Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as an important group of emerging environmental contaminants in irrigation water and soils can influence biochemical and physiological processes essential for growth and development in plants as non-target organisms. Plants are able to take up, transport, transform, and accumulate drugs in the roots. Root biomass in ten-days old pea plants was lowered by 6% already under 0.1 mg/L naproxen (NPX) due to a lowered number of lateral roots, although 0.5 mg/L NPX stimulated the total root length by 30% as against control. Higher section area (by 40%) in root tip, area of xylem (by 150%) or stele-to-section ratio (by 10%) in zone of maturation, and lower section area in zone of lateral roots (by 18%) prove the changes in primary root anatomy and its earlier differentiation at 10 mg/L NPX. Accumulated NPX (up to 10 μg/g DW at 10 mg/L) and products of its metabolization in roots increased the amounts of hydrogen peroxide (by 33%), and superoxide (by 62%), which was reflected in elevated lipid peroxidation (by 32%), disruption of membrane integrity (by 89%) and lowering both oxidoreductase and dehydrogenase activities (by up to 40%). Elevated antioxidant capacity (SOD, APX, and other molecules) under low treatments decreased at 10 mg/L NPX (both by approx. 30%). Naproxen was proved to cause changes at both cellular and tissue levels in roots, which was also reflected in their anatomy and morphology. Higher environmental loading through drugs thus can influence even the root function.

• Keywords
• Antioxidant defence, Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, Oxidative stress, Products of transformation, Root system structure,
• MeSH
• Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal toxicity   MeSH
• Antioxidants metabolism   MeSH
• Pisum sativum drug effects   physiology   MeSH
• Plant Roots MeSH
• Naproxen toxicity   MeSH
• Oxidative Stress drug effects   MeSH
• Hydrogen Peroxide metabolism   MeSH
• Lipid Peroxidation MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal MeSH
• Antioxidants MeSH
• Naproxen MeSH
• Hydrogen Peroxide MeSH

In recent years interest has grown in the occurrence and the effects of pharmaceuticals in the environment. The aim of this work is to evaluate the risk of fertilizing crops with manure from livestock treated with anthelmintics. The present study was designed to follow the fate of the commonly used anthelmintic drug, ivermectin (IVM) and its metabolites in soybeans (Glycine max (L.) Merr.), a plant that is grown and consumed world-wide for its high content of nutritional and health-beneficial substances. In vitro plantlets and soybean plants, cultivated in a greenhouse, were used for this purpose. Our results showed the uptake of IVM and its translocation to the leaves, but not in the pods and the beans. Four IVM metabolites were detected in the roots, and one in the leaves. IVM exposure decreased slightly the number and weight of the beans and induced changes in the activities of antioxidant enzymes. In addition, the presence of IVM affected the proportion of individual isoflavones and reduced the content of isoflavones aglycones, which might decrease the therapeutic value of soybeans. Fertilization of soybean fields with manure from IVM-treated animals appears to be safe for humans, due to the absence of IVM in beans, the food part of plants. On the other hand, it could negatively affect soybean plants and herbivorous invertebrates.

• Keywords
• anthelmintics, antioxidant enzymes, biotransformation, drug metabolites, isoflavonoids,
• MeSH
• Antioxidants metabolism   MeSH
• Antiparasitic Agents pharmacology   MeSH
• Biological Transport MeSH
• Glycine max drug effects   growth & development   metabolism   MeSH
• Isoflavones metabolism   MeSH
• Ivermectin pharmacology   MeSH
• Plant Roots drug effects   growth & development   metabolism   MeSH
• Plant Leaves drug effects   growth & development   metabolism   MeSH
• Seeds drug effects   growth & development   metabolism   MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Antioxidants MeSH
• Antiparasitic Agents MeSH
• Isoflavones MeSH
• Ivermectin MeSH

Nanomaterials, including zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs), have a great application potential in many fields, such as medicine, the textile industry, electronics, and cosmetics. Their impact on the environment must be carefully investigated and specified due to their wide range of application. However, the amount of data on possible negative effects of ZnO NPs on plants at the cellular level are still insufficient. Thus, we focused on the effect of ZnO NPs on tobacco BY-2 cells, i.e., a widely accepted plant cell model. Adverse effects of ZnO NPs on both growth and biochemical parameters were observed. In addition, reactive oxygen and nitrogen species visualizations confirmed that ZnO NPs may induce oxidative stress. All these changes were associated with the lipid peroxidation and changes in the plasma membrane integrity, which together with endoplasmatic reticulum and mitochondrial dysfunction led to autophagy and programmed cell death. The present study demonstrates that the phytotoxic effect of ZnO NPs on the BY-2 cells is very complex and needs further investigation.

• Keywords
• BY-2 cells, ZnO nanoparticles, autophagy, oxidative stress, phytotoxicity, programmed cell death,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH