Environmental Risk Characterization of an Antiretroviral (ARV) Lamivudine in Ecosystems

Elizabeth Oyinkansola Omotola, Bettina Genthe, Luyanda Ndlela and Olatunde Stephen Olatunji
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Elizabeth Oyinkansola Omotola: School of Chemistry and Physics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4000, South Africa
Bettina Genthe: Natural Resources and the Environment Division, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Stellenbosch 7599, South Africa
Luyanda Ndlela: Natural Resources and the Environment Division, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Stellenbosch 7599, South Africa
Olatunde Stephen Olatunji: School of Chemistry and Physics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4000, South Africa

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 16, 1-14

Abstract: Antiretroviral drugs for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other viral infections are among the emerging contaminants considered for ecological risk assessment. These compounds have been reported to be widely distributed in water bodies and other aquatic environments, while data concerning the risk they may pose to unintended non-target species in a different ecosystem (environment) is scanty. In South Africa and other developing countries, lamivudine is one of the common antiretrovirals applied. Despite this, little is known about its environmental impacts as an emerging contaminant. The present study employed a battery of ecotoxicity bioassays to assess the environmental threat lamivudine poses to aquatic fauna and flora. Daphnia magna (filter feeders), the Ames bacterial mutagenicity test, Lactuca sativa (lettuce) germination test, and the Allium cepa root tip assay were conducted, testing lamivudine at two concentrations (10 and 100 µg/L), with environmental relevance. The Daphnia magna toxicity test revealed a statistically significant response ( p << 0.05) with a mortality rate of 85% on exposure to 100 µg/L lamivudine in freshwater, which increased to 100% at 48-h exposure. At lower concentrations of 10 µg/L lamivudine, 90% and 55% survival rates were observed at 24 h and 48 h, respectively. No potential mutagenic effects were observed from the Ames test at both concentrations of lamivudine. Allium cepa bioassays revealed a noticeable adverse impact on the root lengths on exposure to 100 µg/L lamivudine. This impact was further investigated through microscopic examination, revealing some chromosomal aberration in the exposed Allium cepa root tips. The Lactuca sativa bioassay showed a slight adverse impact on both the germination rate of the seeds and their respective hypocotyl lengths compared to the control. Overall, this indicates that lamivudine poses an ecological health risk at different trophic levels, to both flora and fauna, at concentrations previously found in the environment.

Keywords: bioassays; Ames; Salmonella; Allium cepa; Lactuca sativa; Daphnia magna; emerging contaminants; flora and fauna; toxicity test; mortality rate; chromosomal aberration; mutagenicity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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