DNA as a Next-Generation Biomonitoring Tool of Hospital Effluent Contamination

Karima Bekir, Asma Beltifa, Ferdaws Maatouk, Nezar H. Khdary, Houcine Barhoumi and Hedi Ben Mansour
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Karima Bekir: Research Unit of Analysis and Process Applied on the Environment–APAE UR17ES32, Higher Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology, University of Monastir, Mahdia 5100, Tunisia
Asma Beltifa: Research Unit of Analysis and Process Applied on the Environment–APAE UR17ES32, Higher Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology, University of Monastir, Mahdia 5100, Tunisia
Ferdaws Maatouk: Laboratory Interfaces and Advanced Materials, Faculty of Sciences, University of Monastir, Mahdia 5100, Tunisia
Nezar H. Khdary: Excellence Centers, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), Riyadh 12354, Saudi Arabia
Houcine Barhoumi: Laboratory Interfaces and Advanced Materials, Faculty of Sciences, University of Monastir, Mahdia 5100, Tunisia
Hedi Ben Mansour: Research Unit of Analysis and Process Applied on the Environment–APAE UR17ES32, Higher Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology, University of Monastir, Mahdia 5100, Tunisia

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 4, 1-11

Abstract: A DNA biosensor based on a modified gold electrode with a Au/cysteine/DNA matrix was developed for ultratrace determination of genotoxicity antibiotics. The modified Au/cysteine/DNA electrode was characterized by cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy methods. The interaction between immobilized DNA and genotoxicity antibiotics in hospital wastewater was investigated using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) technology. Using this technique, ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin were detected in real time in the hospital wastewater (HW) of the Tunisian cities of Gabes, Tozeur, Sfax, and Gbeli. In addition, physicochemical parameters such as the chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD), and total organic carbon (TOC) of HW samples that may affect the nature of the samples were studied. Comet assay (single-cell gel electrophoresis) was performed to measure the capacity of xenobiotics to induce DNA damage. In our conditions, this test indicated that all tested wastewater was able to alter cell integrity and cause DNA molecular damage, and the most genotoxic effect was found in the wastewater of Gabes hospital. Results show that the concentrations of the two antibiotics reached 33 and 40 ng/mL in the hospital wastewater of Gabes and Tozeur, respectively. The DNA biosensor based on the modified gold electrode exhibited superb performance and offers a probable application for the detection of genotoxicity antibiotics in hospital wastewater. The level of genotoxicity is proportional to the concentration of antibiotics detected in hospital wastewater. We will explore the application of this model for continuous monitoring downstream of hospital discharge and wastewater treatment plants for effective control of the presence of genotoxic products.

Keywords: genotoxicity; antibiotics; hospital effluents; biomonitoring; DNA hybridization; immobilization; DPV; comet assay (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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