Year: 2026
Type: dissertation
Abstract: The occurrence of various pharmaceutical groups, such as antibiotics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), has been recorded worldwide across different environmental compartments. Their bioaccumulation may be increased by the application of treated wastewater as irrigation water to agricultural soils within the circular economy framework. This bachelor´s these aimed to determine the effects of oxytetracycline (an antibiotic) and ketoprofen (an NSAID) on non-target organisms. As model organisms, one representative of the aquatic ecosystem, Lemna minor, and two representatives of the soil ecosystem, Enchytraeus crypticus and Orthonychiurus rectopapillatus, were selected. For L. minor, organismal endpoints (number of fronds and the root length) and suborganismal enpoints (concentration of photosynthetic pigments) were studied following the exposure to the tested substance at concentrations ranging from 1 to 1000 µg/l. For the soil organisms , mortality and reproduction were studied at concentrations ranging from 1 to 100 mg/kg. For L. minor the most sensitive endpoint was proven to be the root elongation, triggering a response even at the lowest concentration for both pharmaceuticals. In terms of organismal endpoints, oxytetracycline appears to be more phytotoxic, whereas ketoprofen exhibited more toxic effects at the suborganismal level. For E. crypricus, both pharmaceuticals induced changes in both mortality and reproductivity starting from the lowest concentration, with oxytetracycline showing a stronger effect. Oxytetracycline also had a highly toxic effect on the reproduction of O. rectopapillatus, while ketoprofen has shown a weaker impact on the organism.
Author: Gábrišová, Andrea
Language: Slovak
Subfield: Pollution
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Life on land
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7164786720