Biochemical effects of acetaminophen in aquatic species: edible clams Venerupis decussata and Venerupis philippinarum

Abstract

Acetaminophen (paracetamol) is one of the most used pharmaceutical drugs, due to its antipyretic and analgesic properties that turn it into a primary choice in varied pathologies and conditions. However, and despite its massive use, acetaminophen is not exempt of adverse effects, especially when administered in over dosage, which are related to the formation of toxic metabolites by oxidative pathways. It is thus possible to observe that toxicity caused by acetaminophen is usually mediated by reactive oxygen species and can result in multiple effects, ranging from protein denaturation to lipid peroxidation and DNA damage. The occurrence of acetaminophen has been reported in the aquatic environment, being important to address the potential exertion of toxic effects on nontarget environmentally exposed organisms. The present study intended to characterize the effects of acute acetaminophen exposure on physiological traits (antioxidant defense, oxidative damage) of two species of bivalves, namely, the edible clams Venerupis decussata and Venerupis philippinarum. Results showed a significant increase in all oxidative stress biomarkers, evidencing the bioactivation of acetaminophen into a deleterious prooxidant, triggering the onset of deleterious effects. Furthermore, strong interspecific differences were observed among responses of the two tested species, which was a major issue due to intrinsic ecological implications when one considers that both species share the same habitat.

Chronic toxicity of the antiepileptic carbamazepine on the clam Ruditapes philippinarum

“…philippinarum (Adams & Reeve, 1850), commonly known as the Manila clam, was selected to study the ecotoxicological impact of CBZ in the Ria de Aveiro. This species has already been used in previous studies, under laboratory and field conditions, to assess the toxicity of CBZ (Aguirre-Martínez et al, 2013a, 2013bAlmeida et al, 2014) as well as other pharmaceutical drugs (Contardo-Jara et al, 2011;Matozzo et al, 2012a;Antunes et al, 2013;Milan et al, 2013) and to assess organic and metal pollution (Riba et al, 2004;Martín-Díaz et al, 2007;Figueira et al, 2012). All these studies demonstrated the suitability of R. philippinarum as a bioindicator species in marine environment quality assessment.…”

Degradation of Acetaminophen and Its Transformation Products in Aqueous Solutions by Using an Electrochemical Oxidation Cell with Stainless Steel Electrodes

“…Acetaminophen is the most common analgesic and antipyretic pharmaceutical prescribed around the world [1][2][3]. However, acetaminophen presents adverse effects, when over dosed, due to the generation of toxic metabolites when oxidized by reactive oxygen species.…”

“…Among multiple effects, protein denaturation, lipid peroxidation, and DNA damage can result. The presence and the toxic effects of acetaminophen on microorganisms in aquatic systems have been reported [1]. Acetaminophen and its toxic metabolites have been found in surface waters, wastewater, and drinking water [4].…”

Evaluation of Genotoxic, Embryotoxic and Teratogenic Potential of Paracetamol in Humans and Mice

“…Paracetamol was also found to have carcinogenic effect in only some strains of mice. Studies of Antunes SC et al (2013), indicates that toxicity caused by acetaminophen is usually mediated by reactive oxygen species and can result in multiple effects, ranging from protein denaturation to lipid peroxidation and DNA damage Further studies have also revealed that paracetamol induced DNA single strand breaks in mice treated invivo. Increase in the micronuclei in the mice treated with paracetamol doses in the present study was found to be statistically insignificant.…”