-
Journal of Pharmaceutical and... Sep 2023The current study introduces microextraction by packed sorbent (MEPS) to extract three beta-blocker drugs (propranolol, atenolol, and betaxolol) from biological samples....
The current study introduces microextraction by packed sorbent (MEPS) to extract three beta-blocker drugs (propranolol, atenolol, and betaxolol) from biological samples. The separation and detection of the drugs were performed by high performance liquid chromatography followed by UV detection. A green approach was applied for synthesizing chitosan@MOF-199 bio-composite, which was packed into the initial part of a metal spinal (22 gage). The effective parameters on the adsorption and desorption efficiencies, including sample solution pH, eluent flow rate, cycle numbers, type and volume of eluent solvent were evaluated and optimized. Under optimal conditions linear ranges (LRs = 5-600 µg L), limits of detection (LODs = 1.5-4.5 µg L), and relative standard deviations (RSDs% = 4.7 -5.3% with three replicates and concentration of 100 µg L) were obtained. Relative recoveries (RR%) for plasma (77-99%), saliva (81-108%), and urine (80-112%) samples were obtained. In this study, the drug release profile of propranolol in urine was evaluated. The results showed that the highest amount of propranolol is released 4 h after taking the drug. Based on the obtained results, this is an effective, fast, sensitive, reproducible, green, and user-friendly method for beta-blocker drug extraction in biological samples.
Topics: Humans; Chitosan; Saliva; Propranolol; Solid Phase Microextraction; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Limit of Detection
PubMed: 37329650
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2023.115520 -
Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety Jul 2024Microplastics and organic micropollutants are two emerging contaminants that interact with each other in environmental and engineered systems. Sorption of organic...
Microplastics and organic micropollutants are two emerging contaminants that interact with each other in environmental and engineered systems. Sorption of organic micropollutants, such as pharmaceuticals, pesticides and industrial compounds, to microplastics can modify their bioavailability and biodegradation. The present study investigated the capacity of ultra-high density polyethylene particles (125 µm in diameter), before and after aging, to sorb 21 organic micropollutants at different environmentally relevant concentration. Furthermore, the biodegradation of these organic micropollutants by a biofilm microbial community growing on the microplastic surface was compared with the biodegradation by a microbial community originating from activated sludge. Among all tested organic micropollutants, propranolol (70%), trimethoprim (25%) and sotalol (15%) were sorbed in the presence of polyethylene particles. Growth of a biofilm on the polyethylene particles had a beneficial effect on the sorption of bromoxynil, caffeine and chloridazon and on the biodegradation of irbesartan, atenolol and benzotriazole. On the other hand, the biofilm limited the sorption of trimethoprim, propranolol, sotalol and benzotriazole and the biodegradation of 2,4-D. These results showed that ultra-high density polyethylene particles can affect both in a positive and negative way for the abiotic and biotic removal of organic micropollutants in wastewater. This project highlights the need for further investigation regarding the interaction between microplastics and organic micropollutants in the aquatic environment.
Topics: Biofilms; Biodegradation, Environmental; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Polyethylene; Microplastics; Adsorption; Propranolol; Trimethoprim; Atenolol; Triazoles; Sewage
PubMed: 38810284
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.116510 -
The Science of the Total Environment Jun 2024Constructed wetlands (CWs) offer an efficient alternative technology for removing emerging organic contaminants (EOCs) from wastewater. Optimizing CW performance...
Constructed wetlands (CWs) offer an efficient alternative technology for removing emerging organic contaminants (EOCs) from wastewater. Optimizing CW performance requires understanding the impact of CW configuration on EOC removal and microbial community dynamics. This study investigated EOC removal and microbial communities in horizontal subsurface flow (HSSF) CWs over a 26-month operational period. Comparison between tuff-filled and gravel-filled CWs highlighted the superior EOC removal in tuff-filled CWs during extended operation, likely caused by the larger surface area of the tuff substrate fostering microbial growth, sorption, and biodegradation. Removal of partially positively charged EOCs, like atenolol (29-98 %) and fexofenadine (21-87 %), remained constant in the different CWs, and was mainly attributed to sorption. In contrast, removal rates for polar non-sorbing compounds, including diclofenac (3-64 %), acyclovir (9-85 %), and artificial sweeteners acesulfame (5-60 %) and saccharin (1-48 %), seemed to increase over time due to enhanced biodegradation. The presence of vegetation and different planting methods (single vs. mixed plantation) had a limited impact, underscoring the dominance of substrate type in the CW performance. Microbial community analysis identified two stages: a startup phase (1-7 months) and a maturation phase (19-26 months). During this transition, highly diverse communities dominated by specific species in the early stages gave way to more evenly distributed and relatively stable communities. Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes remained dominant throughout. Alphaproteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Planctomycetes, Salinimicrobium, and Sphingomonas were enriched during the maturation phase, potentially serving as bioindicators for EOC removal. In conclusion, this study emphasizes the pivotal role of substrate type and maturation in the removal of EOCs in HSSF CW, considering the complex interplay with EOC physicochemical properties. Insights into microbial community dynamics underscore the importance of taxonomic and functional diversity in assessing CW effectiveness. This knowledge aids in optimizing HSSF CWs for sustainable wastewater treatment, EOC removal, and ecological risk assessment, ultimately contributing to environmental protection.
Topics: Wetlands; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Biodegradation, Environmental; Waste Disposal, Fluid; Wastewater; Microbiota
PubMed: 38608881
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172346 -
American Journal of Hypertension Sep 2023There is no consensus on whether biological differences account for the higher risk of stroke seen in females compared to males with atrial fibrillation (AF). (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
BACKGROUND
There is no consensus on whether biological differences account for the higher risk of stroke seen in females compared to males with atrial fibrillation (AF).
METHODS
Capitalizing on The Losartan Intervention for Endpoint study, a multicenter randomized clinical trial randomizing 9,193 patients and followed for at least four years, we aimed to identify sex differences in the risk of stroke in the presence of AF in patients with hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH).
RESULTS
342 Patients had a history of AF, and 669 developed new-onset AF. History of AF and new-onset AF were more prevalent among males (5.0% vs. 2.9% and 3.0% vs. 0.9%) in patients aged 55-63 years, but the relative difference decreased with age. Females with new-onset AF tended to have a higher risk of stroke than males (HR 1.52 [95% CI 0.95-2.43]). However, females with a history of AF did not have a higher risk than males (HR 0.88 [95% CI 0.5-1.6]). In patients with new-onset AF, the relative higher stroke risk in females increased with age. Among patients with a history of AF, stroke risk was comparable and increased with age in both sexes.
CONCLUSIONS
Among patients with hypertension and LVH, females with new-onset AF had a higher risk of stroke than males, especially in patients above 64 years. However, the risk did not differ between the sexes among patients with a history of AF.
Topics: Humans; Female; Male; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular; Atrial Fibrillation; Sex Characteristics; Atenolol; Electrocardiography; Hypertension; Stroke
PubMed: 37382177
DOI: 10.1093/ajh/hpad057 -
Chemosphere Aug 2023Progress in excogitation suitable strategies for monitoring chemical compounds in wastewater is an essential step for further research into the occurrence, impact, and...
Progress in excogitation suitable strategies for monitoring chemical compounds in wastewater is an essential step for further research into the occurrence, impact, and fate of the pollutants in the aquatic environment. At present, it is desirable to advance and use economical, environmentally friendly and non-labour intensive methods of environmental analysis. In this study, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were successfully applied, regenerated, and reused as a sorbent in passive samplers for monitoring contaminants in treated and untreated wastewater at three wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) located in different urbanization areas in northern Poland. Three cycles of chemical and thermal regeneration of used sorbents were performed. It was shown that it is possible to regenerate CNTs a minimum of three times and reuse them in passive samplers while maintaining the desired sorption properties. The obtained results confirm that the CNTs are perfectly in line with the main principles of green chemistry and sustainability. Carbamazepine, ketoprofen, naproxen, diclofenac, p-nitrophenol, atenolol, acebutolol, metoprolol, sulfapyridine and sulfamethoxazole were detected in each of the WWTPs, both in treated and untreated wastewater. The obtained data drastically show the inefficiency of the removal of contaminants by conventional WWTPs. More importantly, the results even indicate negative contaminant removal in most cases, i.e. higher concentrations (up to 863%) of these substances in the effluent compared to the influent.
Topics: Wastewater; Nanotubes, Carbon; Environmental Monitoring; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Carbamazepine
PubMed: 37149101
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138855 -
Drug Delivery and Translational Research Jun 2024The field of nasal drug delivery gained enormously on interest over the past decade. Performing nasal in vivo studies is expensive and time-consuming, but also...
The field of nasal drug delivery gained enormously on interest over the past decade. Performing nasal in vivo studies is expensive and time-consuming, but also unfeasible for an initial high-throughput compound and formulation screening. Therefore, the development of fast and high-throughput in vitro models to screen compounds for their permeability through the nasal epithelium and mucosa is constantly expanding. Yet, the protocols used for nasal in vitro permeability studies are varying, which limits the comparability and reproducibility of generated data. This project aimed to elucidate the influence of different culture and assay parameters of RPMI 2650 cells grown under air-liquid interface (ALI) conditions on the transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) and apparent permeability (P) values of five selected reference compounds, covering the range of low to moderate to high permeability. The influence of the passage number, seeding density, and timepoint of airlift was minimal in our approach, while the substrate pore density had a significant influence on the P values of carbamazepine, propranolol, and metoprolol, classified as highly permeable compounds, but not on atenolol and aciclovir. Elevation of the experimental concentration of carbamazepine, propranolol, and metoprolol in the donor compartment had an increasing effect on the P values, while prolonging the assay time did not have a significant influence. Based on the results reported here, RPMI 2650 cells cultured under ALI conditions offer the possibility of a standardized high-throughput screening model for small molecules and their formulations for in vitro drug permeation studies to predict and select optimal conditions for their nasal delivery.
Topics: Humans; Permeability; Nasal Mucosa; Electric Impedance; Cell Line; Propranolol; Metoprolol; Carbamazepine; Cell Culture Techniques; Acyclovir
PubMed: 37978162
DOI: 10.1007/s13346-023-01474-w -
Journal of Chromatography. B,... Jul 2024Single-pass intestinal perfusion (SPIP) method is a widely used experimental model to determine the intestinal permeability of drugs. These studies are performed in the...
Single-pass intestinal perfusion (SPIP) method is a widely used experimental model to determine the intestinal permeability of drugs. These studies are performed in the presence of a reference standard (metoprolol, MT) and a zero permeability marker (phenol red, PR). Therefore, it is important to develop a validated method for simultaneous determination of the investigated compound along with MT and PR. The aim of this study was to develop a reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method with UV-detection for the simultaneous determination of atenolol (ATN), MT, and PR in the perfusion medium used in SPIP experiments. Separation of compounds were performed using an InertSustain C18 (250 × 4.6 mm, 5 µm) HPLC column at 35 °C. The mobile phase was a mixture of acetonitrile and phosphate buffer (pH 7.0, 12.5 mM) in gradient elution, and was delivered at a flow rate of 1 mL/min. The acetonitrile ratio of the mobile phase increased linearly from 10 to 35 % over 15 min. The injection volume was 20 µL, and ATN, MT and PR were detected at 224 nm. The retention times under optimum HPLC conditions were 5.028 min, 12.401 min, and 13.507 min for ATN, MT and PR, respectively. The developed RP-HPLC method was validated for selectivity, specificity, calibration curve and range, accuracy and precision, carry-over effect, stability, reinjection reproducibility, recovery and robustness. The method was linear for ATN (0.76-50 μg/mL), MT (1.14-50 μg/mL), and PR (0.47-20 μg/mL) with determination coefficients of 0.9999, 0.9994 and 0.9998, respectively. The results obtained for all validation parameters of the developed RP-HPLC method met the required limits of the ICH M10 Guideline.
Topics: Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Animals; Atenolol; Metoprolol; Rats; Chromatography, Reverse-Phase; Reproducibility of Results; Linear Models; Phenolsulfonphthalein; Male; Limit of Detection; Rats, Wistar; Perfusion
PubMed: 38781808
DOI: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2024.124160 -
Heliyon Mar 2024Atenolol (ATL) is a beta-blocker pharmaceutical product which is excreted mainly unchanged and may represent a long-term risk for organisms present in the sea and in...
Atenolol (ATL) is a beta-blocker pharmaceutical product which is excreted mainly unchanged and may represent a long-term risk for organisms present in the sea and in fresh water. Due to its low biodegradation rate, electrochemical advanced oxidation processes (EAOPs) can be used to remove this compound. In this work, ATL ecotoxicity was analyzed in the presence of sodium sulfate (NaSO), which is widely used as supporting electrolyte in EAOPs. Ecotoxicity values were expressed as the pollutant concentration that leads to a 50% inhibition of the root elongation of seeds in relation to the control (EC(5 days)). The obtained values for ATL showed an EC(5 days) of 1377 mg L towards . When NaSO was added, the toxicity of the sample increased but no synergy was detected between both compounds. With 2 g L NaSO, ATL showed an EC(5 days) of 972 mg L; and with 4 g L NaSO and higher concentrations, EC value for ATL was 0 mg L. Statistical tools were used to obtain the zones of the [ATL]-[NaSO] plane which are toxic towards . Solutions containing ATL and NaSO were treated by electrooxidation. Two anode materials (a boron-doped diamond electrode and a microporous Sb-doped SnO ceramic one); three operation currents (0.4, 0.6 and 1 A); and two reactor configurations (one-compartment reactor and two-compartment reactor separated by a cation exchange membrane) were used. seeds and bacterium tests were employed to evaluate the toxicity of the solutions before and after applying the electrooxidation process. In all the tests, the ecotoxicity of the treated sample increased. This fact is owing to the persulfate presence in the solution due to the sulfate electrochemical oxidation. Nevertheless, none of the final samples were toxic towards because ecotoxicity values were lower than 10 TU; and, in the case of the one-compartment reactor, practically all of them were also non-toxic towards . The toxicity of the treated samples increased when using the two-compartment reactor in the presence of the BDD anode, and when the operation current was increased. This is attributed to the highest formation of persulfates. Amongst all the tests performed in this work, the lowest toxicity value (i.e., 3 TU) together with the complete mineralization and degradation degrees was achieved with the two-compartment reactor using the BDD anode and operating at 0.6 A.
PubMed: 38449618
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e27266 -
Polymers Mar 2024Maltodextrins are products of starch hydrolysis that can be processed into dry fibres through electrospinning and subsequently cured via mild thermal treatment to obtain...
Maltodextrins are products of starch hydrolysis that can be processed into dry fibres through electrospinning and subsequently cured via mild thermal treatment to obtain nonwoven cross-linked polysaccharide-based mats. The sustainability of the process and the bioderived nature make this class of materials suitable candidates to be studied as renewable sorbents for the removal of contaminants from water. In this work, electrospinning of water solutions containing 50% wt. of commercial maltodextrin (Glucidex 2) and 16.6% wt. of citric acid was carried out at 1.2 mL/h flow and 30 kV applied voltage, followed by thermal curing at 180 °C of the dry fibres produced to obtain cross-linked mats. Well-defined fibres with a mean diameter of 1.64 ± 0.35 µm were successfully obtained and characterised by scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Afterwards, a series of sorption tests were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the mats in removing atenolol from water. The results of the batch tests followed by HPLC-UV/Vis showed high sorption rates, with over 90% of the atenolol removed, and a maximum removal capacity of 7 mg/g. Furthermore, continuous fixed-bed sorption tests proved the positive interaction between the polymers and atenolol.
PubMed: 38543358
DOI: 10.3390/polym16060752 -
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Jan 2024There is growing concern about the prevalence and impact of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). The environmental monitoring of CECs has, however, been limited in...
There is growing concern about the prevalence and impact of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). The environmental monitoring of CECs has, however, been limited in low- and middle-income countries due to the lack of advanced analytical instrumentation locally. In the present study we employed a nontargeted and suspect screening workflow via liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) to identify known and unknown pollutants in the Glen Valley wastewater treatment plant, Botswana, complemented by analysis of groundwater samples. The present study represents the first HRMS analysis of CECs in water samples obtained in Botswana. Suspect screening of 5942 compounds qualitatively identified 28 compounds, including 26 pharmaceuticals and two illicit drugs (2-ethylmethcathinone and 11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol). Nontargeted analysis tentatively identified the presence of 34 more compounds including (5ξ)-12,13-dihydroxypodocarpa-8,11,13-trien-7-one, 12-aminododecanoic acid, atenolol acid, brilliant blue, cyclo leucylprolyl, decanophenone, DL-carnitine, N,N'-dicyclohexylurea, N4-acetylsulfamethoxazole, NP-003672, and 24 polyethylene glycol polymers. The highest number of detections were in influent wastewater (26 CECs) followed by effluent wastewater (10 CECs) and, lastly, groundwater (4 CECs). Seventeen CECs detected in the influent water were not detected in the effluent waters, suggesting reduced emissions due to wastewater treatment. Two antiretroviral compounds (abacavir and tenofovir) were detected in the influent and effluent sources. This suggests that wastewater treatment plants are a major pathway of chemical pollution to the environment in Botswana and will help inform prioritization efforts for monitoring and remediation that is protective of these key ecosystems. Environ Toxicol Chem 2024;43:52-61. © 2023 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.
Topics: Wastewater; Ecosystem; Botswana; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Environmental Monitoring; Water
PubMed: 37877782
DOI: 10.1002/etc.5775