A remedy for us, a danger for the environment. A study conducted by the University of Pisa, recently published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, has examined for the first time the effects of different concentrations of ibuprofen, a common anti-inflammatory drug widely used during the Covid-19 pandemic, on marine angiosperms, i.e. aquatic plants.
“Marine angiosperms play crucial ecological roles and provide important ecosystem services, such as protecting coastlines from erosion, storing carbon and producing oxygen, supporting biodiversity, and providing a nursery for many animal species,” explains Professor Elena Balestri of the Biology Department of the University of Pisa.
In particular, the research focused on Cymodocea nodosa (Ucria) Ascherson, a species that grows in shallow coastal areas, including close to river mouths, which are often contaminated by many pollutants, including medicines.
The experiment was carried out in mesocosms in which the plants were exposed for 12 days to concentrations of ibuprofen found in Mediterranean coastal waters. It was found out that the presence of this anti-inflammatory drug at concentrations of 0.25 and 2.5 micrograms per litre caused oxidative stress in the plant but not irreversible damage. However, at a concentration of 25 micrograms per litre, cell membranes and the photosynthetic apparatus were damaged, reducing the plant’s resistance to environmental stress.
Prairie of ‘receding’ Cymodocea nodosa Ucria Ascherson
“Our study is the first to look at the effects of anti-inflammatory drugs on seagrasses,” says Elena Balestri. “Global consumption of ibuprofen is currently estimated at more than 10,000 tonnes per year and is expected to increase further in the future. As current wastewater treatment systems are unable to remove it completely, environmental contamination will also increase accordingly”.
“In order to reduce the risk of aggravating the process of regression of marine angiosperm prairies which is already underway in many coastal areas,” concludes Balestri, “it will therefore be necessary to develop new technologies capable of reducing the input of ibuprofen and other drugs into natural habitats, establish limit concentrations of this contaminant in watercourses, and determine tolerance thresholds for organisms, not only animals but also plants”.
Overall, the University of Pisa was involved in the study through the Departments of Biology, Pharmacy and Earth Sciences, the Centre for the Integration of Scientific Instrumentation (CISUP) and the Interdepartmental Research Centre for the Study of the Effects of Climate Change (CIRSEC). In particular, the research was carried out thanks to the collaboration of three research teams. The Ecology Group, consisting of Professor Elena Balestri, Professor Claudio Lardicci and Dr Virginia Menicagli, a researcher at the Department of Biology who has been studying the impact of pollutants, including plastics, microplastics, nanoplastics and sunscreens, and climate change on marine and terrestrial plant organisms typical of the coastal strip for years. The Botany Group, with Professor Monica Ruffini Castiglione, and the Plant Physiology Group, with Dr Carmelina Spanò, Dr Stefania Bottega and Dr Carlo Sorce, studies the responses of plants to metal, micro and nanoplastic pollution. They also conduct carry out research on the biology of plants in coastal environments, in particular on the response mechanisms to stress caused by environmental factors, of both natural and anthropogenic origin. Finally, the Pharmaceutical Biology Group, consisting of Professor Marinella De Leo and Dr Emily Cioni, a PhD student at the Department of Pharmacy, is involved in the chemical study of natural products from plants.