LC-HRMS method for study of pharmaceutical uptake in plants: effect of pH under aeroponic condition

Abstract

Global climate changes cause water scarcity in many regions, and the sustainable use of recycled water appears crucial, especially in agriculture. However, potentially hazardous compounds such as pharmaceuticals can enter the food chain and pose severe risks. This paper aims to study the presence of selected pharmaceutical active compounds (PhACs) and their metabolites in crops grown in aeroponic conditions and evaluate the potential of PhAC plant uptake. A solvent extraction with an acidified mixture of acetonitrile and water followed by LC-HRMS was developed and validated for quantifying nine pharmaceuticals and their nine metabolites in three plants. We aimed for a robust method with a wide linear range because an extensive concentration range in different matrices was expected. The developed method proved rapid and reliable determination of selected pharmaceuticals in plants in the wide concentration range of 10 to 20,000 ng g−1 and limit of detection range 0.4 to 9.0 ng g-1. The developed method was used to study the uptake and translocation of pharmaceuticals and their metabolites in plant tissues from an aeroponic experiment at three different pH levels. Carbamazepine accumulated more in the leaves of spinach than in arugula. On the other hand, sulfamethoxazole and clindamycin evinced higher accumulation in roots than in leaves, comparable in both plants. The expected effect of pH on plants’ uptake was not significant.

Effect of solution pH on root architecture of four apple rootstocks grown in an aeroponics nutrient misting system

“…Several studies have tested and confirmed the field performance of new apple rootstocks ( Russo et al., 2007 ; Autio et al., 2011 ; Autio et al., 2020 ) and one preliminary study investigated the effect of pH on leaf nutrients ( Fazio et al., 2012a ); however, there is a paucity of information on the interaction of pH levels with new apple rootstocks. Aeroponic systems have been used successfully to investigate the effects of varying pH levels on the roots of other plant species ( Svecová et al., 2023 ), resulting in a greater understanding of this interaction and development-related methodologies. One of the goals of this study was to develop and utilize aeroponic methodologies to monitor and evaluate the response of apple rootstocks grown in vivo to different solution pH values with repeated and accurate sampling and growth measurements as well as nutrient uptake.…”

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“…Several studies have tested and confirmed the field performance of new apple rootstocks (Russo et al, 2007;Autio et al, 2011;Autio et al, 2020) and one preliminary study investigated the effect of pH on leaf nutrients (Fazio et al, 2012a); however, there is a paucity of information on the interaction of pH levels with new apple rootstocks. Aeroponic systems have been used successfully to investigate the effects of varying pH levels on the roots of other plant species (Svecováet al, 2023), resulting in a greater understanding of this interaction and development-related methodologies. One of the goals of this study was to develop and utilize aeroponic methodologies to monitor and evaluate the response of apple rootstocks grown in vivo to different solution pH values with repeated and accurate sampling and growth measurements as well as nutrient uptake.…”