Title : Effects of non-steroidal anti inflammatory drugs on the ultrastructure and composition of autochthonous vegetables
Abstract:
In the recent years, the presence of pharmaceutical products in the environment is known under the name of “emerging contaminants” and is among the most important environmental concern at world level. Among the environmentally emerging contaminants are included the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which are one of the most relevant therapeutic classes for their properties. Therefore, we aimed to study the influence of diclofenac, ibuprofen and naproxen on plants growth. We chose three important autochthonous vegetables (Atriplex patula L., Spinacia oleracea L. and Lactuca sativa L.) that were watered with different concentrations of aqueous solution of drugs (0.1?1 mg L?1). After eight weeks exposure of the plants to NSAIDs we determined the chlorophylls and carotenoids content by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array and mass spectrometer detectors, total polyphenols and antioxidant capacity by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. Also, the ultrastructural analyses of the vegetables were performed using transmission electron microscopy in order to assess the influence of the selected NSAIDs on cellular organisms, mainly photosynthetic organisms (chloroplasts), energy supply organisms (mitochondria) and nucleus as a cellular metabolism coordinator. In general, the plants exhibited linear decreased values of chlorophylls and total polyphenols with increased NSAIDs concentrations. In comparison with the controls, the autochthonous vegetables treated with NSAIDs had irregular growth of glandular trichomes on the surface of the adaxial side of the leaves. Also, less stomata were observed, the cells had less cytoplasm, the cell walls were irregular, and the chloroplasts were irregular distributed. Such investigations contribute for a better understanding of the impact of NSAIDs on the selected vegetables.
