Phytotoxicity of amoxicillin to the duckweed Spirodela polyrhiza: Growth, oxidative stress, biochemical traits and antibiotic degradation

Abstract

The increasing availability of antibiotics in wastewater has created a serious threat to non-target organisms in the environment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential toxicity of amoxicillin on duckweed Spirodela polyrhiza during a short-term exposure (7 d). The duckweed was exposed to a range of environmentally relevant (0.0001–0.01 mg L−1) and high (0.1 and 1 mg L−1) concentrations of amoxicillin. Subsequently, biomarkers of toxicity such as growth, pigments (Chl a, Chl b and carotenoids), antioxidative enzyme activity (catalase, CAT; superoxide dismutase, SOD; and ascorbate peroxidases, APX), and biochemical content (protein, lipid and starch) were analysed in their fronds. The high dose (1 mg L−1) of amoxicillin caused a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in photopigments, protein, starch and lipid content and an increase in carotenoids/total Chl and Chl a/Chl b ratios in fronds of Spirodela polyrhiza. The results showed a shift in biomarkers: a decrease in frond growth and relative growth rate (RGR) (16.2–53.8%) and an increase in the activities (mmol mg protein−1) of CAT (0.021–0.041), APX (0.84–2.49) and SOD (0.12–0.23) in fronds. The significantly (p < 0.05) greater reduction in amoxicillin content in duckweed setups (84.6–100%) than in the control (62.1–73%) suggested that phytodegradation is an important mechanism in removing antibiotics from water, apart from hydrolysis and photodegradation, which occur in control setups. Overall, the results suggested a toxic effect of amoxicillin on Spirodela polyrhiza, even at low concentrations, and nonetheless, the duckweed contributed directly to the degradation of antibiotics in the water and throughout the phytoremediation process.