Assessment of wastewater toxicity from the pharmaceutical industry of salicylic acid and paracetamol on the roots of a plant species: Phaseolus vulgaris

Abstract

Pharmaceutical compounds are currently a group of emerging environmental contaminantswhere their presence is reported in all ecosystems (water, soil, etc.). Their effects often resultin strong metabolic disturbances which affect all vital functions of organisms, including plantswhich are non-target species. During their development, plants can absorb and accumulatemany xenobiotics, including pharmaceutical compounds that are able to cross the root walls.In order to evaluate the toxic effects of salicylic Acid (SA) and Paracetamol (PAR) on bean(Phaseolus vulgaris) were investigated. The root length showed significant reduction with anincrease in the concentration of PAR in parallel, with an increase in the length of the rootsobtained at the highest concentration of SA. On increasing the concentration from PAR andSA, the gradual increase in fresh weight of roots was observed compared to the control. Afterexposure to the different concentrations, PAR and SA treatments caused damage to theprotein synthesis. In addition, a significant stimulation of proline synthesis is recorded aftertreatment with PAR compared with the value obtained in the presence of SA at the highestconcentration. Lipid peroxidation supported by a significant increase in MDA and H 2 O 2levels, particularly for PAR treatments, are also observed. The evaluation of the respiratoryactivity of the isolated bean roots shows an oxygen consumption related to the PARconcentrations. This consumption is much higher in the presence of SA. Finally, our resultsshow that pharmaceutical products and their residues (such as PAR and SA), released into theenvironment in large quantities and without treatment, can produce morphological,biochemical and metabolic changes in the roots of non-target plant species such as bean thatcan seriously disrupt root functioning.