Ketoprofen as an emerging contaminant: occurrence, ecotoxicity and (bio)removal

Abstract

Ketoprofen, a bicyclic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug commonly used in human and veterinary medicine, has recently been cited as an environmental contaminant that raises concerns for ecological well-being. It poses a growing threat due to its racemic mixture, enantiomers, and transformation products, which have ecotoxicological effects on various organisms, including invertebrates, vertebrates, plants, and microorganisms. Furthermore, ketoprofen is bioaccumulated and biomagnified throughout the food chain, threatening the ecosystem function. Surprisingly, despite these concerns, ketoprofen is not currently considered a priority substance. While targeted eco-pharmacovigilance for ketoprofen has been proposed, data on ketoprofen as a pharmaceutical contaminant are limited and incomplete. This review aims to provide a comprehensive summary of the most recent findings (from 2017 to March 2023) regarding the global distribution of ketoprofen in the environment, its ecotoxicity towards aquatic animals and plants, and available removal methods. Special emphasis is placed on understanding how ketoprofen affects microorganisms that play a pivotal role in Earth’s ecosystems. The review broadly covers various approaches to ketoprofen biodegradation, including whole-cell fungal and bacterial systems as well as enzyme biocatalysts. Additionally, it explores the potential of adsorption by algae and phytoremediation for removing ketoprofen. This review will be of interest to a wide range of readers, including ecologists, microbiologists, policymakers, and those concerned about pharmaceutical pollution.

Acetaminophen-traces bioremediation with novel phenotypically and genotypically characterized 2 Streptomyces strains using chemo-informatics, in vivo, and in vitro experiments for cytotoxicity and biological activity

“…Taking into consideration that the bio-degradation product compounds could be further studied as new treatment modalities, they displayed good acceptable anti-microbial activity and cytotoxic bioactivity as previously reported in other studies [12,[42][43][44].…”

“…Bio-degradation secondary products of acetaminophen/paracetamol which were produced in the biological system of M33 and RS2 bacterial strains were identified using GC/Mass, which explained the presence of more than one bio-degradation product related to acetaminophen/paracetamol, cyanoacetylene, hexadecanol, dodecenamide, octadecanamide, tetrahydrocannabinol, undecanoic acid, isohexyl acrylate, and acetamide, and this was done previously using several kinds of bacteria from different sources either water or soil [ 12 ] and reported by scientists [ 42 ].…”

Laccases as Effective Tools in the Removal of Pharmaceutical Products from Aquatic Systems

“…Ketoprofen (2-(3-benzoylphenyl)propionic acid), a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug used to treat muscle and joint pain, along with conditions such as arthritis, gout, and rheumatoid osteoarthritis, has been found at concentrations as low as 0.16 ng/L in Italy [56] or as high as 260 µg/L in India [53]. The increasing concern arises from the presence of enantiomers in the racemic mixture used in pharmaceutical formulations and potential ecotoxicological effects of transformation products on various organisms, including vertebrates, invertebrates, plants, and microorganisms [57]. T. versicolor laccase (Sigma-Aldrich) demonstrated the removal of 70% of ketoprofen within a 6-h reaction [55].…”