The role of humic acids on gemfibrozil toxicity to zebrafish embryos

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) Vol. 220; pp. 556 - 564
• Main Authors: Almeida, Ana Rita, Jesus, Fátima, Henriques, Jorge F., Andrade, Thayres S., Barreto, Ângela, Koba, Olga, Giang, Pham Thai, Soares, Amadeu M.V.M., Oliveira, Miguel, Domingues, Inês
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.04.2019
• Subjects: Biomarkers; Comet assay; Fibrates; Locomotor behaviour; Pharmaceuticals; Biomarkers; Fibrates; Locomotor behaviour; Comet assay; Pharmaceuticals
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2018.12.133

Climate change is expected to alter the dynamics of water masses, with consequent changes in water quality parameters such as dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration. DOC levels play a critical role in the fate of organic chemicals, influencing their bioavailability and toxicity to aquatic organisms. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of DOC, particularly humic acids (HA), in the toxicity of gemfibrozil (GEM) - a human pharmaceutical frequently detected in surface waters. Lethal and sublethal effects (genotoxic, biochemical and behavioural alterations) were evaluated in zebrafish embryos exposed to several concentrations of GEM and three HA levels, in a full factorial design. HA significantly increased GEM LC50 values, mainly in the first 72 h of exposure, showing a protective effect. At sublethal levels, however, such protection was not observed since HA per se elicited adverse effects. At a biochemical level, individual exposure to HA (20 mg/L) elicited significant decreases in cholinesterase and glutathione S-transferase activities. Regarding behaviour, effects of individual exposure to HA appear to surpass the GEM effects, reducing the total distance moved by larvae. Both GEM and HA significantly increased DNA damage. Hence, this study demonstrated that abiotic factors, namely HA, should be considered in the assessment of pharmaceuticals toxicity. Moreover, it showed that lethality may not be enough to characterize combined effects since different patterns of response may occur at different levels of biological organization. Testing sublethal relevant endpoints is thus recommended to achieve a robust risk assessment in realistic scenarios. •Humic acids (HA) increased gemfibrozil LC50 to zebrafish embryos.•The HA protective role observed at lethal level was not verified at sublethal levels.•HA per se affected biochemical, behavioural and genotoxic parameters.•Testing endpoints at different levels of biological organization is recommended.•Dissolved organic carbon should be considered when assessing the toxicity of pharmaceuticals.