engleski

Ecotoxicological assessment of antibiotic nitrofurantoin

Antibiotic nitrofurantoin (NF) and its derivatives are used in veterinary and human medicine. The impact of NF on the aquatic environment is largely unknown and its ecotoxicity is still under investigation due to conflicting opinions about its use. Increasing evidence suggests that NF can cause various adverse effects in living cells. In this investigation, we used three different fish cell lines (PAC2, PLHC-1, R1) to evaluate cytotoxicity of NF toward fish. PAC2 cells were the most sensitive to NF by MTT colorimetric assay, exhibiting an EC50 of 15 µM (3.57 mg/L) NF. Growth inhibition of unicellular algae Scenedesmus subspicatus and mutagenic action towards Salmonella strains (TA 98 and TA 100) using classical Ames test were also determined. Significant decrease in growth of unicellular algae after 24 h exposure to NF (1, 10, 30, 100, 200 µM) was observed. Mutagenicity test responses revealed a large number of revertants following exposure of NF. These results indicate a substantial risk of NF to the health of aquatic ecosystems.

nitrofurantoin; growth inhibition; cytotoxicity; genotoxicity; aquatic environment

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