Soybean (Glycine max) Is Able to Absorb, Metabolize and Accumulate Fenbendazole in All Organs Including Beans.

Radka Podlipná,Kateřina Moťková,Lenka Skálová,Lenka Langhansová,Barbora Szotáková,Lucie Raisová Stuchlíková,Martina Navrátilová

doi:10.3390/ijms22136647

Abstract

Although manure is an important source of minerals and organic compounds it represents a certain risk of spreading the veterinary drugs in the farmland and their permeation to human food. We tested the uptake of the anthelmintic drug fenbendazole (FBZ) by soybean, a common crop plant, from the soil and its biotransformation and accumulation in different soybean organs, including beans. Soybeans were cultivated in vitro or grown in a greenhouse in pots. FBZ was extensively metabolized in roots of in vitro seedlings, where sixteen metabolites were identified, and less in leaves, where only two metabolites were found. The soybeans in greenhouse absorbed FBZ by roots and translocated it to the leaves, pods, and beans. In roots, leaves, and pods two metabolites were identified. In beans, FBZ and one metabolite was found. FBZ exposure did not affect the plant fitness or yield, but reduced activities of some antioxidant enzymes and isoflavonoids content in the beans. In conclusion, manure or biosolids containing FBZ and its metabolites represent a significant risk of these pharmaceuticals entering food consumed by humans or animal feed. In addition, the presence of these drugs in plants can affect plant metabolism, including the production of isoflavonoids.

Highlights

Anthelmintic drugs are used to control parasitic worms in animals as well as in humans
Control strategies have focused on egg suppression regimens that involve the frequent application of anthelmintics to individuals at intervals based on egg reappearance periods after treatment [4]
Biotransformation, and effects of benzimidazole anthelmintic FBZ

Summary

Introduction

Anthelmintic drugs are used to control parasitic worms in animals as well as in humans. Fenbendazole (FBZ), a broad-spectrum benzimidazole anthelmintic active against gastrointestinal parasites including giardia, roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, tapeworms, pinworms, paragonimiasis, strongyles, and strongyloides, is commonly used in the treatment of sheep, cattle, horses, fish, dogs, cats, rabbits, and seals. The usefulness and necessity of anthelmintics, including FBZ, is unquestionable, their widespread use leads to environmental contamination and might have harmful effects on non-target species due to the abundant excretion of parent substance and metabolites. All herd can be treated at once, which leads to large but relatively rare “inputs” of high-intensity anthelmintics entering the environment, while some farmers treat animals in small groups, resulting in regular pulses at lower doses [5]. The use of long-acting or sustained-release methods (long-acting injection, slow-release boluses, or reticulorumen devices) usually result in the continuous excretion of low concentrations of residual anthelmintic [6]

Methods

Results

Conclusion