Avaliação ecotoxicológica dos fármacos cloridrato de propranolol e losartana potássica, em ação individual e combinada, na macrófita lemna minor L. (1753)

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the single and joint ecotoxicological effects of the drugs propranolol hydrochloride and losartan potassium, using the Lemna minor growth inhibition test and to compare the observed effects with those predicted by the models of concentration addition and independent action. In addition, water quality criteria were derivated for the protection of aquatic life against the possible adverse effects caused by these antihypertensive drugs. The sensitivity tests were carried out employing sodium chloride as a reference substance. Ecotoxicological tests were carried out according to OECD protocol, with the modification of using photoperiod instead of continuous lighting, in order to provide conditions closer to the environmental ones. The Ecotox Database and the database of the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science were consulted for derivation of the water quality criteria and for the data predicted by quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs), respectively. With regard to the sensitivity tests, all results were within the range of acceptability at a 95% confidence level, with a mean value of median effective concentration (EC50) of 4042.6 mg.L-1. The tests with propranolol hydrochloride for the parameters frond number, total frond area and fresh weight resulted in mean EC50 values of 101.4 mg.L-1; 76.2 mg.L-1 and 84.0 mg.L-1, respectively, whereas in the tests with losartan potassium, those EC50 values were 63.9 mg.L-1, 61.3 mg.L-1 and 76.9 mg.L-1, respectively. The NOEC and LOEC values obtained in the tests with propranolol hydrochloride were 1.56 mg.L-1 and 3.1 mg.L-1, respectively, whereas in the tests with losartan potassium, these values were 0.78 mg.L-1 and 1.56 mg.L-1, respectively. Both the reference predictive models overestimated the mixture toxicity of the pharmaceuticals at all the effect concentration levels evaluated in the L. minor test. Therefore, the mixture of propranolol hydrochloride and losartan potassium showed an antagonistic interaction in the L. minor test in comparison to the predicted effects. Regarding to the water quality criteria, the values of 0.9 and 0.18 µg.L-1 of propranolol hydrochloride were calculated for the protection of pelagic organisms living in freshwater and marine ecosystems, respectively, whereas for losartan potassium, the calculated preliminary criteria for protection of pelagic organisms living in freshwater and saltwater ecosystems were 0.055 and 0.0055 µg.L-1, respectively. The results showed that losartan potassium proved to be more toxic to L. minor than propranolol hydrochloride. Furthermore, this macrophyte seemed to be more sensitive to losartan toxicity than other organisms reported in the literature. The mixture test showed that the capability of the two reference models in accurately predicting the mixture toxicity is limited. The concentrations reported of propranolol hydrochloride in aquatic environment are not usually higher than the water quality criteria values. More data on chronic test to losartan are necessary in order to derive definitive criteria.