Fogliano Chiara, Carotenuto Rosa, Agnisola Claudio, Motta Chiara Maria, Avallone Bice
Department of Biology, University of Naples "Federico II", 80126 Naples, Italy.
Biology (Basel). 2024 Oct 10;13(10):808. doi: 10.3390/biology13100808.
Benzodiazepines, a significant group of newly recognised water contaminants, are psychotropic medications prescribed for common anxiety symptoms and sleep disorders. They resist efficient degradation during sewage treatment and endure in aquatic environments. Their presence in aquatic matrices is increasing, particularly after the recent pandemic period, which has led many people to systematically use benzodiazepines to manage anxiety. In previous studies, an important interference of this class of drugs on both the larval and adult stages of some aquatic species has been demonstrated, with effects on behaviour and embryonic development. This study examined the influence of delorazepam, a diazepam metabolite, on development to gain insight into responses in naupliar larvae. Results demonstrated that treatments (1, 5, and 10 µg/L) increase the hatching percentage and induce a desynchronisation in growth. Mortality was only slightly increased (close to 10% at six days post-hatching), but lipid reserve consumption was modified, with the persistence of lipid globules at the advanced naupliar stages. Locomotory activity significantly decreased only at 10 µg/L treatment. No teratogenic effects were observed, though modest damages were noticed in the posterior trunk and eyes, two targets of environmental toxicity. The negative impact of delorazepam on adds to those already reported in other species of invertebrates and vertebrates, which are not yet considered targets of these drugs. This study underscores the need for further research and immediate attention to this class of contaminants and the importance of monitoring their presence during environmental risk assessments.
苯二氮䓬类药物是一类新发现的重要水污染物，是用于治疗常见焦虑症状和睡眠障碍的精神药物。它们在污水处理过程中难以有效降解，并在水生环境中持久存在。它们在水生基质中的存在正在增加，特别是在最近的大流行时期之后，这导致许多人系统性地使用苯二氮䓬类药物来管理焦虑情绪。在先前的研究中，已证明这类药物对一些水生物种的幼虫和成虫阶段均有重要干扰，对行为和胚胎发育产生影响。本研究考察了地洛西泮（一种地西泮代谢物）对卤虫无节幼体发育的影响，以深入了解其反应。结果表明，处理浓度为1、5和10微克/升时会提高孵化率并导致生长不同步。死亡率仅略有增加（孵化后六天接近10%），但脂质储备消耗发生了改变，在无节幼体发育后期仍有脂质球留存。仅在10微克/升处理浓度下运动活性显著降低。未观察到致畸作用，尽管在后躯干和眼睛这两个环境毒性靶点处发现了轻微损伤。地洛西泮对卤虫无节幼体的负面影响加剧了已在其他无脊椎动物和脊椎动物物种中报道的影响，而这些物种尚未被视为这类药物的作用靶点。本研究强调需要进一步研究并立即关注这类污染物，以及在环境风险评估期间监测它们存在的重要性。
