We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Assessment on attenuation, accumulation, and ecological risk of venlafaxine in aquatic ecosystems Co-exposed to polypropylene microplastics
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers studied how polypropylene microplastics affect the fate of the antidepressant venlafaxine in a 60-day aquatic microcosm containing multiple species. They found that biological communities accelerated venlafaxine breakdown, and microplastics further enhanced this attenuation while reducing the drug's accumulation in fish and snails by 1.3 to 2.1 fold. However, the microplastics also caused behavioral changes in fish, reproductive inhibition in snails, and oxidative stress, indicating complex ecological trade-offs.
The natural attenuation of venlafaxine (VEN) in aquatic ecosystems under environmentally realistic, multi-stressor conditions, including co-occurring polypropylene microplastics (PP MPs), remains insufficiently quantified. This study examined how biological communities and PP MPs influence VEN fate, dissipation kinetics, trophic transfer, and ecological risks using a 60-day trophically structured microcosm containing duckweed, mosquitofish, bitterling, river snails, sediment, and water. VEN (400 ng/mL) was applied under single and combined PP MP (500 items/L) exposures, and dynamics across compartments were quantified alongside ecological indicators, including plant growth, fish behavior, and snail reproduction. In abiotic controls, waterborne VEN declined to 29.0% (220.40 ± 4.43 ng/mL) by day 56, whereas biotic presence accelerated attenuation to 8.7% (35.00 ± 4.91 ng/mL), with further reduction to 7.1% (28.47 ± 1.09 ng/mL) under co-exposure. Sediment served as the primary sink, peaking at 55.20 ± 4.90, 42.56 ± 2.36, and 28.83 ± 1.31 mg/g in blank, VEN + Eco, and PP + VEN + Eco treatments. Duckweed exhibited continuous VEN bioaccumulation (up to 5.57-fold), while fish and snails displayed reverse U-shaped patterns; PP MPs reduced internal VEN residues by 1.3-2.1-fold. PP MPs mainly accumulated in sediment and snails (100-150 μm). Exposure affected duckweed growth and photosynthesis, induced behavioral changes in fish, and caused reproductive inhibition and oxidative stress in snails, although partial recovery occurred under co-exposure. Sediment microbial profiling identified Sphingomonas and RB41 as potential degraders of PP MPs and VEN. Toxicokinetic modeling indicated reduced VEN half-lives in VEN + Eco (12.36 d) and PP + VEN + Eco (10.41 d) relative to Eco alone (16.96 d), suggesting organism-mediated attenuation. Species sensitivity distribution and hazard quotient analyses indicated low ecological risk in biologically active systems. These results demonstrate that trophic interactions and microplastic presence influence VEN distribution and dissipation, highlighting the need to incorporate ecological complexity in pharmaceutical fate and risk assessments.
More Papers Like This
Effects of microplastics on the uptake, distribution and biotransformation of chiral antidepressant venlafaxine in aquatic ecosystem
AI summary Read the abstract
Microplastics were found to affect how an antidepressant drug (venlafaxine) is absorbed and metabolized by fish, duckweed, and mud carp in lab aquatic systems. Microplastics can alter the behavior of pharmaceutical pollutants in water, potentially changing their toxicity to aquatic life.
The adsorption and its mechanism of venlafaxine by original and aged polypropylene microplastic and the changes of joint toxicity
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers investigated how polypropylene microplastics from face masks interact with the antidepressant venlafaxine in water, finding that the plastics can absorb significant amounts of the drug within 24 hours. Aging of the microplastics through environmental weathering increased their ability to adsorb the medication. The study also found that the combination of microplastics and venlafaxine together produced greater toxic effects on test organisms than either contaminant alone.
Effect of an antidepressant on aquatic ecosystems in the presence of microplastics: A mesocosm study
AI summary Read the abstract
In a three-month experiment using near-natural pond ecosystems, researchers found that microplastics changed how aquatic food webs responded to the antidepressant fluoxetine, altering plankton growth and microbial decomposition rates. The interaction between microplastics and the drug produced different effects than either pollutant alone. This study shows that microplastics can change how other common water pollutants affect ecosystems, making real-world impacts harder to predict.
Effects of the Antidepressant Amitriptyline on Juvenile Brown Trout and Their Modulation by Microplastics
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers exposed juvenile brown trout to the antidepressant amitriptyline with and without polystyrene microplastics and found that microplastics modulated the pharmaceutical's effects on fish behavior and physiology, highlighting the complexity of combined pharmaceutical-plastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems.
Polystyrene microplastics alter the trophic transfer and biotoxicity of fluoxetine in an aquatic food chain
AI summary Read the abstract
Polystyrene microplastics changed how the antidepressant fluoxetine moves through a food chain of brine shrimp and zebrafish. While microplastics increased fluoxetine buildup in shrimp, they actually reduced its accumulation in fish and lessened some of its brain-specific toxic effects. However, microplastics worsened other types of damage in fish, including oxidative stress and immune disruption, showing that the combined effects of these pollutants are unpredictable.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.