Ibuprofen Concentration Research Articles

Acute and subchronic effects of ibuprofen on the ten spotted live-bearer fish Cnesterodon decemmaculatus (Jenyns, 1842)

Ibuprofen (IBP) is an anti-inflammatory drug found in aquatic environments, potentially toxic for the biota. We exposed the test fish C. decemmaculatus to two environmentally relevant concentrations (50 and 100 μg IBP/L) for 4 and 12 d and evaluated the effect on some biomarkers. Micronucleus test, nuclear abnormality test and comet assay indicated cyto-genotoxicity at both concentrations and exposure periods. Oxidative stress and biochemical biomarkers were not affected, excepting muscle AChE activity for 4 d. Muscle metabolic biomarkers showed significant decrease in ETS, lipid and protein content, while carbohydrate content was not affected. The CEA index increased at the lower IBP concentration for 4 and 12 d, possibly due to changes in body energy reserves. A full-factorial GLM performed to assess the effects of IBP and exposure times showed that the metabolic and genotoxicity biomarkers were the most sensitive to IBP toxicity, mainly at 50 μg IBP/L for 4 d.

Occurrences of typical PPCPs during wastewater treatment and the composting of sewage sludge with micron-sized and nano-sized Fe3O4

New pollutants, pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), accumulate in sewage sludge (SS) in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), posing risks to the environment and to human health. In the present study, the fates of typical PPCPs, carbamazepine (CBZ), triclosan (TCS), ibuprofen (IBU) and galaxolide (HHCB), were examined during WW treatment. Additionally, SS collected from a WWTP was used for aerobic composting to investigate the influences of micron-sized Fe3O4 (M-Fe) and nano-sized Fe3O4 (N–Fe) on the degradation of these PPCPs and the succession of microbial communities during the composting process. The results showed that the mean concentrations of CBZ, TCS, IBU and HHCB in the influent of the WWTP were 926.5, 174.4, 8869, and 967.3 ng/g, respectively, and in the effluent were 107.6, 47.0, 283.4, and 88.4 ng/g, respectively. The removal rate averaged ∼80%, while the enrichment rates of the PPCPs in SS ranged from 37.2% to 60.5%. M-Fe and N–Fe reduced NH3 emissions by 32.9% and 54.1% and N2O emissions by 26.2% and 50.8%, respectively. Moreover, the addition of M-Fe and N–Fe effectively increased PPCP degradation rates 1.12–1.66-fold. During the whole process, the additions of M-Fe and N–Fe significantly shifted microbial community structure, and the abundances of Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, and Actinobacteria were increased during the thermophilic stage, marking them as key PPCP-degrading phyla. Taken together, our results indicated that the addition of M-Fe and N–Fe is an effective method for improving the quality of end compost and accelerating the degradation of PPCPs.

Tailoring the pore architecture and crystalline structure of UiO-66 for the selective adsorption of anionic species in aqueous media

Micropollutants such as organic dyes and pharmaceuticals have received much attention in recent years due to their harmful effects on humans and wildlife, high stability against natural degradation, and difficult removal in conventional water treatment plants. In this work, we have optimized the adsorption of organic pollutants on UiO-66 metal–organic frameworks by changing some synthesis parameters, which allowed the tuning of their crystal structure and pore architecture. Samples with an extended microporous structure and specific surface areas over 1300 m2.g−1 were prepared by a solvothermal approach, which favored the access of the pollutant molecules to active adsorption sites. The specific surface areas measured in this study are among the highest ever reported for UiO-66. In batch adsorption tests conducted using aqueous solutions containing low initial concentrations (20 mg.L-1) of acid orange (AO7), ibuprofen (IBU), and methylene blue (MB), the materials tested in this study exhibited preferential adsorption of the anionic species AO7 (192 mg.g−1) and IBU (173 mg.g−1), resulting in AO7/MB and IBU/MB selectivities of 9.6 and 8.7, respectively. The primary adsorption mechanism is most likely a combination of electrostatic and Lewis acid-base interactions involving Zr-(-SO3−) for AO7 and Zr-(–CO2−) for IBU. Subsequent tests with moderately higher concentrations of AO7 (50 mg.L–1) showed even higher adsorption capacities, exceeding 340 mg.g−1. These results demonstrate that the optimized UiO-66 structure prepared in this study exhibits high-performance adsorption capabilities for the removal of anionic pollutants from aqueous media, thereby expanding the knowledge on the use of Zr-based MOFs for water remediation.

Concentration-dependent mechanism of the binding behavior of ibuprofen to the cell membrane: A molecular dynamic simulation study

Ibuprofen is a commonly used drug for treating headaches, pain, and fever. The lipid bilayer is the primary and most important interface for drugs to interact with biological systems. However, the molecular interactions between ibuprofen and the cell membrane are not well understood. Our findings suggest that the interactions between ibuprofen and the bilayer involve multiple steps and depend on the concentration of the drug. At low concentrations of ibuprofen, it can bind to the surface of the lipid bilayer. The electrostatic and vdW energies of IBU-lipid at 0 ns of the simulation were −22.5 ± 3.2 and −5.9 ± 1.2 kj.mol-1 Fig. 2. In the following, the vdW energy of the IBU-lipid was increased by around −134.6 ± 3.7 kj.mol-1 whereas the electrostatic energy of the IBU-lipid was significantly decreased. This binding is facilitated by electrostatic and vdW interactions between ibuprofen and the head group of lipids. In the second step, ibuprofen is inserted into the lipid bilayer and positioned at the interface between the bilayer and the aqueous phase. In high concentrations of ibuprofen, it moved to the central region of the lipid bilayer. At this concentration, the physical and structural properties of the cell membrane change significantly. Results from the radial distribution function analysis indicate that at low concentrations, ibuprofen molecules are situated close to the head groups of phosphate groups. However, at high concentrations of ibuprofen, these molecules move to the inner side of the lipid bilayer. In addition, our findings indicate that at low concentrations of ibuprofen, these molecules did not significantly alter the physical properties of the cell membrane. In contrast, at high concentrations of ibuprofen, the physical parameters of the hydrocarbon tails, such as thickness, fluidity, and order, changed dramatically. APL parameter for POPC membrane increased slightly to 0.60 and 0.63 nm2 in the presence of low and high concentrations of ibuprofen molecules. The three-step interaction between ibuprofen and the lipid bilayer involves several events, such as the movement of ibuprofen molecules towards the central region of the lipid bilayer and the deformation and alteration of the structural and stability properties of the cell membrane. These effects are observed only at high concentrations of ibuprofen. It appears that the side effects of ibuprofen overdose are related to changes in the properties of the cell membrane and, subsequently, the function of membrane-anchored target proteins.

Impacts of Organic Emerging Contaminants (Erythromycin, Ibuprofen, and Diclofenac) on the Performance of a Membrane Bioreactor Treating Urban Wastewater: A Heterotrophic Kinetic Investigation.

The occurrence of emerging organic contaminants, such as pharmaceuticals, is a growing global concern. In this research, for a membrane bioreactor (MBR) laboratory plant operating at a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 24 h, fed with real urban wastewater, the heterotrophic biomass behaviour was analysed for two concentrations of erythromycin, ibuprofen, and diclofenac. The concentrations studied for the first phase were erythromycin 0.576 mg L-1, ibuprofen 0.056 mg L-1, and diclofenac 0.948 mg L-1. For Phase 2, the concentrations were increased to erythromycin 1.440 mg L-1, ibuprofen 0.140 mg L-1, and diclofenac 2.370 mg L-1. Heterotrophic biomass was affected and inhibited by the presence of pharmaceutical compounds in both phases. The system response to low concentrations of pharmaceutical compounds occurred in the initial phase of plant doping. Under these operating conditions, there was a gradual decrease in the concentration of mixed liquor suspended solids and the removal of chemical oxygen demand of the system, as it was not able to absorb the effect produced by the pharmaceutical compounds added in both phases.

Removal of Ibuprofen and Diclofenac in Batch Nitrifying Reactors: Effect of Natural Zeolite on the Process

Ibuprofen (IBP) and diclofenac (DFC) are two of the most commonly used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to treat inflammation and pain. However, they can impact the environment if not treated adequately before discharge into waterways. Biodegradation through the nitrification process is an alternative to reducing the concentration of these micropollutants (MPs) in wastewater. Thus, this work aimed to evaluate the effect of natural zeolite on IBP and DFC removal in a nitrifying batch reactor. Mini-reactors were set up with 90 mL of inoculum and 110 mL of synthetic wastewater with a concentration of 25 mg total ammonia nitrogen TAN/L, at 25 °C and 1 vvm (volume of air/volume liquid∙min) of aeration. Two conditions were tested: high concentrations (IBP = 700 μg/L, DFC = 100 μg/L) and low concentrations (IBP = 30 μg/L, DFC = 20 μg/L). The research used a concentration of 5 g/L of the natural zeolite. Results indicated that the zeolite negatively affected the nitrification rate. At high MPs concentration, the natural zeolite negatively affects the removal of IBP and DFC, where biodegradation and sorption are the mechanisms that eliminate both NSAIDs. Conversely, at low DFC and IBP concentrations, the natural zeolite improves the removal of IBP and DFC, wherein biodegradation is the primary removal mechanism.

A novel approach for the assessment of invertebrate behavior and its use in behavioral ecotoxicology

Sublethal effects are becoming more relevant in ecotoxicological test methods due to their higher sensitivity compared to lethal endpoints and their preventive nature. Such a promising sublethal endpoint is the movement behavior of invertebrates which is associated with the direct maintenance of various ecosystem processes, hence being of special interest for ecotoxicology. Disturbed movement behavior is often related to neurotoxicity and can affect drift, mate-finding, predator avoidance, and therefore population dynamics. We show the practical implementation of the ToxmateLab, a new device that allows monitoring the movement behavior of up to 48 organisms simultaneously, for behavioral ecotoxicology. We quantified behavioral reactions of Gammarus pulex (Amphipoda, Crustacea) after exposure to two pesticides (dichlorvos and methiocarb) and two pharmaceuticals (diazepam and ibuprofen) at sublethal, environmentally relevant concentrations. We simulated a short-term pulse contamination event that lasted 90 min. Within this short test period, we successfully identified behavioral patterns that were most pronounced upon exposure to the two pesticides: Methiocarb initially triggered hyperactivity, after which baseline behavior was restored. On the other hand, dichlorvos induced hypoactivity starting at a moderate concentration of 5 μg/L – a pattern we also found at the highest concentration of ibuprofen (10 μg/L). An additional acetylcholine esterase inhibition assay revealed no significant impact of the enzyme activity that would explain the altered movement behavior. This suggests that in environmentally realistic scenarios chemicals can induce stress – apart from mode-of-action – that affects non-target organisms' behavior. Overall, our study proves the practical applicability of empirical behavioral ecotoxicological approaches and thus represents a next step towards routine practical use.

Polyglycine Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode for Ibuprofen Determination

AbstractA simple modification of bare glassy carbon electrode by electropolymerization of glycine by cyclic voltammetry was applied to the detection of ibuprofen. The polyglycine modified glassy carbon electrode was characterized by cyclic voltammetry and the electroactive surface area was determined. The study of ibuprofen in acetic acid buffer (0.25 M, pH 4.0) presented an electrocatalytic effect toward ibuprofen oxidation, increasing the current response and decrease of oxidation potential, at the modified electrode compared to the bare. Under the optimal conditions, the modified electrode gave a linear response in the ibuprofen concentration range of 10 to 200 μM, obtained correlation coefficient was 0.9993. the calculated limit of detection (3Sb/m) was 1.0 μM and the limit of quantification (10Sb/m) was 3.5 μM. the sensor was successfully used for the determination of ibuprofen in pharmaceutical preparations with satisfactory recoveries, 93–107 %. The new sensor showed good selectivity, repeatability, and reproducibility with satisfactory stability.

UV light driven photocatalytic degradation of ibuprofen drug by polyaniline supported rGO@MnO2 nanocomposite

The present study exfoliates the successful synthesis of PANI–rGO@MnO2 NC using reinforcement of Manganese (IV) oxide nanoparticles (MnO2 NPs) in the reduced graphene oxide (rGO) matrix and then in situ copolymerization of aniline monomer. The synthesized material was characterized by different analytical techniques such as FTIR, XRD, SEM-EDX, DLS, TEM, XPS, and UV–Vis spectroscopic methods which confirmed the successful synthesis of the material. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) analysis indicated an improved current density for the synthesized PANI–rGO@MnO2 NC which suggest that attachment of MnO2 with PANI and rGO resulted in improved electron transfer process and slow rate of electro-hole recombination. The UV–Vis spectroscopy also supports the results exhibited by CV and suggested that the combination of rGO, MnO2 with PANI resulted in a material with enhanced optical properties with an energy bandgap of 1.45 eV. The synthesized material was investigated for the photocatalytic degradation of ibuprofen (IBP) drug and exhibited 93% photocatalytic efficiency towards IBP degradation at pH 4, 10 mg of catalyst dose, 25 mg L−1 IBP concentration, and 120 min of UV irradiation. The photocatalytic data was best simulated by Langmuir-Hinshelwood (L–H) pseudo-first-order models to explain the kinetics of degradation and the value of the apparent rate constant (kapp) was found to be 0.027 min−1 for 10 mg L−1 IBP, 0.032 min−1 for 15 mg L−1 IBP, 0.039 min−1 for 20 mg L−1 IBP and 0.047 min−1 for 25 mg L−1 IBP. The scavenger experiments revealed the primary role of superoxide (O2−) radicals in the degradation of IBP and observed a total organic carbon (TOC) reduction of 72% in 120 min of UV irradiation.

Development of a novel microdevice for sorptive extraction under a green analytical chemistry approach: Application for bioanalytical determination of Ibuprofen

This study proposes a novel device called micro polymeric magnetized bar adsorptive extraction (µ-PMBAE), as an extraction and enrichment technique for trace analysis in aqueous samples. These micro-bar absorbent devices were prepared using easily accessible and low-cost materials, incorporating different sorbent materials into a polymer and introducing a small piece of neodymium magnet. Several stability tests were applied to determine their robustness, stability, and weight variation; finally, ibuprofen concentration in urine samples was determined, demonstrating the applicability of extraction devices under a green analytical chemistry approach. The µ-PMBAE showed remarkable advantages since different sorbents can be added to the hot melt glue. This tunes the interaction with the analytes to become more specific in the extraction. Likewise, the magnetic ability makes it possible to carry out extraction without using an extra stir bar, matching its performance with the traditional commercially based on polydimethylsiloxane phase. The proposed analytical method demonstrated excellent performance concerning high recovery percentages, adequate coefficients of variation, and low detection limits.

Development of a novel microdevice for sorptive extraction under a green analytical chemistry approach: Application for bioanalytical determination of Ibuprofen

This study proposes a novel device called micro polymeric magnetized bar adsorptive extraction (µ-PMBAE), as an extraction and enrichment technique for trace analysis in aqueous samples. These micro-bar absorbent devices were prepared using easily accessible and low-cost materials, incorporating different sorbent materials into a polymer and introducing a small piece of neodymium magnet. Several stability tests were applied to determine their robustness, stability, and weight variation; finally, ibuprofen concentration in urine samples was determined, demonstrating the applicability of extraction devices under a green analytical chemistry approach. The µ-PMBAE showed remarkable advantages since different sorbents can be added to the hot melt glue. This tunes the interaction with the analytes to become more specific in the extraction. Likewise, the magnetic ability makes it possible to carry out extraction without using an extra stir bar, matching its performance with the traditional commercially based on polydimethylsiloxane phase. The proposed analytical method demonstrated excellent performance concerning high recovery percentages, adequate coefficients of variation, and low detection limits.

Co-Amorphous Versus Deep Eutectic Solvents Formulations for Transdermal Administration.

Transdermal administration can be considered as an interesting route to overcome the side-effects inherent to oral intake. Designing topical formulations with maximum drug efficiency requires the optimization of the permeation and the stability of the drug. The present study focuses on the physical stability of amorphous drugs within the formulation. Ibuprofen is commonly used in topical formulations and then was selected as a model drug. Additionally, its low Tg allows easy, unexpected recrystallization at room temperature with negative consequence on skin penetration. In this study, the physical stability of amorphous ibuprofen was investigated in two types of formulations: (i) in terpenes-based deep eutectic solvents (DES) and (ii) in arginine-based co-amorphous blends. The phase diagram of ibuprofen:L-menthol was mainly analyzed by low-frequency Raman spectroscopy, leading to the evidence of ibuprofen recrystallization in a wide range of ibuprofen concentration. By contrast, it was shown that amorphous ibuprofen is stabilized when dissolved in thymol:menthol DES. Forming co-amorphous arginine-ibuprofen blends by melting is another route for stabilizing amorphous ibuprofen, while recrystallization was detected in the same co-amorphous mixtures obtained by cryo-milling. The mechanism of stabilization is discussed from determining Tg and analyzing H-bonding interactions by Raman investigations in the C=O and O-H stretching regions. It was found that recrystallization of ibuprofen was inhibited by the inability to form dimers inherent to the preferential formation of heteromolecular H-bonding, regardless of the glass transition temperatures of the various mixtures. This result should be important for predicting ibuprofen stability within other types of topical formulations.

A Multi-Center Evaluation of the Pharmacokinetics and Safety of Intravenous Ibuprofen in Infants 1-6 Months of Age.

Enteral ibuprofen was first approved as a prescription drug in 1974 for the US market. An intravenous (IV) ibuprofen formulation is approved for use in children older than 6 months of age, but there are limited studies specifically evaluating the pharmacokinetics and safety in children 1-6 months of age. The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of IV ibuprofen in infants younger than 6 months of age. The secondary objective was to evaluate the safety of single and repeated doses of IV ibuprofen in infants younger than 6 months of age. This was an industry-sponsored multi-center study. Institutional Review Board approval and informed parental consent were obtained prior to enrollment. Hospitalized neonates and infants younger than 6 months of age with fever or expected postoperative pain were eligible. Enrolled patients received 10 mg/kg of IV ibuprofen every 6 h, with up to four doses per day. Patients were randomized to two sparse sampling technique pharmacokinetic sample time groups. Group 1 samples were drawn at 0, 30 min, and 2 h, while group 2 samples were drawn at 0 min, 1, and 4 h after administration. A total of 24 children were enrolled in the study, with 15 male patients and 9 female patients. The median age of the cohort was 4.4 months (range 1.1-5.9 months), and the median weight was 5.9 kg (range 2.3-8.8 kg). The arithmetic mean and standard error for peak plasma ibuprofen concentration was 56.28 ± 2.77 µg/mL. Plasma levels declined rapidly with a mean elimination half-life of 1.30 h. Time to peak ibuprofen effect and concentration were similar when compared with older pediatric patients. Clearance and volume of distribution were also similar to those reported in older pediatric patients. No drug-related adverse events were reported. The pharmacokinetic and short-term safety profiles of IV ibuprofen in pediatric patients 1-6 months of age are comparable to those in children older than 6 months of age. Clinicaltrials.gov Trial Registration number and date: NCT02583399-Registered July 2017.

Effect of ibuprofen on the sulfur autotrophic denitrification process and microbial toxic response mechanism

The effect of ibuprofen (IBU) on the sulfur autotrophic denitrification (SAD) process and microbial toxic response mechanism were investigated. Nitrate removal performance was inhibited by high IBU concentrations (10 and 50 mg/L), and the effect of low IBU concentrations (1 mg/L) on nitrate removal performance was negligible. The low IBU concentration induced basal oxidative stress for microbial self-protection, while the high IBU concentration induced high-intensity oxidative stress to damage the microbial cell membrane structure. Electrochemical characterization showed that the low IBU concentration stimulated the electron transfer efficiency, which was inhibited at the high IBU concentration. Moreover, the variation content of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and nitrate reductase showed that metabolic activity increased at low IBU concentrations and decreased at high IBU concentrations during the sulfur autotrophic nitrate reduction process. This study proposed the hormesis toxic response mechanism of the SAD process to IBU exposure.

Synthesis and characterization of carbon nanospheres for adsorption of ibuprofen from aqueous solution: Optimization by Box–Behnken design

Adsorption is an incredibly productive and efficient way of treating wastewater to eradicate pollutants. Carbon nanospheres (CNS) have drawn a lot of attention in the adsorption industry because of their many active sites and high surface-to-volume ratio. This study focused on using CNS to remove ibuprofen (IBP) from aqueous solutions. The synthesized CNS was examined by BET, FESEM, Raman spectroscopy, FTIR, and XRD analyses, and the effects of pH, temperature, adsorption time, initial IBP concentration and amount of adsorbent were further evaluated with a central composite design-based response surface (RSM) methodology. Results showed a high rate of adsorption efficiency (356.899 mg/g). It was also confirmed that chemical adsorption was responsible for binding IBP to CNS. From Langmuir model fitting as well as pseudo-second-order kinetic models, it was established that reaction was both endothermic and exothermic. Lastly, all possible mechanisms of interaction were identified.

Adsorption of Ibuprofen as a pharmaceutical pollutant from aqueous phase using zinc oxide nanoparticles: Green synthesis, batch adsorption and biological activities.

Recent interest has focused on the biosynthesis of metal nanoparticles, particularly from plants. The production of precipitate served as an early indicator of the presence in the present study's use of ZnO nanoparticles green synthesis of these particles, which was further validated by; Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD). Additionally, the BET was used to calculate the surface area, which came out to be 119.12 m2 /g. Since the true effects of new pollutants, including medicines, on the environment and human health are not well understood, their presence in aquatic systems poses a severe hazard. For this reason, the antibiotic Ibuprofen (IBP) was absorbable to ZnO-NPs in this search. As opposed to fitting to Langmuir isothermally, the adsorption process was discovered to be pseudo-second-order kinetically, and the reaction was determined to be a chemisorption process. The process was endothermic and spontaneous, according to thermodynamic studies. Maximizing IBP removal from aqueous solution required the use of a Box-Behnken surface statistical design with four components, four levels, and response surface modelling. Solution pH, IBP concentration, duration, and dose were the four parameters that were utilized. The regeneration process, which is employed for five cycles with excellent efficiency, is the best benefit of using ZnO-NPs. Examine the elimination of pollutants from actual samples as well. However, the adsorbent is quite effective at reducing biological activity. At high concentrations of ZnO-NPs demonstrated notable antioxidant activity and RBC hemocompatibility and no discernible hemolysis was seen. ZnO-NPs demonstrated a notable percent suppression of α-amylase up to 53.6 % at 400 μg/mL, and so displayed potential as an antidiabetic. Cyclooxygenase was suppressed by ZnO-NPs in an anti-inflammatory test (COX-1 & COX-2) up to 56.32 and 52.04 % at a concentration of 400 μg/mL, respectively. Significant anti-Alzheimer potential was demonstrated by ZnO-NPs at 400 μg/mL by inhibiting Acetyl cholinesterase (AChE) and Butyl cholinesterase (BChE) up to 68.98 ± 1.62% and 62.36% respectively. We came to the conclusion that guava extract is helpful for ZnO-NP reduction and capping. The bioengineered nanoparticles could prevent Alzheimer's, diabetes, and inflammation and were biocompatible. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Spatial variations and ecological risks assessment of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in typical lakes of Wuhan, China

Lakes are terminal sink of PPCPs, since PPCPs were transported to aquatic system from wastewater treatment plant effluent. Meanwhile, the ecological risks caused by PPCPs to the lakes have aroused wide concern. This study investigated the presence and distribution of PPCPs in 19 typical lakes in Wuhan city; the short term and long-term ecological risk were assessed. The concentration of ten typical PPCPs and the correlation between PPCPs and water quality parameters were analyzed. Ten PPCPs were widely detected, showing that these PPCPs were abundant in the research region. The total PPCPs concentrations varied from 0.44 to 2.1 * 102 ng/L in water sample and ≤ 5.3 ng/g in sediments. According to the results, two nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen, naproxen) were predominated compared to other PPCPs tested in the lakes of Wuhan city. The Pearson correlation analysis revealed a substantial positive correlation (p < 0.01) between NH4+-N and ibuprofen concentration, indicating that ibuprofen could be produced from the same sources of NH4+-N. Some PPCPs has shown positive correlation (p < 0.01) with suspended particles in concentrations. A negative correlation in water-sediment distribution for PPCPs was also observed. The potential ecological risks of PPCPs to the lakes were further evaluated. Results implied that ofloxacin posed the highest potential short-term risk of all the ten PPCPs. Sulfadiazine, sulfamethoxazole and roxithromycin posed a potential long-term risk in Niushan lake. This study investigated PPCPs distribution on a large spatial scale in Wuhan lakes in the post-epidemic era and revealed the importance of ofloxacin control in Wuhan. The findings of this work suggests that the long-term management for lake ecosystems is crucial.

Removal of low concentration ibuprofen using green diluent and novel formulated supported ionic liquid membrane

Removal of pharmaceutical micropollutants is critical to reduce detrimental contaminants found in the environment. The current study focuses on developing a new formulation of supported ionic liquid membrane (SILM) for removing low concentration of ibuprofen (IBP) using green diluent and ionic liquid. Parameters such as solid support properties, variation of diluents, type of carrier and carrier concentration are investigated. The results demonstrate that liquid carrier consisted of sunflower oil (SFO) and Aliquat 336 successfully impregnated on the PVDF support via FTIR and SEM analysis. Liquid carrier loss from the PVDF support is less than 1% by impregnating green diluents consisting of SFO. 18PVDF-DMAC/300 is selected owing to its asymmetric finger-like and spongy structure with porosity, mean pore diameter, contact angle and thickness of (82.2 ± 0.7) %, (0.19 ± 0.01) μm, (89.4 ± 0.2)° and (90.3 ± 0.8) μm, respectively. Under 72-hour operation, a maximum extraction and stripping efficiency are obtained at 93% and 87% respectively, indicating a stable SILM process. Results obtained suggest that the newly formulated SILM is advantageous and may be used to extract low concentrations of IBP from the feed phase.

Hydroxyl radical dominated ibuprofen degradation by UV/percarbonate process: Response surface methodology optimization, toxicity, and cost evaluation

Ibuprofen (IBP) is a typical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug with a wide range of applications, large dosages, and environmental durability. Therefore, ultraviolet-activated sodium percarbonate (UV/SPC) technology was developed for IBP degradation. The results showed that IBP could be efficiently removed using UV/SPC. The IBP degradation was enhanced with prolonged UV irradiation time, with the decreasing IBP concentration and the increasing SPC dosage. The UV/SPC degradation of IBP was highly adaptable to pH ranging from 4.05 to 8.03. The degradation rate of IBP reached 100% within 30 min. The optimal experimental conditions for IBP degradation were further optimized using response surface methodology. IBP degradation rate reached 97.3% under the optimal experimental conditions: 5 μM of IBP, 40 μM of SPC, 7.60 pH, and UV irradiation for 20 min. Humic acid, fulvic acid, inorganic anions, and natural water matrix inhibited the IBP degradation to varying degrees. Scavenging experiments of reactive oxygen species indicated that hydroxyl radical played a major role in the UV/SPC degradation of IBP, while carbonate radical played a minor role. Six IBP degradation intermediates were detected, and hydroxylation and decarboxylation were proposed as the primary degradation pathways. An acute toxicity test, based on the inhibition of luminescence in Vibrio fischeri, indicated that the toxicity of IBP during UV/SPC degradation decreased by 11%. An electrical energy per order value of 3.57 kWh m−3 indicated that the UV/SPC process was cost-effective in IBP decomposition. These results provide new insights into the degradation performance and mechanisms of the UV/SPC process, which can potentially be used for practical water treatment in the future.

Label-Free Digital Holotomography Reveals Ibuprofen-Induced Morphological Changes to Red Blood Cells.

Understanding the dose-dependent effect of over-the-counter drugs on red blood cells (RBCs) is crucial for hematology and digital pathology. Yet, it is challenging to continuously record the real-time, drug-induced shape changes of RBCs in a label-free manner. Here, we demonstrate digital holotomography (DHTM)-enabled real-time, label-free concentration-dependent and time-dependent monitoring of ibuprofen on RBCs from a healthy donor. The RBCs are segmented based on three-dimensional (3D) and four-dimensional (4D) refractive index tomograms, and their morphological and chemical parameters are retrieved with their shapes classified using machine learning. We directly observed the formation and motion of spicules on the RBC membrane when aqueous solutions of ibuprofen were drop-cast on wet blood, creating rough-membraned echinocyte forms. At low concentrations of 0.25-0.50 mM, the ibuprofen-induced morphological change was transient, but at high concentrations (1-3 mM) the spiculated RBC remained over a period of up to 1.5 h. Molecular simulations confirmed that aggregates of ibuprofen molecules at high concentrations significantly disrupted the RBC membrane structural integrity and lipid order but produced negligible effect at low ibuprofen concentrations. Control experiments on the effect of urea, hydrogen peroxide, and aqueous solutions on RBCs showed zero spicule formation. Our work clarifies the dose-dependent chemical effects on RBCs using label-free microscopes that can be deployed for the rapid detection of overdosage of over-the-counter and prescribed drugs.