J, Ek M, Sehlén R (2016) Removal of pharmaceutical residues using
ozonation as intermediate process step at Linköping WWTP, Sweden. Water Sci Technol
73:2017–2024
7. Välitalo P, Kruglova A, Mikola A, Vahala R (2017) Toxicological impacts of antibiotics on
aquatic micro-organisms: a mini-review. Int J Hyg Environ Health 220:558–569
8. Kümmerer K (2016) Presence, fate and risks of pharmaceuticals in the environment. In:
Summerton L, Sneddon HF, Jones LC, Clark JH (eds) Green and sustainable medicinal
chemistry: methods, tools and strategies for the 21st century pharmaceutical industry1st edn.
RSC, London, pp 63–72
9. Tal A (2016) Rethinking the sustainability of Israel’s irrigation practices in the Drylands. Water
Res 90:387–394
518
F. Mlynek et al.
Although a range of metabolites formed in plants upon uptake of xenobiotics from
the environment has already been identified according to the highest standards (level
1 of the scheme presented by Schymanski [68]), more standard substances should
also be available for phase II metabolites, thereby allowing to move from tentative
formulas and structures to unambiguously identified ones. Standards are also
required for quantitative analysis, when following traditional workflows in HPLCESI-MS. Here new approaches allowing the standard-free quantification in HPLCESI-MS might be an alternative worth considering [70]. For a more comprehensive
understanding of metabolism pathways in plants, improved knowledge about the
exact location of metabolites within the plant is of utmost concern. Besides a move
toward more miniaturized methods for sampling (i.e., analyzing smaller and smaller
plant parts), the use of imaging techniques as demonstrated by Villette et al. might be
the way to go [67].
Finally despite the fact that a range of pharmaceuticals has already been investigated with respect to their metabolization in plants, there is still a lot of work left for
the future with important classes of pharmaceuticals still missing completely.
Acknowledgment Part of this work was supported by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) project
I-3046 (Pharmaceuticals in the Environment and their Interaction with Plants).
References
1. aus der Beek T, Weber FA, Bergmann A, Hickmann S, Ebert I, Hein A, Küster A (2016)
Pharmaceuticals in the environment – global occurrences and perspectives. Environ Toxicol
Chem 35:823–835
2. Pérez-Fernández V, Mainero Rocca L, Tomai P, Fanali S, Gentili A (2017) Recent advancements and future trends in environmental analysis: sample preparation, liquid chromatography
and mass spectrometry. Anal Chim Acta 983:9–41
3. Wilkinson JL, Boxall ABA, Kolpin DW (2019) A novel method to characterise levels of
pharmaceutical pollution in large-scale aquatic monitoring campaigns. Appl Sci 9:1368
4. Tran NH, Gin KY (2017) Occurrence and removal of pharmaceuticals, hormones, personal care
products, and endocrine disrupters in a full-scale water reclamation plant. Sci Total Environ
599-600:1503–1516
5. Ek M, Baresel C, Magnér J, Bergström R, Harding M (2014) Activated carbon for the removal
of pharmaceutical residues from treated wastewater. Water Sci Technol 69:2372–2380
6. Baresel C, Malmborg J, Ek M, Sehlén R (2016) Removal of pharmaceutical residues using
ozonation as intermediate process step at Linköping WWTP, Sweden. Water Sci Technol
73:2017–2024
7. Välitalo P, Kruglova A, Mikola A, Vahala R (2017) Toxicological impacts of antibiotics on
aquatic micro-organisms: a mini-review. Int J Hyg Environ Health 220:558–569
8. Kümmerer K (2016) Presence, fate and risks of pharmaceuticals in the environment. In:
Summerton L, Sneddon HF, Jones LC, Clark JH (eds) Green and sustainable medicinal
chemistry: methods, tools and strategies for the 21st century pharmaceutical industry1st edn.
RSC, London, pp 63–72
9. Tal A (2016) Rethinking the sustainability of Israel’s irrigation practices in the Drylands. Water
Res 90:387–394
518
F. Mlynek et al.