REVIEW article

Front. Microbiol., 26 April 2022

Sec. Microbiotechnology

Volume 13 - 2022 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.869332

Pharmaceutical Pollution in Aquatic Environments: A Concise Review of Environmental Impacts and Bioremediation Systems

  • 1. Department of Microbiology and Genetics, Edificio Departamental, University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain

  • 2. Ecosystems and Environment Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Finland and Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

  • 3. Joint Laboratory of Applied Ecotoxicology, Korea Institute of Science and Technology Europe, Saarbrücken, Germany

  • 4. University of Manitoba, Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources, Winnipeg, MB, Canada

  • 5. Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Departamento de Microbiología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Mexico City, Mexico

  • 6. Environmental Microbiology Group, Institute of Water Research, University of Granada, Granada, Spain

  • 7. Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Granada, Granada, Spain

Article metrics

View details

305

Citations

55,5k

Views

12,3k

Downloads

Abstract

The presence of emerging contaminants in the environment, such as pharmaceuticals, is a growing global concern. The excessive use of medication globally, together with the recalcitrance of pharmaceuticals in traditional wastewater treatment systems, has caused these compounds to present a severe environmental problem. In recent years, the increase in their availability, access and use of drugs has caused concentrations in water bodies to rise substantially. Considered as emerging contaminants, pharmaceuticals represent a challenge in the field of environmental remediation; therefore, alternative add-on systems for traditional wastewater treatment plants are continuously being developed to mitigate their impact and reduce their effects on the environment and human health. In this review, we describe the current status and impact of pharmaceutical compounds as emerging contaminants, focusing on their presence in water bodies, and analyzing the development of bioremediation systems, especially mycoremediation, for the removal of these pharmaceutical compounds with a special focus on fungal technologies.

Introduction

In recent decades, the production and consumption of pharmaceutical products have rapidly increased with the development of medicine. Approximately 3,000 compounds are used as pharmaceuticals, and the annual production quantity exceeds hundreds of tons (Carvalho and Santos, 2016; Grenni et al., 2018). Anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, and analgesics are the most common drugs used around the world. Consequently, the emergence of water-soluble and pharmacologically active organic micropollutants or pharmaceutical active compounds (PhACs) has gained much attention worldwide. Humans use a variety of these pharmaceuticals for their health in everyday life, but large quantities of these drugs are also used as veterinary medicine on farms around the world, to prevent and treat animal diseases and to increase economic benefits in intensive livestock (Blanco et al., 2017; Ekpeghere et al., 2017; Gros et al., 2019; Ramírez-Morales et al., 2021).

After ingestion, pharmaceuticals are excreted in urine and feces as active substances or metabolites (Sui et al., 2015; aus der Beek et al., 2016). These pharmaceuticals are present in both influent and effluent wastewater but can also be found in surface water bodies, including freshwater ecosystems and marine environments, as well as in groundwater due to effluent leachates generated under recharge conditions (Deo, 2014; Furlong et al., 2017; Ojemaye and Petrik, 2018; Reis-Santos et al., 2018; Fekadu et al., 2019; Letsinger et al., 2019; Zainab et al., 2020). The main concern is that conventional treatment plants are ineffective in removing some of these emerging contaminants (ECs), and new techniques are being sought and studied to achieve their total elimination, particularly advances in mycoremediation (Danner et al., 2019). The importance of the study of pharmaceuticals lies in the massive increase in their consumption worldwide, as well as in the environmental repercussions that this entails, including their recalcitrance in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. In the contexts of wastewater and bioremediation, pharmaceutical compounds are considered as ECs due to the lack of regulation for their environmental disposal, as well as the lack of information regarding their long-term effects on the environment (Dhangar and Kumar, 2020; Valdez-Carrillo et al., 2020; Chaturvedi et al., 2021b; Rathi et al., 2021), which remains unknown (Barber et al., 2015; Ahmed et al., 2017). The fact that some drugs are marketed without medical prescription or pre-registration and, therefore, are widely consumed worldwide, meaning that they are widely distributed in the environment (Gil et al., 2017), has contributed to this growing problem.

Considering pharmaceuticals as ECs and the continual production of new PhACs, this review aims to comprehensively present the pharmaceuticals commonly detected in water, surface and groundwater and their adverse environmental effects. Advances in bioremediation technologies, which can be used as add-on treatments in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to reduce unprocessed pharmaceuticals released via effluent into the environment, are presented and critically discussed with an emphasis on mycoremediation.

Common Pharmaceuticals Detected in Water (Surface and Groundwater)

Pharmaceutical compounds that reach water bodies, both surface water and groundwater, came from a number of different sources (Figure 1). The first of these is urban wastewater, which contains a high load of pharmaceuticals from human excrement, and also the inadequate disposal of expired or unused drugs due to the scarce control in their management. Another major source of pharmaceuticals is agricultural and livestock waste, especially the latter, since in large farms for intensive livestock, animals are often fed with feed supplemented containing drugs and excreta are often used in agriculture as soil amendments, reaching groundwater by leaching (Kim et al., 2008; Barrios-Estrada et al., 2018). Effluents from the pharmaceutical industry are another important source, with high concentrations of pharmaceuticals being found due to discharges from factories in Asia, Europe and America, despite strict regulation of pharmaceutical production in Europe and the United States (Lin et al., 2008; Lin and Tsai, 2009; Phillips et al., 2010; Prasse et al., 2010; Sim et al., 2011; Cardoso et al., 2014). These industries are obliged to carry out treatment before discharge into the general urban sewer network (Lindberg et al., 2004; Brown et al., 2006).

FIGURE 1

FIGURE 1

Pharmaceuticals route to a body of water and bioremediation technologies. (→): Direct contamination. (⇢): Contamination through different steps. The monitoring suggests that contamination accumulates in surface water and groundwater.

Pharmaceuticals found in high concentrations in wastewater include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), β-blockers ad psychoactive compounds, analgesics, antibiotics, endocrine disruptors, antiretroviral drugs, and drugs to treat cancer (Roberts and Thomas, 2006; Gros et al., 2010; Lian et al., 2017). These are the PhACs most commonly detected due to the analytical methods available and their resolution, although new methods for identifying these compounds are increasingly being developed (Pivetta et al., 2020; Zhang et al., 2020). Table 1 shows the worldwide distribution of the drugs most commonly found in water (Supplementary Figure 1).

TABLE 1

Pharmaceutical typePharmaceuticalMax conc (ng/L)CountryReferences
NSAIDs and analgesicsNaproxen4,889MexicoRivera-Jaimes et al., 2018
NSAIDs and analgesicsAcetaminophen4,460MexicoRivera-Jaimes et al., 2018
NSAIDs and analgesicsDiclofenac1,398MexicoRivera-Jaimes et al., 2018
NSAIDs and analgesicsDiclofenac10,221Saudi ArabiaAli et al., 2017
NSAIDs and analgesicsAcetaminophen2,346Saudi ArabiaAli et al., 2017
NSAIDs and analgesicsIbuprofen2,094.4BrazilPereira et al., 2016
NSAIDs and analgesicsAcetaminophen34.6BrazilPereira et al., 2016
NSAIDs and analgesicsDiclofenac19.4BrazilPereira et al., 2016
NSAIDs and analgesicsAcetaminophen48.74Antartic PeninsulaGonzález-Alonso et al., 2017
NSAIDs and analgesicsDiclofenac15.09Antartic PeninsulaGonzález-Alonso et al., 2017
NSAIDs and analgesicsIbuprofen10.05Antartic PeninsulaGonzález-Alonso et al., 2017
NSAIDs and analgesicsIbuprofen414South KoreaKim et al., 2009
NSAIDs and analgesicsIbuprofen1,850VietnamTran et al., 2014
NSAIDs and analgesicsDiclofenac1,630VietnamTran et al., 2014
NSAIDs and analgesicsKetoprofen1,620VietnamTran et al., 2014
NSAIDs and analgesicsNaproxen1,110VietnamTran et al., 2014
NSAIDs and analgesicsAcetaminophen12,430NigeriaEbele et al., 2020
NSAIDs and analgesicsIbuprofen2,740NigeriaEbele et al., 2020
NSAIDs and analgesicsNaproxen2,120NigeriaEbele et al., 2020
NSAIDs and analgesicsDiclofenac200NigeriaEbele et al., 2020
NSAIDs and analgesicsIbuprofen121SingaporeWu et al., 2010
NSAIDs and analgesicsDiclofenac38SingaporeWu et al., 2010
NSAIDs and analgesicsNaproxen30SingaporeWu et al., 2010
NSAIDs and analgesicsIbuprofen34.9Baltic Sea/PolishBorecka et al., 2015
NSAIDs and analgesicsNaproxen13,100United States/CaliforniaVidal-Dorsch et al., 2012
NSAIDs and analgesicsIbuprofen12,000United States/CaliforniaVidal-Dorsch et al., 2012
NSAIDs and analgesicsAcetaminophen11,000United States/CaliforniaVidal-Dorsch et al., 2012
NSAIDs and analgesicsDiclofenac180United States/CaliforniaVidal-Dorsch et al., 2012
NSAIDs and analgesicsDiclofenac843ChinaYang et al., 2011
NSAIDs and analgesicsIbuprofen2,200TaiwanFang et al., 2012
NSAIDs and analgesicsDiclofenac185TaiwanFang et al., 2012
NSAIDs and analgesicsKetoprofen184TaiwanFang et al., 2012
NSAIDs and analgesicsIbuprofen143,000SpainSantos et al., 2007
NSAIDs and analgesicsKetoprofen2,100SpainSantos et al., 2007
NSAIDs and analgesicsDiclofenac280SpainSantos et al., 2007
NSAIDs and analgesicsIbuprofen1,130JapanNakada et al., 2006
NSAIDs and analgesicsKetoprofen369JapanNakada et al., 2006
NSAIDs and analgesicsIbuprofen16,500CanadaLishman et al., 2006
NSAIDs and analgesicsDiclofenac1,010CanadaLishman et al., 2006
NSAIDs and analgesicsKetoprofen289CanadaLishman et al., 2006
NSAIDs and analgesicsIbuprofen1,900United States/MarylandYu et al., 2006
NSAIDs and analgesicsKetoprofen1,200United States/MarylandYu et al., 2006
NSAIDs and analgesicsDiclofenac110United States/MarylandYu et al., 2006
NSAIDs and analgesicsDiclofenac4,114AustriaClara et al., 2005
NSAIDs and analgesicsIbuprofen2,679AustriaClara et al., 2005
NSAIDs and analgesicsIbuprofen1,400SwitzerlandTixier et al., 2003
NSAIDs and analgesicsDiclofenac990SwitzerlandTixier et al., 2003
NSAIDs and analgesicsKetoprofen180SwitzerlandTixier et al., 2003
NSAIDs and analgesicsIbuprofen3,400GermanyTernes, 1998
NSAIDs and analgesicsDiclofenac2,100GermanyTernes, 1998
NSAIDs and analgesicsKetoprofen380GermanyTernes, 1998
NSAIDs and analgesicsIbuprofen4,201United KingdomAshton et al., 2004
NSAIDs and analgesicsDiclofenac599United KingdomAshton et al., 2004
AntibioticAzithromycin597.5PortugalRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticCiprofloxacin584.9PortugalRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticClarithromycin313,2PortugalRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticTetracycline231.2PortugalRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticTrimethoprim190.6PortugalRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticOfloxacin184.9PortugalRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticClindamycin86.6PortugalRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticSulfapyridine48.8PortugalRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticCefalexin38.4PortugalRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticSulfamethoxazole30.2PortugalRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticPipemidic acid20.1PortugalRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticAzithromycin299.5SpainRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticCiprofloxacin200.3SpainRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticOfloxacin142.3SpainRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticSulfamethoxazole123.4SpainRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticClarithromycin112SpainRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticTrimethoprim102.8SpainRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticClindamycin101.4SpainRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticMetronidazole76.1SpainRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticEnrofloxacin69.4SpainRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticCefalexin65.2SpainRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticSulfapyridine63.9SpainRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticPipemidic acid30.1SpainRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticCiprofloxacin316.8CyprusRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticOfloxacin305.1CyprusRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticTrimethoprim74.2CyprusRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticSulfamethoxazole68.5CyprusRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticCefalexin66.3CyprusRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticSulfapyridine48.7CyprusRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticAzithromycin48CyprusRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticTetracycline36.9CyprusRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticClindamycin27.8CyprusRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticMetronidazole19.6CyprusRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticPipemidic acid15.2CyprusRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticClarithromycin11.9CyprusRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticOrbifloxacin6.7CyprusRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticAzithromycin266.7IrelandRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticCiprofloxacin259.8IrelandRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticClarithromycin204.4IrelandRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticTetracycline194.2IrelandRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticTrimethoprim141.3IrelandRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticAmpicillin99.4IrelandRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticSulfapyridine95.5IrelandRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticMetronidazole88.6IrelandRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticCefalexin87.6IrelandRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticOfloxacin65.4IrelandRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticClindamycin59.1IrelandRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticSulfamethoxazole53IrelandRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticNalidixic acid50.3IrelandRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticPipemidic acid18.2IrelandRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticOxolinic Acid5.3IrelandRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticAzithromycin290.4GermanyRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticCiprofloxacin230.6GermanyRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticClarithromycin123.4GermanyRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticSulfapyridine112GermanyRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticClindamycin110.7GermanyRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticTrimethoprim105GermanyRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticOfloxacin66.5GermanyRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticSulfamethoxazole34.9GermanyRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticMetronidazole20.3GermanyRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticTetracycline15.4GermanyRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticPipemidic acid11.8GermanyRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticCefalexin308FinlandRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticTrimethoprim186.7FinlandRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticAzithromycin130.7FinlandRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticSulfapyridine98.8FinlandRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticClindamycin94.2FinlandRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticTetracycline70.6FinlandRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticCiprofloxacin43.2FinlandRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticMetronidazole41.9FinlandRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticOfloxacin22.8FinlandRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticClarithromycin4.8FinlandRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticPipemidic acid4.8FinlandRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticSulfapyridine184NorwayRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticTetracycline179.2NorwayRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticCiprofloxacin159.2NorwayRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticAzithromycin149.7NorwayRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticTrimethoprim119.7NorwayRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticClindamycin97.1NorwayRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticMetronidazole93.2NorwayRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticCefalexin60.7NorwayRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticSulfamethoxazole48.6NorwayRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticOfloxacin27.1NorwayRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticClarithromycin20.8NorwayRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticPipemidic acid7,5NorwayRodriguez-Mozaz et al., 2020
AntibioticOxytetracycline2,796.6ChinaWang et al., 2017
AntibioticTetracycline1,454.8ChinaWang et al., 2017
AntibioticChlorotetracycline876.2ChinaWang et al., 2017
AntibioticSulfamethoxazole715.3ChinaWang et al., 2017
AntibioticSulfadiazine499.5ChinaWang et al., 2017
AntibioticSulfamerazine329.1ChinaWang et al., 2017
AntibioticFleroxacin309.4ChinaWang et al., 2017
AntibioticDifloxacin250.2ChinaWang et al., 2017
AntibioticSulfanomethioxine225.5ChinaWang et al., 2017
AntibioticOfloxazin203.7ChinaWang et al., 2017
AntibioticSulfadiamidine109.9ChinaWang et al., 2017
AntibioticCiprofloxacin106.2ChinaWang et al., 2017
AntibioticSulfameter6ChinaWang et al., 2017
AntibioticSulfamethoxazole2,010MexicoRivera-Jaimes et al., 2018
AntibioticTrimethoprim790MexicoRivera-Jaimes et al., 2018
AntibioticErythromycin160South AfricaMatongo et al., 2015
AntibioticCiprofloxacin14,300South AfricaAgunbiade and Moodley, 2016
AntibioticSulfaguanidine46,000South AfricaMadikizela et al., 2020
AntibioticSpiramycin38,200South AfricaMadikizela et al., 2020
AntibioticFluoroquinolones900South AfricaHendricks and Pool, 2012
AntibioticCiprofloxacin1,360South AfricaAgunbiade and Moodley, 2016
AntibioticErythromycin10,600GhanaAzanu et al., 2018
AntibioticSulfamethoxazole3,600GhanaAzanu et al., 2018
AntibioticMetronidazole363GhanaAzanu et al., 2018
AntibioticCiprofloxacin15,730GhanaAzanu et al., 2018
AntibioticErythromycin16,400TunisiaTahrani et al., 2017
AntibioticOfloxacin175TunisiaHarrabi et al., 2018
AntibioticEnrofloxacin400TunisiaHarrabi et al., 2018
AntibioticTrimethoprim7,800TunisiaTahrani et al., 2017
AntibioticSulfamethoxazole53,800MozambiqueBranchet et al., 2019
AntibioticTrimethoprim11,400MozambiqueSegura et al., 2015
AntibioticSulfamethoxazole23,300KenyaK’oreje et al., 2012
AntibioticSulfadoxin1,040KenyaK’oreje et al., 2018
AntibioticDoxycycline32,200KenyaKairigo et al., 2020
AntibioticNorfloxacin26,600KenyaKairigo et al., 2020
AntibioticTrimethoprim94,800KenyaK’oreje et al., 2012
AntibioticSulfamethoxazole5,600UgandaNantaba et al., 2020
AntibioticTrimethoprim89UgandaNantaba et al., 2020
AntibioticEnrofloxacin440NigeriaOlaitan et al., 2017
AntibioticOxytetracycline26NigeriaOlaitan et al., 2017
AntibioticCefuroxime868NigeriaOlaitan et al., 2017
AntibioticAmoxicillin272,200NigeriaEbele et al., 2020
Endocrine disruptorsDi-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate589AustraliaTan et al., 2007
Endocrine disruptorsnonylphenol335AustraliaTan et al., 2007
Endocrine disruptorsDibutyl phthalate101AustraliaTan et al., 2007
Endocrine disruptorsBisphenol A86.7AustraliaTan et al., 2007
Endocrine disruptorsBenzyl butyl phthalate75.7AustraliaTan et al., 2007
Endocrine disruptorsDiethyl phthalate36.9AustraliaTan et al., 2007
Endocrine disruptors4-tert-octylphenol23.5AustraliaTan et al., 2007
Endocrine disruptors4-cumylphenol1.9AustraliaTan et al., 2007
AntiretroviralEfavirenz37.3South AfricaMlunguza et al., 2020
AntiretroviralEmtricitabine1.47South AfricaMlunguza et al., 2020
AntiretroviralTenofovir disproxil0.25South AfricaMlunguza et al., 2020
AntiretroviralLamvudine118,970ZambiaNgumba et al., 2020
AntiretroviralZidovudine66,590ZambiaNgumba et al., 2020
AntiretroviralNevirapine1,720ZambiaNgumba et al., 2020
AntiretroviralNevirapine33,440KenyaK’oreje et al., 2012
AntiretroviralZidovudine18,300KenyaK’oreje et al., 2012
AntiretroviralLamvudine3,150KenyaK’oreje et al., 2012
AntiretroviralValacyclovir21JapanAzuma et al., 2019
AntiretroviralZidovudine564GermanyPrasse et al., 2010
AntiretroviralNevirapine32.1GermanyBoulard et al., 2018
AntiretroviralAbacavir10GermanyBoulard et al., 2018
AntiretroviralDarunavir169PolandGiebułtowicz et al., 2018
AntiretroviralZidovudine191FranceAminot et al., 2015
AntiretroviralRitonavir155FranceAminot et al., 2015
AntiretroviralLamivudine44FranceAminot et al., 2015
AntiretroviralNevirapine7.7FranceAminot et al., 2015
AntiretroviralIndinavir1.5FranceAminot et al., 2015
AntiretroviralSaquinavir0.2FranceAminot et al., 2015
AntiretroviralLamivudine507BelgiumVergeynst et al., 2015
AntiretroviralRitonavir108SwitzerlandKovalova et al., 2012
AntiretroviralLamivudine355United StatesMasoner et al., 2014
AntiretroviralAbacavir185United StatesMasoner et al., 2014
AntiretroviralNevirapine25.2United StatesFisher et al., 2016
AnticancerCapecitabine46PortugalCristóvão et al., 2021
AnticancerIfosamide44PortugalCristóvão et al., 2021
AnticancerCyclophosphamide17PortugalCristóvão et al., 2021
AnticancerTamoxifen181SpainNegreira et al., 2014
AnticancerCytarabine924CanadaVaudreuil et al., 2020
AnticancerDifluorodeoxyuridine300CanadaVaudreuil et al., 2020
AnticancerCyclophosphamide118CanadaVaudreuil et al., 2020
AnticancerMethotrexate27.3CanadaVaudreuil et al., 2020

Types of pharmaceuticals and concentrations reported in countries worldwide.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and analgesics are some of the most important groups of pharmaceutical products worldwide, with diverse chemical structures and similar therapeutic effects, having an estimated annual production of several hundred tons (Comber et al., 2018). Large amounts of anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed in human care, but they are often sold in much higher amounts without a prescription (Ternes, 2001). NSAIDs and analgesics are often combined with antibiotics in veterinary medicine for problems such as pain, inflammation, fever, osteoarthritis and arthritis, and to reduce stress (Courtheyn et al., 2002; Bártíková et al., 2016). However, these two types of pharmaceuticals have numerous adverse effects in humans, including gastrointestinal disturbances, ulceration, renal failure with increased risk of post-operative bleeding, asthma, and rare allergic reactions (Ben Maamar et al., 2017; Morelli et al., 2017; Borgeat et al., 2018; Hurtado-Gonzalez et al., 2021). Approximately 35 million people use NSAIDs every day worldwide (Yu et al., 2013), and China increased its domestic production from 41,537 t in 2013 to 46,673 t in 2017 (Yan et al., 2021). They are currently monitored in effluents worldwide to check these drug concentrations and several studies show that both NSAIDs and analgesics are commonly detected in water bodies (Balakrishna et al., 2017; Świacka et al., 2021). In Cuernavaca (Mexico), high concentrations of naproxen (732–4,889 ng/L), acetaminophen (354–4,460 ng/L), and diclofenac (258–1,398 ng/L) have been detected in samples collected in different years, in the influent and effluent of a WWTP and in the surface waters of the Apatalco River (Rivera-Jaimes et al., 2018). Furthermore, the drugs diclofenac (10,221 ng/L highest concentration detected) and acetaminophen (1234-2346 ng/L), among others, have been detected in effluents from the Red Sea (Saudi Arabia) (Ali et al., 2017). On the other hand, in Brazil, acetaminophen (17.4–34.6 ng/L), diclofenac (19.4 ng/L), and ibuprofen (326.1–2,094.4 ng/L) have been detected in the surface and bottom water samples from Santos Bay (Pereira et al., 2016). These same drugs have also been detected in surface water on the northern Antarctic Peninsula region due to increased tourism in this area, with concentrations of 48.74, 15.09, and 10.05 ng/L of acetaminophen, diclofenac, and ibuprofen, reported respectively (González-Alonso et al., 2017).

Among the pharmaceutical compounds found in wastewater, antibiotics are of the greatest concern due to their persistent nature, partial metabolism, and easy movement through ecosystems (Mukhtar et al., 2020). Antibiotic production in China was approximately 92,700 tons, 48% destined for humans and the remaining for livestock; a total of 46% active metabolites were produced (Zafar et al., 2021). The antibiotics most commonly found in wastewater are sulfonamides, quinolones, tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones, and nitroimidazoles. The total concentrations of antibiotics vary depending on the body of water, in the case of wastewater, they can range between 0.0013 and 0.0125 μg/mL, in drinking water 0.0005 and 0.0214 μg/mL and river water 0.0003 and 0.0039 μg/mL (Zhang et al., 2015; Pan and Chu, 2017; Hanna et al., 2018). Antibiotic resistance of microorganisms to antimicrobials is becoming even stronger and more widespread over time and is expected to greatly increase human morbility and mortality in the near future (Bondarczuk and Piotrowska-Seget, 2019). Antibiotics have been found in rivers all over the world, including several in Spain (Ebro, Guadarrama and Manzanares Rivers), Italy (Arno River), South Korea (Han River), Taiwan (Xindian, Gaoping, Dahan and Po River), France (Seine River), United States (Ozark River), Sweden (Hoje River), and China (Pearl, Hai, Liao and Yellow Rivers) (Peng et al., 2008, 2011; Valcárcel et al., 2011; López-Serna et al., 2013; Bilal et al., 2020).

Endocrine disruptors were defined in 2002 by the International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and by the World Health Organization (WHO) as “an exogenous substance or mixture that alters the function(s) of the endocrine system and consequently causes adverse health effects in an intact organism or population”. Among the most common endocrine disruptors are pesticides, bisphenols and natural hormones (Gore et al., 2014; Tijani et al., 2016). These substances are not removed from water by conventional treatment processes and are found in wastewater bodies in the order of nanograms to micrograms per liter (Andrade-Eiroa et al., 2016; Gröger et al., 2020; Li et al., 2020).

Antiretroviral drugs are frequently used to treat the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), an epidemic that has developed worldwide and has its epicenter in South Africa (Tompsett, 2020). As a result, millions of people have access to these drugs on a daily basis, with more than 40 different antiretroviral drugs being used for the treatment of HIV. These include abacavir, efavirenz, lamivudine, nevirapine, tenofovir, and zidovudine; many of which are used in combination (Russo et al., 2018; Mlunguza et al., 2020). As a consequence of the increase in the rate of HIV infection over the years, there has been a significant increase in the production and consumption of antiretroviral drugs worldwide (Nannou et al., 2020; Reddy et al., 2021). In addition, as consequence of the new pandemic coronavirus (COVID-19), antiretroviral drugs have also been used for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2. In some countries, such as China and Japan, clinical trials have been conducted to test the efficiency of using HIV drugs to treat COVID-19 (Reddy et al., 2021). At the moment, a scarcity of studies has dealt with this new issue. However, some studies have started to show a relevant problem that we will have in the very near future (Mupatsi, 2020).

In the coming decades, annual cancer cases are expected to increase to more than 20 million, which means an exponential increase in anticancer drugs and their subsequent release into wastewater (Ferlay et al., 2013). Most of these compounds are incompletely assimilated and metabolized by the human body, thus excreted in feces and urine. The most commonly administered anticancer drugs include cyclophosphamide, tamoxifen, ifosfamide and methotrexate, among others. These drugs have been detected in surface water, WWTP effluents and influents, and hospital effluents. Detected concentrations of cyclophosphamide range from 0.05 to 22,100 ng/L, ifosfamide 0.14–86,200 ng/L, methotrexate 1.6–4,756 ng/L, and tamoxifen 0.01–740 ng/L (Nassour et al., 2020). Several studies have detected these drugs in water masses, confirming that current water treatment systems fail to degrade them (Verlicchi et al., 2010; Cristóvão et al., 2019). Different international agencies have developed protocols for the handling and storing of pharmaceuticals to reduce their harmful effect on the environment (Bernabeu-Martínez et al., 2018). One of the main concerns is that these drugs may suffer biomagnification (Yadav et al., 2021).

Impact of Pharmaceuticals on the Environment and Living Organisms

Since almost all drugs are not completely metabolized by organisms (usually a small fraction of the active site of drug metabolic enzymes are occupied, the half-life of drugs are limited, and drugs are administrated in higher amounts than necessary to increase efficiency) (Coleman, 2020), the compounds that can cause the most damage once they are excreted and reached wastewater are PhACs. They are also called active pharmaceutical ingredients or APIs and metabolites, referring to the molecules resulting from these original compounds due to structural changes that take place in organisms. In addition, the resulting molecules are also subject to changes in the environment (such as oxidation, photolysis, or biotransformation). These changes can occur through both biotic and abiotic processes. Thus, many pharmaceutical products are biotransformed by microorganisms (Kümmerer, 2009; Wu et al., 2012). Ecotoxicologists are increasingly concerned about the worldwide detection of pharmaceutical residues in aquatic environments since their long-term toxic effects are being increasingly studied. However, it is challenging to know these effects because of the short time period these substances have been present in the environment (Nantaba et al., 2020; Ramírez-Morales et al., 2020; Gani et al., 2021).

Different studies analyzed the microbiome of wastewater where, in the case of hospitals, an abundance of anaerobes related to pathogenic threats such as Bifidobacteriales, Bacteroidales, and Clostridiales was found (Buelow et al., 2018; Ogwugwa et al., 2021; Palanisamy et al., 2021). They also noted that compared to other locations, hospital wastewater contains microorganisms with higher relative levels of antimicrobial and antibiotic resistance genes (Buelow et al., 2018). The mycobiome of hospital wastewater has also been analyzed, indicating the presence of different opportunistic phyla such as Mycosphaerella, Drechslera, Candida, or Cyphellophora (Olicón-Hernández et al., 2021), whose risk that they may acquire resistance to antibiotics is of great concern and may have great repercussions for global health.

Beta-Blocker and Psychoactives

β-blockers are a group of pharmaceuticals that are commonly detected in the environment. This is because many wastewater plants are not adapted to remove these micropollutants. Detected concentrations vary from 3 to 6,167 ng/L, which are already sufficient to cause neurotoxic and reproductive disorders in living organisms (Godlewska et al., 2021). Bisoprolol causes immobilization in Daphnia similis (Godoy et al., 2019) and mortality in fish and green algae (Fonseca et al., 2021). Propranolol causes growth and development problems in algae such as Synechococcus leopolensis and Cyclotella meneghiniana (Ferrari et al., 2004), mortality in crustacea (Ceriodaphnia dubia) (Huggett et al., 2002), and embryonic development problems in Danio rerio (Bittner et al., 2018).

Psychoactive substances affect thought, emotion, will and behavior (Jin et al., 2022). According to their pharmacological properties, psychoactive substances (including legal and illegal drugs) are opioids, cannabis, central nervous system depressants, central nervous system stimulants, hallucinogens, and tobacco (Schlüsener et al., 2015; Tanoue et al., 2019). These substances have different effects on humans, such as analgesia, anesthesia, inability to concentrate, excitement, anxiety, and mania. Jin et al. (2022) indicated that ecological risk assessment is a crucial part of research on psychoactive substances, as the current relevant literature is scarce. Due to the biological activity of such substances, there is a need for rapid improvement of risk assessment, including acute, cone and developmental toxicity, neurotoxicity, and endocrine-disrupting effects, among others, as well as the development of remediation technologies.

Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs and Analgesics

Pharmaceuticals are known to have biological effects on living organisms, but there is not enough information currently available to assess the possible ecotoxicological impacts. Below are some of the toxic and ecological risks of NSAIDs and analgesics, according to various studies and summarized in Table 2: (I) population declines of Gyps vultures in Asia due to high diclofenac concentration (Cuthbert et al., 2007); (II) diclofenac impairs prostate gland synthesis and damage to the gills, liver, and kidneys of Salmo trutta f. fario (Hoeger et al., 2005); (III) histological alterations of the kidneys and gills, cytological alterations of the liver, kidneys, and gills, and deterioration of ionic regulation in Oncorhynchus mykiss (Schwaiger et al., 2004; Triebskorn et al., 2004; Gravel et al., 2009); (IV) ibuprofen, diclofenac, naproxen and ketoprofen inhibits CYP2M in Cyprinus carpio (Thibaut et al., 2006); (V) ibuprofen change breeding pattern of Oryzias latipes (Flippin et al., 2007); (VI) ibuprofen, diclofenac, and acetaminophen cause cardiovascular abnormalities, hatch and motor behavior and interruption of oocyte maturation/ovulation in D. rerio (David and Pancharatna, 2009; Lister and Van Der Kraak, 2009; Xia et al., 2017); (VII) diclofenac alters estrogenic activity, response of specific tissue biomarkers, decreased superoxide dismutase, and glutathione reductase activities in gills, and high catalase activity and levels of lipid peroxidation in the digestive gland in Mytilus galloprovincialis (Gonzalez-Rey and Bebianno, 2014). As can be inferred, high concentrations of NSAIDs and analgesics in the environment, such as acetylsalicylic acid, acetaminophen, diclofenac, ibuprofen, and naproxen, cause serious environmental problems (Parolini, 2020). In addition to fish, the main organisms affected are invertebrates, including arthropods, mollusks, cnidarians and rotifers (Parolini, 2020). NSAIDs also affect the plant growth of species such as Pisum sativum and Vigna unguiculata (Svobodníková et al., 2020; Wijaya et al., 2020; Table 2).

TABLE 2

Pharmaceutical typeImpactReferences
β-blockers (bisoprolol)Inmobilization in Daphnia similisGodoy et al., 2019
β-blockers (bisoprolol)Mortality in green algaeFonseca et al., 2021
β-blockers (bisoprolol)Mortality in fishFonseca et al., 2021
β-blockers (propanolol)Growth and development problems in algae such as Synechococcus leopolensis and Cyclotella meneghinianaFerrari et al., 2004
β-blockers (propanolol)Mortality in crustacea (Ceriodaphnia dubia)Huggett et al., 2002
β-blockers (propanolol)Embryonic development problems in Danio rerioBittner et al., 2018
NSAIDs and analgesics (Acetaminophen)Cardiovascular abnormalities, hatch and motor behavior and interruption of oocyte maturation/ovulation in Danio rerioDavid and Pancharatna, 2009; Lister and Van Der Kraak, 2009; Xia et al., 2017
NSAIDs and analgesics (Diclofenac)Population declines of Gyps vulturesCuthbert et al., 2007
NSAIDs and analgesics (Diclofenac)Prostate gland synthesis and damage to the gills, liver, and kidneys of Salmo trutta f. farioHoeger et al., 2005
NSAIDs and analgesics (Diclofenac)Histological alterations of the kidneys and gills, cytological alterations of the liver, kidneys, and gills, and deterioration of ionic regulation in Oncorhynchus mykissSchwaiger et al., 2004; Triebskorn et al., 2004; Gravel et al., 2009
NSAIDs and analgesics (Diclofenac)Inhibits CYP2M in Cyprinus carpioThibaut et al., 2006
NSAIDs and analgesics (Diclofenac)Cardiovascular abnormalities, hatch and motor behavior and interruption of oocyte maturation/ovulation in Danio rerioDavid and Pancharatna, 2009; Lister and Van Der Kraak, 2009; Xia et al., 2017
NSAIDs and analgesics (Diclofenac)Alteration of estrogenic activity, response of specific tissue biomarkers, decreased superoxide dismutase and glutathione reductase activities in gills, and high catalase activity and levels of lipid peroxidation in the digestive gland in Mytilus galloprovincialisGonzalez-Rey and Bebianno, 2014
NSAIDs and analgesics (Ibuprofen)Inhibits CYP2M in Cyprinus carpioThibaut et al., 2006
NSAIDs and analgesics (Ibuprofen)Change breeding pattern of Oryzias latipesFlippin et al., 2007
NSAIDs and analgesics (Ibuprofen)Cardiovascular abnormalities, hatch and motor behavior and interruption of oocyte maturation/ovulation in Danio rerioDavid and Pancharatna, 2009; Lister and Van Der Kraak, 2009; Xia et al., 2017
NSAIDs and analgesics (Ibuprofen)Reduce the shoot and root lengths, fresh and dry weights, leaf area, and chlorophyll a and b, carotenoid, total chlorophyll, mineral (K and Mg), glutathione reductase, and soluble protein contents of Vigna unguiculataWijaya et al., 2020
NSAIDs and analgesics (Ketoprofen)Inhibits CYP2M in Cyprinus carpioThibaut et al., 2006
NSAIDs and analgesics (Naproxen)Inhibits CYP2M in Cyprinus carpioThibaut et al., 2006
NSAIDs and analgesics (Naproxen)Pisum sativumSvobodníková et al., 2020
AntibioticsAlgae and aquatic plants are severely affectedBrain et al., 2008; Brausch et al., 2012
AntibioticsBlock the electron chain of photosystems II and increase oxidative stress (photosynthesis inhibitors)Nie et al., 2013
AntibioticsBacteria seem to be developing resistance to antibacterial substances due to exposure to low concentrations over several generationsKollef et al., 2017; Willyard, 2017; García et al., 2020; Wang et al., 2020;
AntibioticsHydra attenuata show relatively low toxicityWollenberger et al., 2000; Kołodziejska et al., 2013; Minguez et al., 2016
AntibioticsCrustaceans such as Artemia salina, Daphnia magna, and Ceriodaphnia dubia show relatively low acute toxicityWollenberger et al., 2000; Kołodziejska et al., 2013; Minguez et al., 2016
AntibioticsInvertebrates such as Hydra attenuata and crustaceans such as Artemia salina, Daphnia magna, and Ceriodaphnia dubia show relatively low acute toxicity in the presence of antibioticsWollenberger et al., 2000; Kołodziejska et al., 2013; Minguez et al., 2016
Endocrine disruptorsBlock or imitate the natural hormones responsible for the functioning of some organs, in both humans and animalsVieira et al., 2020
Endocrine disruptorsAlter the reproductive systemHeindel et al., 2015; Braun, 2017; Nadal et al., 2017
Endocrine disruptorsCause Alzheimer’s diseaseHeindel et al., 2015; Braun, 2017; Nadal et al., 2017
Endocrine disruptorsThyroid problemsHeindel et al., 2015; Braun, 2017; Nadal et al., 2017
Endocrine disruptorsObesity and/or cancerHeindel et al., 2015; Braun, 2017; Nadal et al., 2017
Endocrine disruptorsAffected the reproductive systemVieira et al., 2020
Endocrine disruptorsLevels of vitellogenin and hatchabilityVieira et al., 2020
Anticancer drugsCytotoxic, genotoxic, mutagenic, and teratogenic effects in any eukaryotic organismKümmerer et al., 2000; Johnson et al., 2008
Anticancer drugsGroups at greatest risk are children, pregnant women, and the elderlyRowney et al., 2009
Anticancer drugsCaused histopathological changes in the liver and kidney and impaired the integrity of their DNA, introducing massive changes in the entire transcriptome in Danio rerioKovács et al., 2015; Gajski et al., 2016
Antiretroviral drugsResistant strains of HIV can be created in the body through exposure to water contaminated with these drugsDaouk et al., 2015; Ncube et al., 2018
Antiretroviral drugsAnemiaNcube et al., 2018
Antiretroviral drugsNauseaNcube et al., 2018
Antiretroviral drugsHypersensitivityNcube et al., 2018
Antiretroviral drugsNephrotoxicity and renal failureNcube et al., 2018
Antiretroviral drugsRashNcube et al., 2018

Impact of pharmaceuticals on the environment and humans.

Antibiotics

Due to the continuous introduction of antibiotics into the environment, aquatic and soil organisms are chronically exposed to these drugs (Gothwal and Shashidhar, 2015; Bengtsson-Palme and Larsson, 2016). Moreover, because they are active at very low concentrations, they have a toxic effect on organisms, and there is a synergistic effect when they are present together with other drugs and/or xenobiotic compounds (González-Pleiter et al., 2013). Algae and aquatic plants are severely affected by antibiotics (Brain et al., 2008; Brausch et al., 2012). Many of them have been found to be photosynthesis inhibitors, as they can block the electron chain of photosystems II and increase oxidative stress (Nie et al., 2013). However, microorganisms, including bacteria and fungi, are developing resistance to antibacterial substances due to exposure to low concentrations over several generations (Kollef et al., 2017; Willyard, 2017; García et al., 2020; Wang et al., 2020). Invertebrates such as Hydra attenuata and crustaceans such as Artemia salina, Daphnia magna, and Ceriodaphnia dubia show relatively low acute toxicity in the presence of antibiotics (Wollenberger et al., 2000; Kołodziejska et al., 2013; Minguez et al., 2016). On the other hand, in fish, acute toxicity was only found at high concentrations, but there were cases in which no toxicity was observed (Santos et al., 2010; Brausch et al., 2012; Minguez et al., 2016; Table 2). The other major problem is antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), which are genes that confer antibiotic resistance to bacteria, and can proliferate through the reproduction of antibiotic-resistant bacteria from the host or through horizontal gene transfer, are present in the environment, and thus considered as emerging environmental contaminants (Nadimpalli et al., 2020; Hu et al., 2021). Although treated wastewater contains significantly lower amounts of ARGs than untreated wastewater, several studies show that aquatic environments downstream of treatment plants can increase the amounts of ARGs because they are carried by mobile genetic elements, such as conjugative plasmids, integrative and conjugative elements, and transposons and integrons (Amos et al., 2018; Freeman et al., 2018; Jäger et al., 2018; Karkman et al., 2018; Liu et al., 2018). These effective carriers of ARGs could confer multi-resistance. One of the most detected genetic components in both effluents and aquatic environments is Class 1 integron-integrase gene (intI1) associated more frequently with ARGs and involved in horizontal gene transfer (Gillings et al., 2015; Cacace et al., 2019).

Endocrine Disruptors

Endocrine disruptors seriously affect both human and animal health, as they act directly on the endocrine system and block or mimic the natural hormones responsible for the functioning of some organs (Vieira et al., 2020). These substances have been studied extensively in humans, nevertheless, much less in the environment. It is known that they can alter the reproductive system, cause Alzheimer’s disease, thyroid problems, obesity and/or cancer (prostate, breast or endometrium cancer), among others (Heindel et al., 2015; Forte et al., 2016, 2019; Braun, 2017; Nadal et al., 2017; Marotta et al., 2019). In natural ecosystems, the reproductive system is also affected, as well as the levels of vitellogenin and hatchability and thus feminization with the consequent threat to the preservation of biodiversity (Vieira et al., 2020; Akhbarizadeh et al., 2021; Table 2).

Antiretrovirals

In contrast to other pharmaceuticals, antiretrovirals, despite being abundant in wastewater, are poorly monitored, although some studies report on them (Ngumba et al., 2016; Abafe et al., 2018; Rimayi et al., 2018; Mosekiemang et al., 2019; Mtolo et al., 2019). These drugs could pass through treated wastewater in WWTPs, reach drinking water sources, and cause serious ecotoxicological problems for human health (Hawkins, 2010; Ncube et al., 2018; Mlunguza et al., 2020). Currently, the greatest concern is that resistant strains of HIV can be created in the body through exposure to water contaminated with these drugs (Daouk et al., 2015; Ncube et al., 2018; Table 2).

Anticancer Drugs

Although anticancer drugs are designed to eliminate fast-growing cells, such as tumor cells, many of these drugs are not selective (Chari, 2008). This means that in addition to attacking healthy cells, they can cause cytotoxic, genotoxic, mutagenic, and teratogenic effects, i.e., cause adverse effects in any eukaryotic organism (Kümmerer et al., 2000; Johnson et al., 2008). For this reason, anticancer drugs are considered to be of great environmental concern, and especially the groups at greatest risk are children, pregnant women, and the elderly (Rowney et al., 2009). It has been shown that chronic exposure of two generations of D. rerio to anticancer drugs caused histopathological changes in the liver and kidney and impaired the integrity of their DNA, introducing massive changes in the entire transcriptome (Kovács et al., 2015; Gajski et al., 2016; Table 2).

Residues of pharmaceuticals in the environment typically occur as complex mixtures and even if the concentrations of an individual compound are low, the “cocktail effect” could be of significant ecotoxicological importance (Heath et al., 2016). To date, many works have focused on the study of individual organisms and analyzed a single drug or several drugs as a whole, but there are no works studying the impact of drugs on several populations simultaneously. This would provide essential information on ecotoxicity and the “domino effect” that affects individuals in a trophic chain since, in addition to bioaccumulation, the chain could be broken because a drug lethally affects a group of individuals.

Development of Bioremediation Technologies

Improving technologies for drug elimination from wastewater is an important task since pharmaceuticals have been detected in effluent from WWTPs and consequently surface water, groundwater, and drinking water globally (Bartolo et al., 2021). Although the pharmaceuticals are found in concentrations ranging from the nanogram to microgram per liter, which is too low to cause acute toxicity, they are biologically active compounds that have the potential for chronic toxicity, bioaccumulation, and biomagnification (Ruan et al., 2020). Additionally, microplastics have been shown to serve as vectors for pharmaceuticals (Santos et al., 2021), thus increasing the exposure potential. Because of incomplete elimination during conventional wastewater treatment (Reyes et al., 2021) and the potential risk posed to the environment, as discussed above, there has been pronounced interest in developing alternative treatments in recent years, specifically the biological transformation of these pollutants as a green technology (Domaradzka et al., 2015). The future inclusion of bioremediation technologies in traditional WWTP treatments is progressive as it will result in the detoxification of hazardous substances, it is less disruptive to the environment than harsh oxidative chemicals, and more cost-efficient. With perseverance, research into optimization could result in the complete eradication of target pollutants, rooting out release into the environment.

The wastewaters containing PhACs and their metabolites reaching WWTPs are commonly treated via purification systems. The potential of drug remediation via biological treatment utilizing microbes has been demonstrated (Kebede et al., 2018). Biological systems are often used in conjunction with advanced treatments and combined with conventional activated sludge (CAS) systems due to limitations associated with the process (Crini and Lichtfouse, 2019). Advanced biological treatments include modified CAS, aerobic granular systems, moving bed bioreactors (MBBRs), anammox systems, and membrane bioreactors (MBRs) (Grassi et al., 2012). However, some of these processes, such as MBRs, could result in the generation of biosolids or sewage sludge as byproducts of required maintenance. Sewage sludge, after different stabilization processes such as thermophilic anaerobic digestion, continues onto different processes, such as composting, which could facilitate the transfer of PhACs and their metabolites into various trophic levels of the food web when used as a soil amendment (Marcoux et al., 2013).

Bioremediation, utilizing native microbial monocultures or consortia or bioaugmentation, has been used for decades as a sustainable technology to manage anthropogenic pollution (Ahumada-Rudolph et al., 2021). The advantages of bioremediation include less input of hazardous chemicals, energy, and time, and it is cheap relative to other technologies (Azubuike et al., 2016). The major benefit of bioremediation is that the pollutant is chemically transformed and not only shifted from one environment to another (Mashi, 2013). However, a significant criticism of bioremediation has been that the remediation speed does not meet the requirements for the treatment capacity. Nonetheless, considering the benefits of the approach, attempts on optimizing the efficiency and decreasing retention times are being made and are reviewed below for mycoremediation. Developments in phyto- and phycoremediation of pharmaceuticals have been reported and recently reviewed (Vilvert et al., 2017; Rao et al., 2019; Kaloudas et al., 2021; Kurade et al., 2021) and thus, not included here.

Bacterial remediation has been reviewed to some extent (Shah and Shah, 2020), and, therefore, a brief overview of previously undiscussed advances are included here alongside mycoremediation. Bacterial communities have the ability to degrade and mineralize many xenobiotic compounds and have thus been used for centuries in wastewater-activated sludge (Xu et al., 2018). Bioremediation technologies have been advanced by studies elucidating the importance of facilitating biofilm growth in achieving maximum efficiency and community stability and survival (Edwards and Kjellerup, 2013). The majority of the available literature on bacterial remediation has focused on the aerobic degradation of pharmaceuticals by individual bacteria or consortia in which oxygenases are reported to be involved (Ferreira et al., 2018). Activated sludge, in which an uncharacterized bacterial consortium in suspension is responsible for the remediation, is one of the most widely used biological methods to treat pharmaceutical wastewater at a large scale (Bis et al., 2019). However, due to operational issues associated with the development of large amounts of sludge, research has been invested in developing bespoke bacterial consortia for remediation, including microalgae and bacterial-microalgae consortia (Mamta et al., 2020).

In the environment, fungi are excellent decomposers through the nonspecific nature of enzymes, both intracellular and extracellularly secreted, which exhibit significant capabilities to degrade organic material (Rouches et al., 2016). More specifically, the ligninolytic (including peroxidases and laccases) and cytochrome P450 systems have been proven to be involved in the exceptional capacity of white-rot fungi to degrade recalcitrant pollutants (Park and Choi, 2020). The nonspecific nature of these enzymes also makes them an ideal approach to deal with the diverse chemical structures of the many classes of pharmaceuticals. Many fungal species are also hyperaccumulators, capable of absorbing and bioaccumulating xenobiotics from their environment, as demonstrated by the ability of mushrooms (Braeuer et al., 2020). Furthermore, fungi are known for their capacities to adapt to severe environmental constraints (Jiao and Lu, 2020), making them more tolerant to environmental changes than other bioremediation organisms. Thus, mycoremediation, which results in the reduced toxicity of wastewater (Jelic et al., 2012; Akhtar and Mannan, 2020), offers a comparatively cost-effective, eco-friendly, and effective approach to pollution remediation.

Macromycetes, aka mushrooms or polypores, were previously proven efficient in remediating various pharmaceuticals (Migliore et al., 2012; Cruz-Morató et al., 2014), including β-blockers and psychoactive drugs, anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics and hormones (Table 3). Mostly, investigations into the efficiency of fungi to remediate pharmaceuticals have been performed in flask batch experiments with white-rot fungi, especially Trametes versicolor, which exhibited impressive capacities for eliminating a vast range of pharmaceuticals. In bioreactors-based studies, T. versicolor was equally efficient, able to degrade various pharmaceuticals, including codeine, diazepam, carbamazepine, and metoprolol (Asif et al., 2017). The role of redox-mediators has also been extensively studied in improving the performance of laccase-based treatments (Ashe et al., 2016; Shao et al., 2019), including the treatment of pharmaceuticals (Nguyen et al., 2013; Vasiliadou et al., 2019). Studies employing filamentous micromycetes have shown potential for pharmaceutical remediation from wastewaters as reviewed by Olicón-Hernández et al. (2017) but are limited compared to the literature on macromycetes (Table 3). The efficiency of bacteria and fungi to remediate different classes of pharmaceuticals is discussed in more detail below.

TABLE 3

PharmaceuticalSpeciesExperimental typeContact time (days)Start conc
(mg/L)
Efficiency (%)References
Macromycetes
CarbamazepineTrametes versicolorLab, flask6994Jelic et al., 2012
70.0561
T. versicolorAir pulsed fluidized bed reactor-batch20.296Jelic et al., 2012
T. versicolorAir pulsed fluidized bed reactor–cont.250.254
Pleurotus ostreatusLab, flask70.0468Buchicchio et al., 2016
DiclofenacT. versicolorCont. membrane reactor10.3-1.555Yang et al., 2013
OfloxacinT. versicolorLab, flask71080Gros et al., 2014
Fluidized air pulse bioreactor sterile80.0398.5
Fluidized air pulse bioreactor nonsterile50.00399
Irpex lacteusLab, flask1010100Čvanv̌arová et al., 2015
Cefuroxime axetilImleria badiaLab, flask7400, 1000, 1600100Dąbrowska et al., 2018
Lentinula edodesLab, flask7400, 1000, 1600100
OxacillinLeptosphaerulina sp.Lab, flask616100Copete-Pertuz et al., 2018
CloxacillinLeptosphaerulina sp.Lab, flask717.5100
DicloxacillinLeptosphaerulina sp.Lab, flask819100
ClarithromycinP. ostreatusLab, flask70.0000355Buchicchio et al., 2016
OxytetracyclineP. ostreatusLab, flask1450, 100100Migliore et al., 2012
FlumequineI. lacteusLab, flask1010100Čvanv̌arová et al., 2015
CiprofloxacinI. lacteusLab, flask1010100
TestosteroneL. edodesLab, flask21100000, 200000100Muszyńska et al., 2018
17α-EthinylestradiolL. edodesLab, flask21400, 800100
L edodes (stalk)Bioabsorption0.022100de Jesus Menk et al., 2019
L. edodes (substrate)Bioabsorption0.02280
Agaricus bisporus (stalk)Bioabsorption0.022100
Micromycetes
CarbamazepineTrichoderma harzianumLab, flask70.00472Buchicchio et al., 2016
Phanerochaete chrysosporiumBioreactor, nonsterile100580Zhang and Geißen, 2012
Continuously stirred bioreactor500.563Rodarte-Morales et al., 2012b
DiclofenacPenicillium oxalicumLab, flask129100Olicón-Hernández et al., 2019
Mucor hiemalisLab, flask60.0597Esterhuizen-Londt et al., 2017
P. chrysosporiumFed-batch stirred bioreactor10.899Rodarte-Morales et al., 2012a
Continuously stirred bioractor1193Rodarte-Morales et al., 2012b
AcetaminophenM. hiemalisLab, flask10.02< 50Esterhuizen-Londt et al., 2016b,a
P. chrysosporiumLab, flask70.2599Esterhuizen et al., 2021
IbuprofenP. chrysosporiumFed-batch stirred bioreactor0.630.899Rodarte-Morales et al., 2012a
Continuously stirred bioractor1193Rodarte-Morales et al., 2012b
NaproxenP. chrysosporiumFed-batch stirred bioreactor10.899Rodarte-Morales et al., 2012a
Continuously stirred bioractor3190Rodarte-Morales et al., 2012b
ClarithromycinT. harzianumLab, flask70.0000357Buchicchio et al., 2016
OxytetracyclinePenicillium communeLab, flask1525068Ahumada-Rudolph et al., 2021
Epicoccum nigrum,Lab, flask1525076
Trichoderma harzianumLab, flask1525077
Aspergillus terreusLab, flask1525074
Beauveria bassianaLab, flask1525078
ErythromycinPenicillium oxalicum RJJ-2Lab, flask410084Ren et al., 2021
17 β-estradiol (E2)Trichoderma citrinoviride AJAC3Lab, flask4200100Chatterjee and Abraham, 2019

Summary of fungal remediation studies on the removal efficiency of single PhAC.

Beta-Blockers and Psychoactive Drugs

Carbamazepine, which is not adequately eliminated via standard wastewater treatments and is thus frequently detected in the environment (Ekpeghere et al., 2018), has been reported to be degraded by the macromycete T. versicolor. By employing T. versicolor, Jelic et al. (2012) achieved 94% degradation of carbamazepine (9 mg/L) after six days in flask experiments. With a reduced concentration (50 μg/L), Jelic et al. (2012) reported a lower remediation percentage of 61% achieved in seven days. The same group evaluated the fungus’s remediation efficiency of carbamazepine in an air pulsed fluidized bed bioreactor operated in batch and continuous mode. In batch mode, 96% of the drug was eliminated after 2 days, with higher efficiency achieved in the bioreactor than in flasks explained by glucose addition, pH management and air supplementation. In continuous mode, carbamazepine was reduced by 54% in the outflow compared to the inflow concentration of 200 μg/L (Jelic et al., 2012). With Pleurotus ostreatus, another white-rot fungus, 68% carbamazepine was degraded in liquid culture after seven days with no further degradation after this time (Buchicchio et al., 2016).

The filamentous fungus Trichoderma harzianum was able to degrade 72% of environmentally detected concentrations of carbamazepine (4 μg/L) (Buchicchio et al., 2016), which was superior compared to the polypore P. ostreatus. In a non-sterile bioreactor, Phanerochaete chrysosporium was able to degrade up to 80% of 5 mg/L carbamazepine when supplied with a diluted synthetic feed (Zhang and Geißen, 2012). In a fed-batch stirred bioreactor, P. chrysosporium removed yo to 60% carbamazepine (0.5 mg/L); however, it was unable to degrade diazepam (0.25–0.5 mg/L) (Rodarte-Morales et al., 2012a). In a fixed bed reactor, where the pellets of P. chrysoporium were immobilized in polyurethane, the remediation efficiency of carbamazepine and diazepam was significantly improved (Rodarte-Morales et al., 2012b).

Even though nearly complete remediation of some beta-blockers and psychoactive drugs could be achieved in flask and lab bioreactor scale experiments, large or even pilot scale studies are needed to comprehensively evaluate the effect of upscaling on the remediation efficiency and the cost-effectiveness of using fungi for these drugs as an add-on treatment in WWTPs.

Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs and Analgesics

Bioremediation using bacterial monocultures for the treatment of NSAIDs has not to date been successful (Wojcieszyńska et al., 2014). Some studies have shown the elimination of NSAIDs by bacterial consortia in WWTPs. One study showed that eliminating acetaminophen in an MBR was mainly associated with heterotrophic bacteria. They concluded that using a microbial consortium in an MBR could be complimentary for post-treating effluents from treatment plants containing pharmaceutical products (De Gusseme et al., 2011). However, as seen with the consortia in CAS treatments, which are unidentified and often change in conjunction with the wastewater being treated, consortia in bioreactors may also change, resulting in decreased efficiency. To further explore the use of bacterial consortia in bioreactors, long-term studies need to be conducted on-site in WWTPs to evaluate the composition and stability of the bacterial assemblage, and it should be modeled how shifts could influence remediation.

In terms of mycoremediation, T. versicolor has shown very promising results in the remediation of NSAIDs (Asif et al., 2017; Tińma et al., 2021). In a continuous MBR (with a hydraulic retention time of one day), T. versicolor eliminated 55% of diclofenac added at concentrations ranging from 0.3 to 1.5 mg/L (Yang et al., 2013). Another fungus that demonstrated the potential to degrade anti-inflammatory drugs is the edible fungus Lentinula edodes (shiitake mushroom). The degradation products of piroxicam produced by L. edodes degradation has already been described (Muszyńska et al., 2019); however, the remediation percentage was not reported.

Penicillium oxalicum was capable of totally degrading diclofenac in 24 h, starting from an initial concentration of 29.6 mg/L (100 μM) (Olicón-Hernández et al., 2019). For Mucor hiemalis f. irnsingii (DSM 14200; Zygomycota), a strain isolated from a groundwater source in Germany, the diclofenac (10–50 μg/L) removal percentages ranged between 90 and 97% after 6 days (Esterhuizen-Londt et al., 2017). The same micromycete was also employed for the remediation of acetaminophen. After 24 h of exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of acetaminophen (up to 20 μg/L), M. hiemalis was able to degrade up to 50% (Esterhuizen-Londt et al., 2016b,a). However, after 24 h, diclofenac remediation halted; nevertheless, pH maintenance could overcome this (Esterhuizen et al., 2021). The acetaminophen remediation efficiency of Phanerochaete chrysosporium (97 and 99% of 250 μg/L APAP after 3 and 7 days, respectively) was far superior to that of M. hiemalis, and co-cultivation of the two species resulted in a decreased remediation efficiency compared to P. chrysosporium in single (Esterhuizen et al., 2021).

Furthermore, Olicón-Hernández et al. (2020) studied the degradation of a mixture of acetaminophen, diclofenac, ibuprofen, ketoprofen and naproxen with P. oxalicum, starting from an initial concentration of 50 μM of each compound in both flasks and bench fluidized bioreactors. P. oxalicum showed higher degradation percentages in the bioreactor than at the flask scale. The authors reported that with glucose addition in the fluidized bed bioreactor, degradation of all drugs was complete after eight days (Olicón-Hernández et al., 2020).

In a fed-batch stirred bioreactor, P. chrysosporium oxidatively degraded up to 99% of diclofenac, ibuprofen, and naproxen each at a concentration of 0.8 mg/L (Rodarte-Morales et al., 2012a). However, in continuously stirred bioreactors, P. chrysosporium degraded diclofenac, ibuprofen, and naproxen (1 mg/L each) up to 95%.

With these preliminary flask and laboratory-scale reactor experiments, the potential of using mycoremediation to treat NSAIDs is highlighted. However, data on the performance of the fungi in WWTPs is lacking, making a consequential evaluation impossible. A potential issue that may arise in practice is the need for maintenance and controlled conditions, as highlighted by the study conducted by Esterhuizen et al. (2021), which showed the need for maintaining pH conditions.

To overcome the limitations of monocultures for the remediation of these pollutants, the use of microorganism-consortia has been explored. Consortia of microorganisms that complement each other could improve biological wastewater treatment technologies significantly. For example, Nguyen et al. (2013) found that a mixed bacterial culture in conjunction with T. versicolor in an augmented MBR better degraded PhACs than a system containing the fungus or bacteria alone (Nguyen et al., 2013). In addition, bioaugmentation technologies using adapted fungi, such as P. oxalicum, have proven an interesting technology to overcome the problem of competition with autochthonous microbiota, as demonstrated by Olicón-Hernández et al. (2021). However, more data are needed to define complementary species since the study by Esterhuizen et al. (2021) revealed that co-culture of certain species could reduce the remediation efficiency.

Antibiotics

In general, low remediation efficiencies for most antibiotics from wastewaters have been reported using CAS treatment (Chaturvedi et al., 2021a; Zou et al., 2022). Thus, CAS could be applied to treat some antibiotics; however, not all. More recently, increased antibiotic removal percentages have been reported with anoxic/anaerobic/oxic granular and suspended activated sludge processes, specifically with sulfamethoxazole (Kang et al., 2018). The shortcoming could be improved by supplementing the sludge with bacteria capable of better remediation or even mixing treatments and complementing CAS with mycoremediation with macromycetes has been proven to be very effective for antibiotics.

T. versicolor, in flask experiments, degraded the antibiotic ofloxacin (10 mg/L) with 80% efficiency. When upscaled to 10 L fluidized air-pulse bioreactors, ofloxacin spiked into hospital waste was removed by 98.5% under sterile conditions and 99% under nonsterile conditions (Gros et al., 2014).

Buchicchio et al. (2016) reported the elimination of 55% clarithromycin (0.03 μg/L) by edible mushroom P. ostreatus and 57% by the micromycete T. harzianum. In flask experiments, P. ostreatus could also eliminate oxytetracycline (50 and 100 mg/L) after 14 days (Migliore et al., 2012). The antifungal drugs bifonazole and clotrimazole were also bioaccumulated and eliminated by the mycelia of the edible fungus Lentinus edodes (Kryczyk-Poprawa et al., 2019). In flask experiments, the cephalosporin antibiotic cefuroxime axetil was entirely eradicated by both the edible mushrooms Imleria badia and L. edodes within seven days at all concentrations tested (400, 1,000, 1,600 mg/L) (Dąbrowska et al., 2018).

Leptosphaerulina sp. removed oxacillin (16 mg/L, in 6 days), cloxacillin (17.5 mg/L, in 7 days) and dicloxacillin (19 mg/L, in 8 days) from water in flask experiments by the action of laccase and peroxidase. With synthetic hospital waste, oxacillin was reduced by 60% within two days and wholly eradicated after six days by the Leptosphaerulina sp. (Copete-Pertuz et al., 2018).

In a comparative study investigating the degradation efficiencies of five ligninolytic fungi, the polypore Irpex lacteus degraded the fluoroquinolone antibiotic flumequine, ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin effectively within six days (Èvanèarová et al., 2013; Čvanv̌arová et al., 2015). I. lacteus also removed the residual antibacterial activity of norfloxacin and ofloxacin via the action of manganese peroxidase (Čvanv̌arová et al., 2015).

Ahumada-Rudolph et al. (2021) evaluated fifty fungal isolates from sediments of salmon hatcheries for their oxytetracycline remediation abilities. The filamentous fungi Penicillium commune, Epicoccum nigrum, T. harzianum, Aspergillus terreus, and Beauveria bassiana were identified as having the best remediation rates amounting to a maximum of 78% removal of a 250 mg/L oxytetracycline concentration in flask experiments (Ahumada-Rudolph et al., 2021). P. oxalicum RJJ-2 has also been studied in the degradation of erythromycin and degraded 84.88% erythromycin after 96-h incubation used as the sole carbon source producing different metabolites (Ren et al., 2021).

The studies on the efficiency to remove antibiotics reported to date have focused on the efficiency under set conditions. However, in a WWTP, environmental conditions and even the water’s parameter would fluctuate from time to time. How this could affect the remediation efficiency and fungal longevity over time is unknown. Nevertheless, this information could be essential in evaluating this technique’s applicability in the field. It is importante to note the relevance of the use of fungi in removing antibiotics since bacteria can adquire rapidly antibiotic resistance genes during bioremediation and contribute to the widespread of ARGs.

Endocrine Disruptors

The fate of estrogenic hormones treated via activated sludge systems in full-scale WWTPs was reviewed by Hamid and Eskicioglu (2012). Activated sludge systems with nutrient removal achieved more than 90% degradation in most studies (Hamid and Eskicioglu, 2012).

Degradation of testosterone and 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) by the fungus L. edodes was reported by Muszyńska et al. (2018), with no testosterone or 17α-ethynylestradiol detected after 21 days (Muszyńska et al., 2018). Interestingly, the white-rot fungus P. ostreatus HK 35, in the presence of the natural water microbiota of a WWTP, degraded up to 90% of 17β-estradiol (E2) within 12 days in various bioreactor sizes and under different regimes (Křesinová et al., 2018). The micromycete Trichoderma citrinoviride AJAC3 degraded 99.6% 17 β-estradiol (E2) (at a starting concentration of 200 mg/L) after four days attributed to the secretion of ligninolytic enzymes (Chatterjee and Abraham, 2019). A study investigating the efficiency of mycoremediation to remove 17 β-estradiol (E2) from poultry litter found that the polypore Pycnoporus sp. SYBC-L3 could remove up to 78.4% via solid-state cultivation supplemented with citric acid and lignocellulosic biomasses to boost laccase activity (Liu et al., 2016), an approach that could be tested for increasing remediation from wastewaters.

Even though the hormone remediation percentage reported with mycoremediation is, in some cases, higher than the CAS studies reviewed by Hamid and Eskicioglu (2012), a comparison is not possible since the studies on the fungal efficiency were performed in the laboratory in comparison to the CAS studies completed on-site at WWTPs. In addition to excluding several variables that could impact the remediation efficiency, these studies have established the remediation efficiencies for individual compounds. In wastewater effluent, a mixture of not only PhACs are present, and the synergistic effect of all these compounds could affect the efficiencies reported (Chatterjee and Abraham, 2019).

Bioabsorption is another approach to PhAC remediation with fungi. L. edodes and Agaricus bisporus (champignon) stalks removal 100% of 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) in 20 and 30 min, respectively via absorption, whereas Shiitake substrate absorbed 80% (de Jesus Menk et al., 2019).

Despite the high hormone remediation percentages achieved with fungi described above, few studies have been published on this topic in the last decade, and renewed investigations would greatly benefit the development of this technique to elevate the environmental impacts of hormones released untreated from WWTPs.

Mixed Effluents

Cruz-Morató et al. (2013) studied the degradation of pharmaceuticals in hospital effluent by T. versicolor. By employing fluidized bed bioreactor in fed-batch mode, T. versicolor could eliminate ibuprofen (2.34 mg/L), acetaminophen (1.56 mg/L), ketoprofen (0.08 mg/L), propranolol (0.06 mg/L), and azithromycin (4.31 mg/L). By running the fluidized bed reactor in continuous mode, the efficiency was increased, and the fungus was able to completely remove acetaminophen (109 mg/L), naproxen (1.62 mg/L), ibuprofen (35.5 mg/L), diclofenac (0.477 mg/L), codeine (0.606 mg/L), trimethoprim (0.853 mg/L), and sulfamethoxazole 1.41 mg/L 100%, and partially remove several other drugs. However, salicylic acid, tetracycline, and carbamazepine were not degraded (Cruz-Morató et al., 2013, 2014). T. versicolor was also investigated for its performance to remediate PhACs from veterinary hospital wastewater; however, only 66% removal efficiency was achieved in a non-sterile batch bioreactor (Badia-Fabregat et al., 2016).

P. oxalicum XD.3.1 has also been used in batch bench-scale bioreactors to test the remediation efficiency with real hospital effluents. Within 24 h, P. oxalicum was able to reduce the majority of the PhAC present in the effluent, including ketoprofen, naproxen and paracetamol. Interestingly, P. oxalicum also affected the native microbiota, including opportunistic pathogens (Olicón-Hernández et al., 2021). In fluidized bed bioreactor studies, including hospital wastewater spiked with 10 mg/L each diclofenac, ketoprofen, and atenolol, P. ostreatus completely remediated diclofenac in 24 h and 50% of the ketoprofen in 5 days. However, atenolol was not removed (Palli et al., 2017). These studies demonstrated the complexity of degrading PhAC in mixed matrix effluents, which could drastically reduce the remediation efficiency. Therefore, more studies should be conducted at a larger scale employing real effluents to develop mycoremediation using fungi.

Currently, mycoremediation studies on other emerging PhACs, such as anticancer and antiretrovirals, are lacking. Testing fungal species capable of degrading pharmaceuticals at a laboratory scale is ongoing; however, it is difficult to predict how biological organisms would cope in a treatment facility exposed to chemical mixtures over long periods. Thus, recognizing the potential of mycoremediation for the treatment of pharmaceuticals demonstrated to date, studies regarding functioning and long-term applicability in practical terms to evaluate the feasibility of mycoremediation fully are still lacking. However, limitations such as partial degradation of pharmaceuticals and reduced efficiency at lower PhAC concentrations have been identified but could be overcome by using consortia or optimizing enzyme extraction and isolation to reduce costs.

The exact mechanism of degradation for each fungal type and PhACs is still vague due to its complexity and all the counterparts involved (Dąbrowska et al., 2018). However, the degradation seems to include activities of the intracellular enzymatic system such as the cytochrome P450 system, mainly in fungi lacking ligninolityc enzymes, and the extracellular enzymatic system, including lignin peroxidase, manganese peroxidase, laccase, versatile peroxidase as well as hydroxyl and free radical, in the case of lignin degrading enzymes producers (Dąbrowska et al., 2018; Barh et al., 2019). Nevertheless, elimination is reported to produce no toxic byproducts (Copete-Pertuz et al., 2018), therefore necessitating further studies into mycoremediation optimization for an add-on in WWTPs and elucidating the mechanism of action.

Isolated Fungal Enzymes

The use of isolated fungal enzymes could also overcome some limitations associated with mycoremediation. Fungal enzymes, specifically the ligninolytic enzymes, have been recognized for their abilities to transform a broad range of recalcitrant PhACs. However, difficulties in growing fungi on a large scale, together with the long incubation processes, extensive growth phase, and spore formation, have prompted the exploration of extracted crude and isolated enzymes (Stadlmair et al., 2018). Though, to date, the main limiting factor has been the high cost of the enzyme purification procedure.

Commercially available laccases from T. versicolor efficiently degraded diclofenac, trimethoprim, carbamazepine and sulfamethoxazole as individual drugs, but the remediation efficiency decreased when applied to mixtures of the drugs (Alharbi et al., 2019). Kang et al. (2021) isolated laccases from Bjerkandera spp., which could efficiently remediate acetaminophen under a range of pH conditions (Kang et al., 2021). In a study employing immobilized laccases from Trametes hirsuta, Hachi et al. (2017) reported better remediation efficiencies for carbamazepine and acetaminophen (40 and 70%) in single compared to in mixtures (5 and 25%) (Hachi et al., 2017).

Using laccases (2,000 U/L) isolated from Myceliophthora thermophile, 94.1 and 95.5% of estrone E1 and 17β-estradiol E2 could be degraded within 8 h in the presence of a natural mediator in a fed-batch bioreactor. In an enzymatic membrane reactor (EMR) with a stir-tank configuration, this percentage was increased to 95% for E1 and near total E2 degradation (Lloret et al., 2010). This indicates that the bioreactor type significantly impacts the remediation efficiency regarding isolated enzymes. In a study by Becker et al. (2017), immobilized laccase from T. versicolor and M. thermophila could degrade 83 and 87%, respectively, of estrogenic compounds (E1 estrone; E2 17β-estradiol; EE2 17α-ethinylestradiol) in mixtures with other endocrine-disrupting compounds within 6h (Becker et al., 2017). Golveia et al. (2018) reported 96.5% remediation of 10 mg/L 17-α-ethinylestradiol by Pycnoporus sanguineus laccase (1,642 U/mL) after 8 h (Golveia et al., 2018). It would be noted that 1% (v/w) was added to the fungal culture to promote optimal laccase production concentration before extraction.

Utilizing isolated enzymes has the advantages of reducing the remediation time by avoiding the lag phase of fungal growth, reducing sludge production, and facilitating process control (Jebapriya and Gnanadoss, 2013). Apart from the high cost as a disadvantage, a study by Nguyen et al. (2014) demonstrated another drawback of using isolated enzymes (Nguyen et al., 2014). In a direct comparison, whole-cell culture degraded trace organic compounds with higher efficiency, which is said to be facilitated by biosorption and the activity of both intracellular and mycelium associated enzymes.

Conclusion

The environmental impact of pharmaceuticals and their proper elimination from wastewaters have gained interest in recent years, mostly due to the intrinsic characteristics of these compounds, their massive use, and the negative effects on the environment and humans. Although they are medicinal substances developed to aid in the well-being of organisms, their indiscriminate use can lead to irreversible environmental problems. Therefore, it is important to create legislation according to the current standards of using substances and eco-friendly trends. More versatile and efficient systems for eliminating PhACs such as mycoremediation are being developed to lessen or avoid the problems associated with pharmaceutical pollution in the environment. However, these promising techniques are still at a laboratory scale and data regarding the application in WWTPs are still lacking. Even though new techniques for the remediation of PhAC are being developed and optimized, relative to the development of new drugs, implementing these techniques into practice is slow. New promising approaches for this purpose, such as genetic engineering, are still in their infancy. Thus, the new editing tool, such as CRISPR-Cas9, could help to introduce metabolic genes focused on target recalcitrant compounds. Much more studies are still necessary to deal with the problem of PhACs.

Publisher’s Note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Statements

Author contributions

ME, EA, DRO-H: conceptualization. MO and ME: literature search and data analysis and original draft preparation. MO, ME, DRO-H, JG-L, and EA: critical revision of the work. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.

Funding

MO received a Ph.D. grant from the Junta de Castilla y León (Spain). Open Access Funding was provided by the University of Helsinki.

Acknowledgments

DRO-H thanks National Council of Science and Technology (CONACyT) and Secretariat of Research and Postgraduate Studies of the IPN project 20220492. We gratefully acknowledge the Spanish Ministry for Economy and Competitiveness within the context of the research projects CTM2017-84332-R (MINECO/AEI/FEDER/UE).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Supplementary material

The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.869332/full#supplementary-material

References

  • 1

    AbafeO. A.SpäthJ.FickJ.JanssonS.BuckleyC.StarkA.et al (2018). LC-MS/MS determination of antiretroviral drugs in influents and effluents from wastewater treatment plants in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.Chemosphere200660670. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2018.02.105

  • 2

    AgunbiadeF. O.MoodleyB. (2016). Occurrence and distribution pattern of acidic pharmaceuticals in surface water, wastewater, and sediment of the Msunduzi River, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa. Environ. Toxicol. Chem.35, 3646. 10.1002/etc.3144

  • 3

    AhmedI.IqbalH. M. N.DhamaK. (2017). Enzyme-based biodegradation of hazardous pollutants—An overview.J. Exp. Biol. Agric. Sci.5402411. 10.18006/2017.5(4).402.411

  • 4

    Ahumada-RudolphR.NovoaV.BecerraJ.CespedesC.Cabrera-PardoJ. R. (2021). Mycoremediation of oxytetracycline by marine fungi mycelium isolated from salmon farming areas in the south of Chile.Food Chem. Toxicol.152:112198. 10.1016/j.fct.2021.112198

  • 5

    AkhbarizadehR.RussoG.RossiS.GolianovaK.MooreF.GuidaM.et al (2021). Emerging endocrine disruptors in two edible fish from the Persian Gulf: occurrence, congener profile, and human health risk assessment.Mar. Pollut. Bull.166:112241. 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112241

  • 6

    AkhtarN.MannanM. A. (2020). Mycoremediation: expunging environmental pollutants.Biotechnol. Rep.26:e00452. 10.1016/j.btre.2020.e00452

  • 7

    AlharbiS. K.NghiemL. D.van de MerweJ. P.LeuschF. D. L.AsifM. B.HaiF. I.et al (2019). Degradation of diclofenac, trimethoprim, carbamazepine, and sulfamethoxazole by laccase from Trametes versicolor: transformation products and toxicity of treated effluent.Biocatal. Biotransformation37399408. 10.1080/10242422.2019.1580268

  • 8

    AliA. M.RønningH. T.AlarifW.KallenbornR.Al-LihaibiS. S. (2017). Occurrence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in effluent-dominated Saudi Arabian coastal waters of the Red Sea.Chemosphere175505513. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.02.095

  • 9

    AminotY.LitricoX.ChambolleM.ArnaudC.PardonP.BudzindkiH. (2015). Development and application of a multi-residue method for the determination of 53 pharmaceuticals in water, sediment, and suspended solids using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Anal. Bioanal. Chem.407, 85858604. 10.1007/s00216-015-9017-3

  • 10

    AmosG. C. A.PloumakisS.ZhangL.HawkeyP. M.GazeW. H.WellingtonE. M. H. (2018). The widespread dissemination of integrons throughout bacterial communities in a riverine system.ISME J.12681691. 10.1038/s41396-017-0030-8

  • 11

    Andrade-EiroaA.CanleM.Leroy-CancellieriV.CerdàV. (2016). Solid-phase extraction of organic compounds: a critical review (Part I).TrAC Trends Anal. Chem.80641654. 10.1016/j.trac.2015.08.015

  • 12

    AsheB.NguyenL. N.HaiF. I.LeeD.-J.van de MerweJ. P.LeuschF. D. L.et al (2016). Impacts of redox-mediator type on trace organic contaminants degradation by laccase: degradation efficiency, laccase stability and effluent toxicity.Int. Biodeterior. Biodegradation113169176. 10.1016/j.ibiod.2016.04.027

  • 13

    AshtonD.HiltonM.ThomasK. V. (2004). Investigating the environmental transport of human pharmaceuticals to streams in the United Kingdom. Sci. Total Environ.333, 167184. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2004.04.062

  • 14

    AsifM. B.HaiF. I.SinghL.PriceW. E.NghiemL. D. (2017). Degradation of pharmaceuticals and personal care products by white-rot fungi—a critical review.Curr. Pollut. Rep.388103. 10.1007/s40726-017-0049-5

  • 15

    aus der BeekT.WeberF.-A.BergmannA.HickmannS.EbertI.HeinA.et al (2016). Pharmaceuticals in the environment—global occurrences and perspectives.Environ. Toxicol. Chem.35823835. 10.1002/etc.3339

  • 16

    AzanuD.StyrishaveB.DarkoG.WeisserJ. J.AbaidooR. C. (2018). Occurrence and risk assessment of antibiotics in water and lettuce in Ghana. Sci. Total Environ.622623, 293305. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.11.287

  • 17

    AzubuikeC. C.ChikereC. B.OkpokwasiliG. C. (2016). Bioremediation techniques–classification based on site of application: principles, advantages, limitations and prospects.World J. Microbiol. Biotechnol.32:180. 10.1007/s11274-016-2137-x

  • 18

    AzumaT.OtomoK.KunitouM.ShimizuM.HosomaruK.MikataS.et al (2019). Environmental fate of pharmaceutical compounds and antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in hospital effluents, and contributions to pollutant loads in the surface waters in Japan. Sci. Total Environ.657, 476484. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.11.433

  • 19

    Badia-FabregatM.LucasD.PereiraM. A.AlvesM.PennanenT.FritzeH.et al (2016). Continuous fungal treatment of non-sterile veterinary hospital effluent: pharmaceuticals removal and microbial community assessment.Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol.10024012415. 10.1007/s00253-015-7105-0

  • 20

    BalakrishnaK.RathA.PraveenkumarreddyY.GurugeK. S.SubediB. (2017). A review of the occurrence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in Indian water bodies.Ecotoxicol. Environ. Saf.137113120. 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2016.11.014

  • 21

    BarberL. B.Loyo-RosalesJ. E.RiceC. P.MinarikT. A.OskouieA. K. (2015). Endocrine disrupting alkylphenolic chemicals and other contaminants in wastewater treatment plant effluents, urban streams, and fish in the Great Lakes and Upper Mississippi River Regions.Sci. Total Environ.517195206. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.02.035

  • 22

    BarhA.KumariB.SharmaS.AnnepuS. K.KumarA.KamalS.et al (2019). “Chapter 1 - mushroom mycoremediation: kinetics and mechanism,” in Smart Bioremediation Technologies, ed.BhattP. (Cambridge, MA: Academic Press), 122. 10.1016/B978-0-12-818307-6.00001-9

  • 23

    Barrios-EstradaC.de Jesús Rostro-AlanisM.Muñoz-GutiérrezB. D.IqbalH. M. N.KannanS.Parra-SaldívarR. (2018). Emergent contaminants: endocrine disruptors and their laccase-assisted degradation – a review.Sci. Total Environ.61215161531. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.09.013

  • 24

    BártíkováH.PodlipnáR.SkálováL. (2016). Veterinary drugs in the environment and their toxicity to plants.Chemosphere14422902301. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2015.10.137

  • 25

    BartoloN. S.AzzopardiL. M.Serracino-InglottA. (2021). Pharmaceuticals and the environment.Early Hum. Dev.155:105218. 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2020.105218

  • 26

    BeckerD.Rodriguez-MozazS.InsaS.SchoevaartR.BarcelóD.de CazesM.et al (2017). Removal of endocrine disrupting chemicals in wastewater by enzymatic treatment with fungal laccases.Org. Process Res. Dev.21480491. 10.1021/acs.oprd.6b00361

  • 27

    Ben MaamarM.LesnéL.HennigK.Desdoits-LethimonierC.KilcoyneK. R.CoiffecI.et al (2017). Ibuprofen results in alterations of human fetal testis development.Sci. Rep.7:44184. 10.1038/srep44184

  • 28

    Bengtsson-PalmeJ.LarssonD. G. J. (2016). Concentrations of antibiotics predicted to select for resistant bacteria: proposed limits for environmental regulation.Environ. Int.86140149. 10.1016/j.envint.2015.10.015

  • 29

    Bernabeu-MartínezM. A.Ramos MerinoM.Santos GagoJ. M.Álvarez SabucedoL. M.Wanden-BergheC.Sanz-ValeroJ. (2018). Guidelines for safe handling of hazardous drugs: a systematic review.PLoS One13:e0197172. 10.1371/journal.pone.0197172

  • 30

    BilalM.MehmoodS.RasheedT.IqbalH. M. N. (2020). Antibiotics traces in the aquatic environment: persistence and adverse environmental impact.Curr. Opin. Environ. Sci. Heal.136874. 10.1016/j.coesh.2019.11.005

  • 31

    BisM.MontusiewiczA.PiotrowiczA.ŁagódG. (2019). Modeling of wastewater treatment processes in membrane bioreactors compared to conventional activated sludge systems.Processes7:285. 10.3390/pr7050285

  • 32

    BittnerL.TeixidoE.SeiwertB.EscherB. I.KlüverN. (2018). Influence of pH on the uptake and toxicity of β-blockers in embryos of zebrafish, Danio rerio.Aquat. Toxicol.201129137. 10.1016/j.aquatox.2018.05.020

  • 33

    BlancoG.JunzaA.BarrónD. (2017). Occurrence of veterinary pharmaceuticals in golden eagle nestlings: unnoticed scavenging on livestock carcasses and other potential exposure routes.Sci. Total Environ.586355361. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.02.023

  • 34

    BondarczukK.Piotrowska-SegetZ. (2019). Microbial diversity and antibiotic resistance in a final effluent-receiving lake.Sci. Total Environ.65029512961. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.10.050

  • 35

    BoreckaM.SiedlewiczG.HalińskiŁ. P.SikoraK.PazdroK.StepnowskiP.et al (2015). Contamination of the southern Baltic Sea waters by the residues of selected pharmaceuticals: method development and field studies. Mar. Pollut. Bull.94, 6271. 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.03.008

  • 36

    BorgeatA.OfnerC.SaporitoA.FarshadM.AguirreJ. (2018). The effect of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on bone healing in humans: a qualitative, systematic review.J. Clin. Anesth.4992100. 10.1016/j.jclinane.2018.06.020

  • 37

    BoulardL.DierkesG.TernesT. (2018). Utilization of large volume zwitterionic hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography for the analysis of polar pharmaceuticals in aqueous environmental samples: benefits and limitations. J. Chromatogr. A1535, 2743. 10.1016/j.chroma.2017.12.023

  • 38

    BraeuerS.BorovičkaJ.KameníkJ.PrallE.StijveT.GoesslerW. (2020). Is arsenic responsible for the toxicity of the hyperaccumulating mushroom Sarcosphaera coronaria?Sci. Total Environ.736:139524. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139524

  • 39

    BrainR. A.HansonM. L.SolomonK. R.BrooksB. W. (2008). Aquatic plants exposed to pharmaceuticals: effects and risks.Rev. Environ. Contam. Toxicol.19267115. 10.1007/978-0-387-71724-1_3

  • 40

    BranchetP.Ariza CastroN.FenetH.GomezE.CourantF.SebagD.et al (2019). Anthropic impacts on Sub-Saharan urban water resources through their pharmaceutical contamination (Yaoundé, Center Region, Cameroon). Sci. Total Environ.660, 886898. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.12.256

  • 41

    BraunJ. M. (2017). Early-life exposure to EDCs: role in childhood obesity and neurodevelopment.Nat. Rev. Endocrinol.13161173. 10.1038/nrendo.2016.186

  • 42

    BrauschJ. M.ConnorsK. A.BrooksB. W.RandG. M. (2012). Human pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment: a review of recent toxicological studies and considerations for toxicity testing.Rev. Environ. Contam. Toxicol.218199. 10.1007/978-1-4614-3137-4_1

  • 43

    BrownK. D.KulisJ.ThomsonB.ChapmanT. H.MawhinneyD. B. (2006). Occurrence of antibiotics in hospital, residential, and dairy effluent, municipal wastewater, and the Rio Grande in New Mexico.Sci. Total Environ.366772783. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2005.10.007

  • 44

    BuchicchioA.BiancoG.SofoA.MasiS.CanianiD. (2016). Biodegradation of carbamazepine and clarithromycin by Trichoderma harzianum and Pleurotus ostreatus investigated by liquid chromatography – high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (FTICR MS-IRMPD).Sci. Total Environ.55733739. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.03.119

  • 45

    BuelowE.BayjanovJ. R.MajoorE.WillemsR. J. L.BontenM. J. M.SchmittH.et al (2018). Limited influence of hospital wastewater on the microbiome and resistome of wastewater in a community sewerage system. FEMS Microbiol. Ecol.94:fiy087. 10.1093/femsec/fiy087

  • 46

    CacaceD.Fatta-KassinosD.ManaiaC. M.CytrynE.KreuzingerN.RizzoL.et al (2019). Antibiotic resistance genes in treated wastewater and in the receiving water bodies: a pan-European survey of urban settings.Water Res.162320330. 10.1016/j.watres.2019.06.039

  • 47

    CardosoO.PorcherJ.-M.SanchezW. (2014). Factory-discharged pharmaceuticals could be a relevant source of aquatic environment contamination: review of evidence and need for knowledge.Chemosphere1152030. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2014.02.004

  • 48

    CarvalhoI. T.SantosL. (2016). Antibiotics in the aquatic environments: a review of the European scenario.Environ. Int.94736757. 10.1016/j.envint.2016.06.025

  • 49

    ChariR. V. J. (2008). Targeted cancer therapy: conferring specificity to cytotoxic drugs.Acc. Chem. Res.4198107. 10.1021/ar700108g

  • 50

    ChatterjeeA.AbrahamJ. (2019). Mycoremediation of 17 β-Estradiol using Trichoderma citrinoviride strain AJAC3 along with enzyme studies.Environ. Prog. Sustain. Energy38:13142. 10.1002/ep.13142

  • 51

    ChaturvediP.GiriB. S.ShuklaP.GuptaP. (2021a). Recent advancement in remediation of synthetic organic antibiotics from environmental matrices: challenges and perspective.Bioresour. Technol.319:124161. 10.1016/j.biortech.2020.124161

  • 52

    ChaturvediP.ShuklaP.GiriB. S.ChowdharyP.ChandraR.GuptaP.et al (2021b). Prevalence and hazardous impact of pharmaceutical and personal care products and antibiotics in environment: a review on emerging contaminants.Environ. Res.194:110664. 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110664

  • 53

    ClaraM.StrennB.GansO.MartinezE.KreuzingerN.KroissH. (2005). Removal of selected pharmaceuticals, fragrances and endocrine disrupting compounds in a membrane bioreactor and conventional wastewater treatment plants. Water Res.39, 47974807. 10.1016/j.watres.2005.09.015

  • 54

    ColemanM. D. (2020). Human Drug Metabolism.Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

  • 55

    ComberS.GardnerM.SörmeP.LeverettD.EllorB. (2018). Active pharmaceutical ingredients entering the aquatic environment from wastewater treatment works: a cause for concern?Sci. Total Environ.613–614538547. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.09.101

  • 56

    Copete-PertuzL. S.PlácidoJ.Serna-GalvisE. A.Torres-PalmaR. A.MoraA. (2018). Elimination of isoxazolyl-penicillins antibiotics in waters by the ligninolytic native colombian strain Leptosphaerulina sp. considerations on biodegradation process and antimicrobial activity removal.Sci. Total Environ.63011951204. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.02.244

  • 57

    CourtheynD.Le BizecB.BrambillaG.De BrabanderH. F.CobbaertE.Van de WieleM.et al (2002). Recent developments in the use and abuse of growth promoters.Anal. Chim. Acta4737182. 10.1016/S0003-2670(02)00753-5

  • 58

    CriniG.LichtfouseE. (2019). Advantages and disadvantages of techniques used for wastewater treatment.Environ. Chem. Lett.17145155. 10.1007/s10311-018-0785-9

  • 59

    CristóvãoM. B.Bento-SilvaA.BronzeM. R.CrespoJ. G.PereiraV. J. (2021). Detection of anticancer drugs in wastewater effluents: grab versus passive sampling. Sci. Total Environ.786:147477. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147477

  • 60

    CristóvãoM. B.TorrejaisJ.JanssensR.LuisP.Van der BruggenB.DubeyK. K.et al (2019). Treatment of anticancer drugs in hospital and wastewater effluents using nanofiltration.Sep. Purif. Technol.224273280. 10.1016/j.seppur.2019.05.016

  • 61

    Cruz-MoratóC.Ferrando-ClimentL.Rodriguez-MozazS.BarcelóD.Marco-UrreaE.VicentT.et al (2013). Degradation of pharmaceuticals in non-sterile urban wastewater by Trametes versicolor in a fluidized bed bioreactor.Water Res.4752005210. 10.1016/j.watres.2013.06.007

  • 62

    Cruz-MoratóC.LucasD.LlorcaM.Rodriguez-MozazS.GorgaM.PetrovicM.et al (2014). Hospital wastewater treatment by fungal bioreactor: removal efficiency for pharmaceuticals and endocrine disruptor compounds.Sci. Total Environ.493365376. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.05.117

  • 63

    CuthbertR.Parry-JonesJ.GreenR. E.PainD. J. (2007). NSAIDs and scavenging birds: potential impacts beyond Asia’s critically endangered vultures.Biol. Lett.39194. 10.1098/rsbl.2006.0554

  • 64

    Čvanv̌arováM.MoederM.FilipováA.CajthamlT. (2015). Biotransformation of fluoroquinolone antibiotics by ligninolytic fungi – metabolites, enzymes and residual antibacterial activity.Chemosphere136311320. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2014.12.012

  • 65

    ÈvanèarováM.MoederM.FilipováA.ReemtsmaT.CajthamlT. (2013). Biotransformation of the antibiotic agent flumequine by ligninolytic fungi and residual antibacterial activity of the transformation mixtures.Environ. Sci. Technol.471412814136. 10.1021/es403470s

  • 66

    DąbrowskaM.MuszyńskaB.StarekM.ŻmudzkiP.OpokaW. (2018). Degradation pathway of cephalosporin antibiotics by in vitro cultures of Lentinula edodes and Imleria badia.Int. Biodeterior. Biodegrad.127104112. 10.1016/j.ibiod.2017.11.014

  • 67

    DannerM.-C.RobertsonA.BehrendsV.ReissJ. (2019). Antibiotic pollution in surface fresh waters: occurrence and effects.Sci. Total Environ.664793804. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.01.406

  • 68

    DaoukS.ChèvreN.VernazN.BonnabryP.DayerP.DaaliY.et al (2015). Prioritization methodology for the monitoring of active pharmaceutical ingredients in hospital effluents.J. Environ. Manage.160324332. 10.1016/j.jenvman.2015.06.037

  • 69

    DavidA.PancharatnaK. (2009). Developmental anomalies induced by a non-selective COX inhibitor (ibuprofen) in zebrafish (Danio rerio).Environ. Toxicol. Pharmacol.27390395. 10.1016/j.etap.2009.01.002

  • 70

    De GussemeB.VanhaeckeL.VerstraeteW.BoonN. (2011). Degradation of acetaminophen by Delftia tsuruhatensis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a membrane bioreactor.Water Res.4518291837. 10.1016/j.watres.2010.11.040

  • 71

    DeoR. P. (2014). Pharmaceuticals in the surface water of the USA: a review.Curr. Environ. Heal. Rep.1113122. 10.1007/s40572-014-0015-y

  • 72

    DhangarK.KumarM. (2020). Tricks and tracks in removal of emerging contaminants from the wastewater through hybrid treatment systems: a review.Sci. Total Environ.738:140320. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140320

  • 73

    DomaradzkaD.GuzikU.WojcieszyńskaD. (2015). Biodegradation and biotransformation of polycyclic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.Rev. Environ. Sci. Biotechnol.14229239. 10.1007/s11157-015-9364-8

  • 74

    EbeleA. J.OluseyiT.DrageD. S.HarradS.Abou-Elwafa AbdallahM. (2020). Occurrence, seasonal variation and human exposure to pharmaceuticals and personal care products in surface water, groundwater and drinking water in Lagos State, Nigeria. Emerg. Contam.6, 124132. 10.1016/j.emcon.2020.02.004

  • 75

    EdwardsS. J.KjellerupB. V. (2013). Applications of biofilms in bioremediation and biotransformation of persistent organic pollutants, pharmaceuticals/personal care products, and heavy metals.Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol.9799099921. 10.1007/s00253-013-5216-z

  • 76

    EkpeghereK. I.LeeJ.-W.KimH.-Y.ShinS.-K.OhJ.-E. (2017). Determination and characterization of pharmaceuticals in sludge from municipal and livestock wastewater treatment plants.Chemosphere16812111221. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2016.10.077

  • 77

    EkpeghereK. I.SimW.-J.LeeH.-J.OhJ.-E. (2018). Occurrence and distribution of carbamazepine, nicotine, estrogenic compounds, and their transformation products in wastewater from various treatment plants and the aquatic environment.Sci. Total Environ.640–64110151023. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.05.218

  • 78

    Esterhuizen-LondtM.HendelA.-L.PflugmacherS. (2017). Mycoremediation of diclofenac using Mucor hiemalis.Toxicol. Environ. Chem.99795808. 10.1080/02772248.2017.1296444

  • 79

    Esterhuizen-LondtM.SchwartzK.BalsanoE.KühnS.PflugmacherS. (2016a). LC–MS/MS method development for quantitative analysis of acetaminophen uptake by the aquatic fungus Mucor hiemalis.Ecotoxicol. Environ. Saf.128230235. 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2016.02.029

  • 80

    Esterhuizen-LondtM.SchwartzK.PflugmacherS. (2016b). Using aquatic fungi for pharmaceutical bioremediation: uptake of acetaminophen by Mucor hiemalis does not result in an enzymatic oxidative stress response.Fungal Biol.12012491257. 10.1016/j.funbio.2016.07.009

  • 81

    EsterhuizenM.Behnam SaniS.WangL.KimY. J.PflugmacherS. (2021). Mycoremediation of acetaminophen: culture parameter optimization to improve efficacy.Chemosphere263:128117. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.128117

  • 82

    FangT.-H.NanF.-H.ChinT.-S.FengH.-M. (2012). The occurrence and distribution of pharmaceutical compounds in the effluents of a major sewage treatment plant in Northern Taiwan and the receiving coastal waters. Mar. Pollut. Bull.64, 14351444. 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2012.04.008

  • 83

    FekaduS.AlemayehuE.DewilR.Van der BruggenB. (2019). Pharmaceuticals in freshwater aquatic environments: a comparison of the African and European challenge.Sci. Total Environ.654324337. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.11.072

  • 84

    FerlayJ.Steliarova-FoucherE.Lortet-TieulentJ.RossoS.CoeberghJ. W. W.ComberH.et al (2013). Cancer incidence and mortality patterns in Europe: estimates for 40 countries in 2012.Eur. J. Cancer4913741403. 10.1016/j.ejca.2012.12.027

  • 85

    FerrariB.MonsR.VollatB.FraysseB.PaxēausN.LoG. R.et al (2004). Environmental risk assessment of six human pharmaceuticals: are the current environmental risk assessment procedures sufficient for the protection of the aquatic environment?Environ. Toxicol. Chem.2313441354. 10.1897/03-246

  • 86

    FerreiraT. C. R.Esterhuizen-LondtM.ZaiatM.PflugmacherS. (2018). Fate of enrofloxacin in lake sediment: biodegradation, transformation product identification, and ecotoxicological implications.Soil Sediment Contam. Int. J.27357368. 10.1080/15320383.2018.1478798

  • 87

    FisherI. J.PhillipsP. J.ColellaK. M.FisherS. C.TagliaferriT.ForemanW. T.et al (2016). The impact of onsite wastewater disposal systems on groundwater in areas inundated by Hurricane Sandy in New York and New Jersey. Mar. Pollut. Bull.107, 509517. 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.04.038

  • 88

    FlippinJ. L.HuggettD.ForanC. M. (2007). Changes in the timing of reproduction following chronic exposure to ibuprofen in Japanese medaka, Oryzias latipes.Aquat. Toxicol.817378. 10.1016/j.aquatox.2006.11.002

  • 89

    FonsecaV. F.DuarteI. A.DuarteB.FreitasA.PoucaA. S. V.BarbosaJ.et al (2021). Environmental risk assessment and bioaccumulation of pharmaceuticals in a large urbanized estuary.Sci. Total Environ.783:147021. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147021

  • 90

    ForteM.Di LorenzoM.CarrizzoA.ValianteS.VecchioneC.LaforgiaV.et al (2016). Nonylphenol effects on human prostate non tumorigenic cells.Toxicology357–3582132. 10.1016/j.tox.2016.05.024

  • 91

    ForteM.Di LorenzoM.IachettaG.MitaD. G.LaforgiaV.De FalcoM. (2019). Nonylphenol acts on prostate adenocarcinoma cells via estrogen molecular pathways.Ecotoxicol. Environ. Saf.180412419. 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2019.05.035

  • 92

    FreemanC. N.ScriverL.NeudorfK. D.Truelstrup HansenL.JamiesonR. C.YostC. K. (2018). Antimicrobial resistance gene surveillance in the receiving waters of an upgraded wastewater treatment plant.FACETS3128138. 10.1139/facets-2017-0085

  • 93

    FurlongE. T.BattA. L.GlassmeyerS. T.NoriegaM. C.KolpinD. W.MashH.et al (2017). Nationwide reconnaissance of contaminants of emerging concern in source and treated drinking waters of the United States: pharmaceuticals.Sci. Total Environ.57916291642. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.03.128

  • 94

    GajskiG.GerićM.NeguraB.NovakM.NunićJ.BajrektarevićD.et al (2016). Genotoxic potential of selected cytostatic drugs in human and zebrafish cells.Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res.231473914750. 10.1007/s11356-015-4592-6

  • 95

    GaniK. M.HlongwaN.AbunamaT.KumariS.BuxF. (2021). Emerging contaminants in South African water environment- a critical review of their occurrence, sources and ecotoxicological risks.Chemosphere269:128737. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.128737

  • 96

    GarcíaJ.García-GalánM. J.DayJ. W.BoopathyR.WhiteJ. R.WallaceS.et al (2020). A review of emerging organic contaminants (EOCs), antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB), and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the environment: increasing removal with wetlands and reducing environmental impacts.Bioresour. Technol.307:123228. 10.1016/j.biortech.2020.123228

  • 97

    GiebułtowiczJ.TyskiS.WolinowskaR.GrzybowskaW.ZarȩbaT.DrobniewskaA.et al (2018). Occurrence of antimicrobial agents, drug-resistant bacteria, and genes in the sewage-impacted Vistula River (Poland). Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res.25, 57885807. 10.1007/s11356-017-0861-x

  • 98

    GilA.GarcíaA. M.FernándezM.VicenteM. A.González-RodríguezB.RivesV.et al (2017). Effect of dopants on the structure of titanium oxide used as a photocatalyst for the removal of emergent contaminants.J. Ind. Eng. Chem.53183191. 10.1016/j.jiec.2017.04.024

  • 99

    GillingsM. R.GazeW. H.PrudenA.SmallaK.TiedjeJ. M.ZhuY.-G. (2015). Using the class 1 integron-integrase gene as a proxy for anthropogenic pollution.ISME J.912691279. 10.1038/ismej.2014.226

  • 100

    GodlewskaK.JakubusA.StepnowskiP.PaszkiewiczM. (2021). Impact of environmental factors on the sampling rate of β-blockers and sulfonamides from water by a carbon nanotube-passive sampler.J. Environ. Sci.101413427. 10.1016/j.jes.2020.08.034

  • 101

    GodoyA. A.OliveiraÁC.SilvaJ. G. M.AzevedoC. C. J.DominguesI.NogueiraA. J. A.et al (2019). Single and mixture toxicity of four pharmaceuticals of environmental concern to aquatic organisms, including a behavioral assessment.Chemosphere235373382. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.06.200

  • 102

    GolveiaJ. C. S.SantiagoM. F.SalesP. T. F.SartorattoA.PoneziA. N.ThomazD. V.et al (2018). Cupuaçu (Theobroma grandiflorum) residue and its potential application in the bioremediation of 17-A -ethinylestradiol as a Pycnoporus sanguineus laccase inducer.Prep. Biochem. Biotechnol.48541548. 10.1080/10826068.2018.1466161

  • 103

    González-AlonsoS.MerinoL. M.EstebanS.López de AldaM.BarcelóD.DuránJ. J.et al (2017). Occurrence of pharmaceutical, recreational and psychotropic drug residues in surface water on the northern Antarctic Peninsula region.Environ. Pollut.229241254. 10.1016/j.envpol.2017.05.060

  • 104

    González-PleiterM.GonzaloS.Rodea-PalomaresI.LeganésF.RosalR.BoltesK.et al (2013). Toxicity of five antibiotics and their mixtures towards photosynthetic aquatic organisms: implications for environmental risk assessment.Water Res.4720502064. 10.1016/j.watres.2013.01.020

  • 105

    Gonzalez-ReyM.BebiannoM. J. (2014). Effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) diclofenac exposure in mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis.Aquat. Toxicol.148221230. 10.1016/j.aquatox.2014.01.011

  • 106

    GoreA. C.CrewsD.DoanL. L.La MerrillM.PatisaulH.ZotaA. (2014). Introduction to Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs). A Guide for Public Interest Organizations and Policy-Makers.Washington, DC: Endocrine Society, 2122.

  • 107

    GothwalR.ShashidharT. (2015). Antibiotic pollution in the environment: a review.CLEAN – Soil Air Water43479489. 10.1002/clen.201300989

  • 108

    GrassiM.KaykiogluG.BelgiornoV.LofranoG. (2012). “Removal of emerging contaminants from water and wastewater by adsorption process,” in Emerging Compounds Removal From Wastewater: Natural and Solar Based Treatments, ed.LofranoG. (Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands), 1537. 10.1007/978-94-007-3916-1_2

  • 109

    GravelA.WilsonJ. M.PedroD. F. N.VijayanM. M. (2009). Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs disturb the osmoregulatory, metabolic and cortisol responses associated with seawater exposure in rainbow trout.Comp. Biochem. Physiol. Part C Toxicol. Pharmacol.149481490. 10.1016/j.cbpc.2008.11.002

  • 110

    GrenniP.AnconaV.Barra CaraccioloA. (2018). Ecological effects of antibiotics on natural ecosystems: a review.Microchem. J.1362539. 10.1016/j.microc.2017.02.006

  • 111

    GrögerT. M.KäferU.ZimmermannR. (2020). Gas chromatography in combination with fast high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry: technical overview and perspectives for data visualization.TrAC Trends Anal. Chem.122:115677. 10.1016/j.trac.2019.115677

  • 112

    GrosM.Cruz-MoratoC.Marco-UrreaE.LongréeP.SingerH.SarràM.et al (2014). Biodegradation of the X-ray contrast agent iopromide and the fluoroquinolone antibiotic ofloxacin by the white rot fungus Trametes versicolor in hospital wastewaters and identification of degradation products.Water Res.60228241. 10.1016/j.watres.2014.04.042

  • 113

    GrosM.MartiE.BalcázarJ. L.Boy-RouraM.BusquetsA.ColónJ.et al (2019). Fate of pharmaceuticals and antibiotic resistance genes in a full-scale on-farm livestock waste treatment plant.J. Hazard. Mater.378:120716. 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.05.109

  • 114

    GrosM.PetrovićM.GinebredaA.BarcelóD. (2010). Removal of pharmaceuticals during wastewater treatment and environmental risk assessment using hazard indexes.Environ. Int.361526. 10.1016/j.envint.2009.09.002

  • 115

    HachiM.CherguiA.YeddouA. R.SelatniaA.CabanaH. (2017). Removal of acetaminophen and carbamazepine in single and binary systems with immobilized laccase from Trametes hirsuta.Biocatal. Biotransform.355162. 10.1080/10242422.2017.1280032

  • 116

    HamidH.EskiciogluC. (2012). Fate of estrogenic hormones in wastewater and sludge treatment: a review of properties and analytical detection techniques in sludge matrix.Water Res.4658135833. 10.1016/j.watres.2012.08.002

  • 117

    HannaN.SunP.SunQ.LiX.YangX.JiX.et al (2018). Presence of antibiotic residues in various environmental compartments of Shandong province in eastern China: its potential for resistance development and ecological and human risk.Environ. Int.114131142. 10.1016/j.envint.2018.02.003

  • 118

    HarrabiM.Varela Della GiustinaS.AloulouF.Rodriguez-MozazS.BarcelóD.ElleuchB. (2018). Analysis of multiclass antibiotic residues in urban wastewater in Tunisia. Environ. Nanotechnol. Monit. Manage.10, 163170. 10.1016/j.enmm.2018.05.006

  • 119

    HawkinsT. (2010). Understanding and managing the adverse effects of antiretroviral therapy.Antiviral Res.85201209. 10.1016/j.antiviral.2009.10.016

  • 120

    HeathE.FilipièM.KosjekT.IsidoriM. (2016). Fate and effects of the residues of anticancer drugs in the environment.Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res.231468714691. 10.1007/s11356-016-7069-3

  • 121

    HeindelJ. J.NewboldR.SchugT. T. (2015). Endocrine disruptors and obesity.Nat. Rev. Endocrinol.11653661. 10.1038/nrendo.2015.163

  • 122

    HendricksR.PoolE. J. (2012). The effectiveness of sewage treatment processes to remove faecal pathogens and antibiotic residues. J. Environ. Sci. Health A47, 289297. 10.1080/10934529.2012.637432

  • 123

    HoegerB.KöllnerB.DietrichD. R.HitzfeldB. (2005). Water-borne diclofenac affects kidney and gill integrity and selected immune parameters in brown trout (Salmo trutta f. fario).Aquat. Toxicol.755364. 10.1016/j.aquatox.2005.07.006

  • 124

    HuY.JiangL.SunX.WuJ.MaL.ZhouY.et al (2021). Risk assessment of antibiotic resistance genes in the drinking water system.Sci. Total Environ.800:149650. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149650

  • 125

    HuggettD. B.BrooksB. W.PetersonB.ForanC. M.SchlenkD. (2002). Toxicity of select beta adrenergic receptor-blocking pharmaceuticals (b-blockers) on aquatic organisms.Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol.43229235. 10.1007/s00244-002-1182-7

  • 126

    Hurtado-GonzalezP.AndersonR. A.MacdonaldJ.van den DriescheS.KilcoyneK.JørgensenA.et al (2021). Effects of exposure to acetaminophen and ibuprofen on fetal germ cell development in both sexes in rodent and human using multiple experimental systems.Environ. Health Perspect.126:47006. 10.1289/EHP2307

  • 127

    JägerT.HembachN.ElpersC.WielandA.AlexanderJ.HillerC.et al (2018). Reduction of antibiotic resistant bacteria during conventional and advanced wastewater treatment, and the disseminated loads released to the environment.Front. Microbiol.9:2599. 10.3389/fmicb.2018.02599

  • 128

    JebapriyaG. R.GnanadossJ. J. (2013). Bioremediation of textile dye using white rot fungi: a review.Int. J. Curr. Res. Rev.5:1.

  • 129

    JelicA.Cruz-MoratóC.Marco-UrreaE.SarràM.PerezS.VicentT.et al (2012). Degradation of carbamazepine by Trametes versicolor in an air pulsed fluidized bed bioreactor and identification of intermediates.Water Res.46955964. 10.1016/j.watres.2011.11.063

  • 130

    JiaoS.LuY. (2020). Abundant fungi adapt to broader environmental gradients than rare fungi in agricultural fields.Glob. Chang. Biol.2645064520. 10.1111/gcb.15130

  • 131

    JinH.YangD.WuP.ZhaoM. (2022). Environmental occurrence and ecological risks of psychoactive substances.Environ. Int.158:106970. 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106970

  • 132

    JohnsonA. C.JürgensM. D.WilliamsR. J.KümmererK.KortenkampA.SumpterJ. P. (2008). Do cytotoxic chemotherapy drugs discharged into rivers pose a risk to the environment and human health? An overview and UK case study.J. Hydrol.348167175. 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2007.09.054

  • 133

    KairigoP.NgumbaE.SundbergL.-R.GachanjaA.TuhkanenT. (2020). Occurrence of antibiotics and risk of antibiotic resistance evolution in selected Kenyan wastewaters, surface waters and sediments. Sci. Total Environ.720:137580. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137580

  • 134

    KaloudasD.PavlovaN.PenchovskyR. (2021). Phycoremediation of wastewater by microalgae: a review.Environ. Chem. Lett.1929052920. 10.1007/s10311-021-01203-0

  • 135

    KangA. J.BrownA. K.WongC. S.YuanQ. (2018). Removal of antibiotic sulfamethoxazole by anoxic/anaerobic/oxic granular and suspended activated sludge processes.Bioresour. Technol.251151157. 10.1016/j.biortech.2017.12.021

  • 136

    KangB. R.KimS. Y.KangM.LeeT. K. (2021). Removal of pharmaceuticals and personal care products using native fungal enzymes extracted during the ligninolytic process.Environ. Res.195:110878. 10.1016/j.envres.2021.110878

  • 137

    KarkmanA.DoT. T.WalshF.VirtaM. P. J. (2018). Antibiotic-resistance genes in waste water.Trends Microbiol.26220228. 10.1016/j.tim.2017.09.005

  • 138

    KebedeT. G.DubeS.NindiM. M. (2018). Removal of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and carbamazepine from wastewater using water-soluble protein extracted from Moringa stenopetala seeds.J. Environ. Chem. Eng.630953103. 10.1016/j.jece.2018.04.066

  • 139

    KimJ.-W.JangH.-S.KimJ.-G.IshibashiH.HiranoM.NasuK.et al (2009). Occurrence of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) in surface water from Mankyung River, South Korea. J. Health Sci.55, 249258. 10.1248/jhs.55.249

  • 140

    KimY.JungJ.KimM.ParkJ.BoxallA. B. A.ChoiK. (2008). Prioritizing veterinary pharmaceuticals for aquatic environment in Korea.Environ. Toxicol. Pharmacol.26167176. 10.1016/j.etap.2008.03.006

  • 141

    KollefM. H.BassettiM.FrancoisB.BurnhamJ.DimopoulosG.Garnacho-MonteroJ.et al (2017). The intensive care medicine research agenda on multidrug-resistant bacteria, antibiotics, and stewardship.Intensive Care Med.4311871197. 10.1007/s00134-017-4682-7

  • 142

    KołodziejskaM.MaszkowskaJ.Białk-BielińskaA.SteudteS.KumirskaJ.StepnowskiP.et al (2013). Aquatic toxicity of four veterinary drugs commonly applied in fish farming and animal husbandry.Chemosphere9212531259. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2013.04.057

  • 143

    K’orejeK. O.DemeestereK.De WispelaereP.VergeynstL.DewulfJ.Van LangenhoveH. (2012). From multi-residue screening to target analysis of pharmaceuticals in water: development of a new approach based on magnetic sector mass spectrometry and application in the Nairobi River basin, Kenya. Sci. Total Environ.437, 153164. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.07.052

  • 144

    K’orejeK. O.KandieF. J.VergeynstL.AbiraM. A.Van LangenhoveH.OkothM.et al (2018). Occurrence, fate and removal of pharmaceuticals, personal care products and pesticides in wastewater stabilization ponds and receiving rivers in the Nzoia Basin, Kenya. Sci. Total Environ.637638, 336348. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.04.331

  • 145

    KovácsR.CsenkiZ.BakosK.UrbányiB.HorváthÁGaraj-VrhovacV.et al (2015). Assessment of toxicity and genotoxicity of low doses of 5-fluorouracil in zebrafish (Danio rerio) two-generation study.Water Res.77201212. 10.1016/j.watres.2015.03.025

  • 146

    KovalovaL.SiegristH.SingerH.WittmerA.McArdellC. S. (2012). Hospital wastewater treatment by membrane bioreactor: performance and efficiency for organic micropollutant elimination. Environ. Sci. Technol.46, 15361545. 10.1021/es203495d

  • 147

    KřesinováZ.LinhartováL.FilipováA.EzechiáńM.MańínP.CajthamlT. (2018). Biodegradation of endocrine disruptors in urban wastewater using Pleurotus ostreatus bioreactor.N. Biotechnol.435361. 10.1016/j.nbt.2017.05.004

  • 148

    Kryczyk-PoprawaA.ŻmudzkiP.MaślankaA.PiotrowskaJ.OpokaW.MuszyńskaB. (2019). Mycoremediation of azole antifungal agents using in vitro cultures of Lentinula edodes.3 Biotech9:207.

  • 149

    KümmererK. (2009). Antibiotics in the aquatic environment – a review – Part I.Chemosphere75417434. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2008.11.086

  • 150

    KümmererK.Al-AhmadA.BertramB.WießlerM. (2000). Biodegradability of antineoplastic compounds in screening tests: influence of glucosidation and of stereochemistry.Chemosphere40767773. 10.1016/S0045-6535(99)00451-8

  • 151

    KuradeM. B.HaY.-H.XiongJ.-Q.GovindwarS. P.JangM.JeonB.-H. (2021). Phytoremediation as a green biotechnology tool for emerging environmental pollution: a step forward towards sustainable rehabilitation of the environment.Chem. Eng. J.415:129040. 10.1016/j.cej.2021.129040

  • 152

    LetsingerS.KayP.Rodríguez-MozazS.VillagrassaM.BarcelóD.RotchellJ. M. (2019). Spatial and temporal occurrence of pharmaceuticals in UK estuaries.Sci. Total Environ.6787484. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.04.182

  • 153

    LiC.WeiY.ZhangS.TanW. (2020). Advanced methods to analyze steroid estrogens in environmental samples.Environ. Chem. Lett.18543559. 10.1007/s10311-019-00961-2

  • 154

    LianL.YaoB.HouS.FangJ.YanS.SongW. (2017). Kinetic study of hydroxyl and sulfate radical-mediated oxidation of pharmaceuticals in wastewater effluents.Environ. Sci. Technol.5129542962. 10.1021/acs.est.6b05536

  • 155

    LinA. Y.-C.TsaiY.-T. (2009). Occurrence of pharmaceuticals in Taiwan’s surface waters: impact of waste streams from hospitals and pharmaceutical production facilities.Sci. Total Environ.40737933802. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2009.03.009

  • 156

    LinA. Y.-C.YuT.-H.LinC.-F. (2008). Pharmaceutical contamination in residential, industrial, and agricultural waste streams: risk to aqueous environments in Taiwan.Chemosphere74131141. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2008.08.027

  • 157

    LindbergR.JarnheimerP. -ÅOlsenB.JohanssonM.TysklindM. (2004). Determination of antibiotic substances in hospital sewage water using solid phase extraction and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry and group analogue internal standards.Chemosphere5714791488. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2004.09.015

  • 158

    LishmanL.SmythS. A.SarafinK.KleywegtS.ToitoJ.PeartT.et al (2006). Occurrence and reductions of pharmaceuticals and personal care products and estrogens by municipal wastewater treatment plants in Ontario, Canada. Sci. Total Environ.367, 544558. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2006.03.021

  • 159

    ListerA. L.Van Der KraakG. J. (2009). Regulation of prostaglandin synthesis in ovaries of sexually-mature zebrafish (Danio rerio).Mol. Reprod. Dev.7610641075. 10.1002/mrd.21072

  • 160

    LiuJ.LuoQ.HuangQ. (2016). Removal of 17 β-estradiol from poultry litter via solid state cultivation of lignolytic fungi.J. Clean. Prod.13914001407. 10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.09.020

  • 161

    LiuL.SuJ.-Q.GuoY.WilkinsonD. M.LiuZ.ZhuY.-G.et al (2018). Large-scale biogeographical patterns of bacterial antibiotic resistome in the waterbodies of China.Environ. Int.117292299. 10.1016/j.envint.2018.05.023

  • 162

    LloretL.EibesG.Lú-ChauT. A.MoreiraM. T.FeijooG.LemaJ. M. (2010). Laccase-catalyzed degradation of anti-inflammatories and estrogens.Biochem. Eng. J.51124131. 10.1016/j.bej.2010.06.005

  • 163

    López-SernaR.JuradoA.Vázquez-SuñéE.CarreraJ.PetrovićM.BarcelóD. (2013). Occurrence of 95 pharmaceuticals and transformation products in urban groundwaters underlying the metropolis of Barcelona, Spain.Environ. Pollut.174305315. 10.1016/j.envpol.2012.11.022

  • 164

    MadikizelaL. M.NcubeS.ChimukaL. (2020). Analysis, occurrence and removal of pharmaceuticals in African water resources: a current status. J. Environ. Manage.253:109741. 10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.109741

  • 165

    MamtaS.BhushanS.RanaM. S.RaychaudhuriS.SimsekH.PrajapatiS. K. (2020). “15 - Algae- and bacteria-driven technologies for pharmaceutical remediation in wastewater,” in Removal of Toxic Pollutants Through Microbiological and Tertiary Treatment, ed.ShahT. T. (Amsterdam: Elsevier), 373408. 10.1016/B978-0-12-821014-7.00015-0

  • 166

    MarcouxM.-A.MatiasM.OlivierF.KeckG. (2013). Review and prospect of emerging contaminants in waste – Key issues and challenges linked to their presence in waste treatment schemes: general aspects and focus on nanoparticles.Waste Manag.3321472156. 10.1016/j.wasman.2013.06.022

  • 167

    MasonerJ. R.KolpinD. W.FurlongE. T.CozzarelliI. M.GrayJ. L.SchwabE. A. (2014). Contaminants of emerging concern in fresh leachate from landfills in the conterminous United States. Environ. Sci. Process. Impacts16, 23352354. 10.1039/C4EM00124A

  • 168

    MarottaV.RussoG.GambardellaC.GrassoM.La SalaD.ChiofaloM. G.et al (2019). Human exposure to bisphenol AF and diethylhexylphthalate increases susceptibility to develop differentiated thyroid cancer in patients with thyroid nodules.Chemosphere218885894. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2018.11.084

  • 169

    MashiB. H. (2013). Biorremediation: issues and challenges.JORIND1115961603.

  • 170

    MatongoS.BirungiG.MoodleyB.NdunguP. (2015). Occurrence of selected pharmaceuticals in water and sediment of Umgeni River, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res.22, 1029810308. 10.1007/s11356-015-4217-0

  • 171

    de Jesus MenkJ.do NascimentoA. I. S.LeiteF. G.de OliveiraR. A.JozalaA. F.et al (2019). Biosorption of pharmaceutical products by mushroom stem waste.Chemosphere237:124515. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.124515

  • 172

    MiglioreL.FioriM.SpadoniA.GalliE. (2012). Biodegradation of oxytetracycline by Pleurotus ostreatus mycelium: a mycoremediation technique.J. Hazard. Mater.21227232. 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2012.02.056

  • 173

    MinguezL.PedelucqJ.FarcyE.BallandonneC.BudzinskiH.Halm-LemeilleM.-P. (2016). Toxicities of 48 pharmaceuticals and their freshwater and marine environmental assessment in northwestern France.Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res.2349925001. 10.1007/s11356-014-3662-5

  • 174

    MlunguzaN. Y.NcubeS.MahlambiP. N.ChimukaL.MadikizelaL. M. (2020). Determination of selected antiretroviral drugs in wastewater, surface water and aquatic plants using hollow fibre liquid phase microextraction and liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry.J. Hazard. Mater.382:121067. 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.121067

  • 175

    MorelliK. M.BrownL. B.WarrenG. L. (2017). Effect of NSAIDs on recovery from acute skeletal muscle injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Am. J. Sports Med.46224233. 10.1177/0363546517697957

  • 176

    MosekiemangT. T.StanderM. A.de VilliersA. (2019). Simultaneous quantification of commonly prescribed antiretroviral drugs and their selected metabolites in aqueous environmental samples by direct injection and solid phase extraction liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry.Chemosphere220983992. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2018.12.205

  • 177

    MtoloS. P.MahlambiP. N.MadikizelaL. M. (2019). Synthesis and application of a molecularly imprinted polymer in selective solid-phase extraction of efavirenz from water.Water Sci. Technol.79356365. 10.2166/wst.2019.054

  • 178

    MukhtarA.ManzoorM.GulI.ZafarR.JamilH. I.NiaziA. K.et al (2020). Phytotoxicity of different antibiotics to rice and stress alleviation upon application of organic amendments.Chemosphere258:127353. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.127353

  • 179

    MupatsiN. (2020). Observed and potential environmental impacts of COVID-19 in Africa. Preprints2020080442. 10.20944/preprints202008.0442.v1

  • 180

    MuszyńskaB.DąbrowskaM.StarekM.ŻmudzkiP.LazurJ.Pytko-PolończykJ.et al (2019). Lentinula edodes Mycelium as effective agent for piroxicam mycoremediation.Front. Microbiol.10:313. 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00313

  • 181

    MuszyńskaB.ŻmudzkiP.LazurJ.KałaK.Sułkowska-ZiajaK.OpokaW. (2018). Analysis of the biodegradation of synthetic testosterone and 17α-ethynylestradiol using the edible mushroom Lentinula edodes.3 Biotech8:424. 10.1007/s13205-018-1458-x

  • 182

    NadalA.QuesadaI.TuduríE.NogueirasR.Alonso-MagdalenaP. (2017). Endocrine-disrupting chemicals and the regulation of energy balance.Nat. Rev. Endocrinol.13536546. 10.1038/nrendo.2017.51

  • 183

    NadimpalliM. L.MarksS. J.MontealegreM. C.GilmanR. H.PajueloM. J.SaitoM.et al (2020). Urban informal settlements as hotspots of antimicrobial resistance and the need to curb environmental transmission.Nat. Microbiol.5787795. 10.1038/s41564-020-0722-0

  • 184

    NakadaN.TanishimaT.ShinoharaH.KiriK.TakadaH. (2006). Pharmaceutical chemicals and endocrine disrupters in municipal wastewater in Tokyo and their removal during activated sludge treatment. Water Res.40, 32973303. 10.1016/j.watres.2006.06.039

  • 185

    NannouC.OfrydopoulouA.EvgenidouE.HeathD.HeathE.LambropoulouD. (2020). Antiviral drugs in aquatic environment and wastewater treatment plants: a review on occurrence, fate, removal and ecotoxicity.Sci. Total Environ.699:134322. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134322

  • 186

    NantabaF.WasswaJ.KylinH.PalmW.-U.BouwmanH.KümmererK. (2020). Occurrence, distribution, and ecotoxicological risk assessment of selected pharmaceutical compounds in water from Lake Victoria, Uganda.Chemosphere239:124642. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.124642

  • 187

    NassourC.BartonS. J.Nabhani-GebaraS.SaabY.BarkerJ. (2020). Occurrence of anticancer drugs in the aquatic environment: a systematic review.Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res.2713391347. 10.1007/s11356-019-07045-2

  • 188

    NcubeS.MadikizelaL. M.ChimukaL.NindiM. M. (2018). Environmental fate and ecotoxicological effects of antiretrovirals: a current global status and future perspectives.Water Res.145231247. 10.1016/j.watres.2018.08.017

  • 189

    NegreiraN.de AldaM. L.BarcelóD. (2014). Cytostatic drugs and metabolites in municipal and hospital wastewaters in Spain: filtration, occurrence, and environmental risk. Sci. Total Environ.497498, 6877. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.07.101

  • 190

    NgumbaE.GachanjaA.NyirendaJ.MaldonadoJ.TuhkanenT. (2020). Occurrence of antibiotics and antiretroviral drugs in source-separated urine, groundwater, surface water and wastewater in the peri-urban area of Chunga in Lusaka, Zambia. Water SA46, 278284. 10.17159/wsa/2020.v46.i2.8243

  • 191

    NgumbaE.GachanjaA.TuhkanenT. (2016). Occurrence of selected antibiotics and antiretroviral drugs in Nairobi River Basin, Kenya.Sci. Total Environ.539206213. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.08.139

  • 192

    NguyenL. N.HaiF. I.YangS.KangJ.LeuschF. D. L.RoddickF.et al (2013). Removal of trace organic contaminants by an MBR comprising a mixed culture of bacteria and white-rot fungi.Bioresour. Technol.148234241. 10.1016/j.biortech.2013.08.142

  • 193

    NguyenL. N.HaiF. I.YangS.KangJ.LeuschF. D. L.RoddickF.et al (2014). Removal of pharmaceuticals, steroid hormones, phytoestrogens, UV-filters, industrial chemicals and pesticides by Trametes versicolor: role of biosorption and biodegradation.Int. Biodeterior. Biodegrad.88169175. 10.1016/j.ibiod.2013.12.017

  • 194

    NieX.-P.LiuB.-Y.YuH.-J.LiuW.-Q.YangY.-F. (2013). Toxic effects of erythromycin, ciprofloxacin and sulfamethoxazole exposure to the antioxidant system in Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata.Environ. Pollut.1722332. 10.1016/j.envpol.2012.08.013

  • 195

    OgwugwaV. H.OyetiboG. O.AmundO. O. (2021). Taxonomic profiling of bacteria and fungi in freshwater sewer receiving hospital wastewater.Environ. Res.192:110319. 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110319

  • 196

    OjemayeC. Y.PetrikL. (2018). Pharmaceuticals in the marine environment: a review.Environ. Rev.27151165. 10.1139/er-2018-0054

  • 197

    OlaitanO. J.OkunugaY. O.KasimL. S.ChimezieA.OderindeO. (2017). Determination of selected antimalarial pharmaceuticals in water from two hospital environments in Abeokuta Ogun state-Nigeria using SPE-LC. Afr. J. Sci. Nat.3, 5056.

  • 198

    Olicón-HernándezD. R.Camacho-MoralesR. L.PozoC.González-LópezJ.ArandaE. (2019). Evaluation of diclofenac biodegradation by the ascomycete fungus Penicillium oxalicum at flask and bench bioreactor scales.Sci. Total Environ.662607614. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.01.248

  • 199

    Olicón-HernándezD. R.Gómez-SilvánC.PozoC.AndersenG. L.González-LopezJ.ArandaE. (2021). Penicillium oxalicum XD-3.1 removes pharmaceutical compounds from hospital wastewater and outcompetes native bacterial and fungal communities in fluidised batch bioreactors.Int. Biodeterior. Biodegrad.158:105179. 10.1016/j.ibiod.2021.105179

  • 200

    Olicón-HernándezD. R.González-LópezJ.ArandaE. (2017). Overview on the biochemical potential of filamentous fungi to degrade pharmaceutical compounds.Front. Microbiol.8:1792. 10.3389/fmicb.2017.01792

  • 201

    Olicón-HernándezD. R.OrtúzarM.PozoC.González-LópezJ.ArandaE. (2020). Metabolic capability of penicillium oxalicum to transform high concentrations of anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs.Appl. Sci.10:2479. 10.3390/app10072479

  • 202

    PalanisamyV.GajendiranV.ManiK. (2021). Meta-analysis to identify the core microbiome in diverse wastewater. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol.118. 10.1007/s13762-021-03349-4

  • 203

    PalliL.Castellet-RoviraF.Pérez-TrujilloM.CanianiD.Sarrà-AdroguerM.GoriR. (2017). Preliminary evaluation of Pleurotus ostreatus for the removal of selected pharmaceuticals from hospital wastewater.Biotechnol. Prog.3315291537. 10.1002/btpr.2520

  • 204

    PanM.ChuL. M. (2017). Fate of antibiotics in soil and their uptake by edible crops.Sci. Total Environ.599–600500512. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.04.214

  • 205

    ParkH.ChoiI.-G. (2020). Genomic and transcriptomic perspectives on mycoremediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol.10469196928. 10.1007/s00253-020-10746-1

  • 206

    ParoliniM. (2020). Toxicity of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) acetylsalicylic acid, paracetamol, diclofenac, ibuprofen and naproxen towards freshwater invertebrates: a review.Sci. Total Environ.740:140043. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140043

  • 207

    PengX.YuY.TangC.TanJ.HuangQ.WangZ. (2008). Occurrence of steroid estrogens, endocrine-disrupting phenols, and acid pharmaceutical residues in urban riverine water of the Pearl River Delta, South China.Sci. Total Environ.397158166. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2008.02.059

  • 208

    PengX.ZhangK.TangC.HuangQ.YuY.CuiJ. (2011). Distribution pattern, behavior, and fate of antibacterials in urban aquatic environments in South China.J. Environ. Monit.13446454. 10.1039/C0EM00394H

  • 209

    PereiraC. D. S.MaranhoL. A.CortezF. S.PuscedduF. H.SantosA. R.RibeiroD. A.et al (2016). Occurrence of pharmaceuticals and cocaine in a Brazilian coastal zone.Sci. Total Environ.548–549148154. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.01.051

  • 210

    PhillipsP. J.SmithS. G.KolpinD. W.ZauggS. D.BuxtonH. T.FurlongE. T.et al (2010). Pharmaceutical formulation facilities as sources of opioids and other pharmaceuticals to wastewater treatment plant effluents.Environ. Sci. Technol.4449104916. 10.1021/es100356f

  • 211

    PivettaR. C.Rodrigues-SilvaC.RibeiroA. R.RathS. (2020). Tracking the occurrence of psychotropic pharmaceuticals in Brazilian wastewater treatment plants and surface water, with assessment of environmental risks.Sci. Total Environ.727:138661. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138661

  • 212

    PrasseC.SchlüsenerM. P.SchulzR.TernesT. A. (2010). Antiviral drugs in wastewater and surface waters: a new pharmaceutical class of environmental relevance?Environ. Sci. Technol.4417281735. 10.1021/es903216p

  • 213

    Ramírez-MoralesD.Masís-MoraM.Beita-SandíW.Montiel-MoraJ. R.Fernández-FernándezE.Méndez-RiveraM.et al (2021). Pharmaceuticals in farms and surrounding surface water bodies: hazard and ecotoxicity in a swine production area in Costa Rica.Chemosphere272:129574. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.129574

  • 214

    Ramírez-MoralesD.Masís-MoraM.Montiel-MoraJ. R.Cambronero-HeinrichsJ. C.Briceño-GuevaraS.Rojas-SánchezC. E.et al (2020). Occurrence of pharmaceuticals, hazard assessment and ecotoxicological evaluation of wastewater treatment plants in Costa Rica.Sci. Total Environ.746:141200. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141200

  • 215

    RaoP. H.KumarR. R.MohanN. (2019). “Phycoremediation: role of algae in waste management,” in Environmental Contaminants: Ecological Implications and Management, ed.BharagavaR. N. (Berlin: Springer), 4982. 10.1007/978-981-13-7904-8_3

  • 216

    RathiB. S.KumarP. S.ShowP.-L. (2021). A review on effective removal of emerging contaminants from aquatic systems: current trends and scope for further research.J. Hazard. Mater.409:124413. 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.124413

  • 217

    ReddyK.RenukaN.KumariS.BuxF. (2021). Algae-mediated processes for the treatment of antiretroviral drugs in wastewater: prospects and challenges.Chemosphere280:130674. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130674

  • 218

    Reis-SantosP.PaisM.DuarteB.CaçadorI.FreitasA.Vila PoucaA. S.et al (2018). Screening of human and veterinary pharmaceuticals in estuarine waters: a baseline assessment for the Tejo estuary.Mar. Pollut. Bull.13510791084. 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.08.036

  • 219

    RenJ.WangZ.DengL.NiuD.Huhetaoli, LiZ.et al (2021). Degradation of erythromycin by a novel fungus, Penicillium oxalicum RJJ-2, and the degradation pathway.Waste Biomass Valorization1245134523. 10.1007/s12649-021-01343-y

  • 220

    ReyesN. J. D. G.GeronimoF. K. F.YanoK. A. V.GuerraH. B.KimL.-H. (2021). Pharmaceutical and personal care products in different matrices: occurrence, pathways, and treatment processes.Water13:1159. 10.3390/w13091159

  • 221

    RimayiC.OdusanyaD.WeissJ. M.de BoerJ.ChimukaL. (2018). Contaminants of emerging concern in the Hartbeespoort Dam catchment and the uMngeni River estuary 2016 pollution incident, South Africa.Sci. Total Environ.62710081017. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.01.263

  • 222

    Rivera-JaimesJ. A.PostigoC.Melgoza-AlemánR. M.AceñaJ.BarcelóD.López de AldaM. (2018). Study of pharmaceuticals in surface and wastewater from Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico: occurrence and environmental risk assessment.Sci. Total Environ.613–61412631274. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.09.134

  • 223

    RobertsP. H.ThomasK. V. (2006). The occurrence of selected pharmaceuticals in wastewater effluent and surface waters of the lower Tyne catchment.Sci. Total Environ.356143153. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2005.04.031

  • 224

    Rodarte-MoralesA. I.FeijooG.MoreiraM. T.LemaJ. M. (2012a). Biotransformation of three pharmaceutical active compounds by the fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium in a fed batch stirred reactor under air and oxygen supply.Biodegradation23145156. 10.1007/s10532-011-9494-9

  • 225

    Rodarte-MoralesA. I.FeijooG.MoreiraM. T.LemaJ. M. (2012b). Operation of stirred tank reactors (STRs) and fixed-bed reactors (FBRs) with free and immobilized Phanerochaete chrysosporium for the continuous removal of pharmaceutical compounds.Biochem. Eng. J.663845. 10.1016/j.bej.2012.04.011

  • 226

    Rodriguez-MozazS.Vaz-MoreiraI.Varela Della GiustinaS.LlorcaM.BarcelóD.SchubertS.et al (2020). Antibiotic residues in final effluents of European wastewater treatment plants and their impact on the aquatic environment. Environ. Int.140:105733. 10.1016/j.envint.2020.105733

  • 227

    RouchesE.Herpoël-GimbertI.SteyerJ. P.CarrereH. (2016). Improvement of anaerobic degradation by white-rot fungi pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass: a review.Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev.59179198. 10.1016/j.rser.2015.12.317

  • 228

    RowneyN. C.JohnsonA. C.WilliamsR. J. (2009). Cytotoxic drugs in drinking water: a prediction and risk assessment exercise for the thames catchment in the United Kingdom.Environ. Toxicol. Chem.2827332743. 10.1897/09-067.1

  • 229

    RuanY.LinH.ZhangX.WuR.ZhangK.LeungK. M. Y.et al (2020). Enantiomer-specific bioaccumulation and distribution of chiral pharmaceuticals in a subtropical marine food web.J. Hazard. Mater.394:122589. 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.122589

  • 230

    RussoD.SicilianoA.GuidaM.AndreozziR.ReisN. M.Li PumaG.et al (2018). Removal of antiretroviral drugs stavudine and zidovudine in water under UV254 and UV254/H2O2 processes: quantum yields, kinetics and ecotoxicology assessment.J. Hazard. Mater.349195204. 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2018.01.052

  • 231

    SantosJ. L.AparicioI.AlonsoE. (2007). Occurrence and risk assessment of pharmaceutically active compounds in wastewater treatment plants. a case study: Seville city (Spain). Environ. Int.33, 596601. 10.1016/j.envint.2006.09.014

  • 232

    SantosL. H. M. L.AraújoA. N.FachiniA.PenaA.Delerue-MatosC.MontenegroM. C. B. S. M. (2010). Ecotoxicological aspects related to the presence of pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment.J. Hazard. Mater.1754595. 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2009.10.100

  • 233

    SantosL. H. M. L. M.Rodríguez-MozazS.BarcelóD. (2021). Microplastics as vectors of pharmaceuticals in aquatic organisms – an overview of their environmental implications.Case Stud. Chem. Environ. Eng.3: 100079. 10.1016/j.cscee.2021.100079

  • 234

    SchlüsenerM. P.HardenbickerP.NilsonE.SchulzM.ViergutzC.TernesT. A. (2015). Occurrence of venlafaxine, other antidepressants and selected metabolites in the Rhine catchment in the face of climate change.Environ. Pollut.196247256. 10.1016/j.envpol.2014.09.019

  • 235

    SchwaigerJ.FerlingH.MallowU.WintermayrH.NegeleR. D. (2004). Toxic effects of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac: part I: histopathological alterations and bioaccumulation in rainbow trout.Aquat. Toxicol.68141150. 10.1016/j.aquatox.2004.03.014

  • 236

    SeguraP. A.TakadaH.CorreaJ. A.El SaadiK.KoikeT.Onwona-AgyemanS.et al (2015). Global occurrence of anti-infectives in contaminated surface waters: impact of income inequality between countries. Environ. Int.80, 8997. 10.1016/j.envint.2015.04.001

  • 237

    ShahA.ShahM. (2020). Characterisation and bioremediation of wastewater: a review exploring bioremediation as a sustainable technique for pharmaceutical wastewater.Groundw. Sustain. Dev.11:100383. 10.1016/j.gsd.2020.100383

  • 238

    ShaoB.LiuZ.ZengG.LiuY.YangX.ZhouC.et al (2019). Immobilization of laccase on hollow mesoporous carbon nanospheres: noteworthy immobilization, excellent stability and efficacious for antibiotic contaminants removal.J. Hazard. Mater.362318326. 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2018.08.069

  • 239

    SimW.-J.LeeJ.-W.LeeE.-S.ShinS.-K.HwangS.-R.OhJ.-E. (2011). Occurrence and distribution of pharmaceuticals in wastewater from households, livestock farms, hospitals and pharmaceutical manufactures.Chemosphere82179186. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2010.10.026

  • 240

    StadlmairL. F.LetzelT.DrewesJ. E.GrassmannJ. (2018). Enzymes in removal of pharmaceuticals from wastewater: a critical review of challenges, applications and screening methods for their selection.Chemosphere205649661. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2018.04.142

  • 241

    SuiQ.CaoX.LuS.ZhaoW.QiuZ.YuG. (2015). Occurrence, sources and fate of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in the groundwater: a review.Emerg. Contam.11424. 10.1016/j.emcon.2015.07.001

  • 242

    SvobodníkováL.KummerováM.ZezulkaŠBabulaP.SendeckáK. (2020). Root response in Pisum sativum under naproxen stress: morpho-anatomical, cytological, and biochemical traits.Chemosphere258:127411. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.127411

  • 243

    ŚwiackaK.MichnowskaA.MaculewiczJ.CabanM.SmolarzK. (2021). Toxic effects of NSAIDs in non-target species: a review from the perspective of the aquatic environment.Environ. Pollut.273:115891. 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115891

  • 244

    TahraniL.Van LocoJ.AnthonissenR.VerschaeveL.Ben MansourH.ReynsT. (2017). Identification and risk assessment of human and veterinary antibiotics in the wastewater treatment plants and the adjacent sea in Tunisia. Water Sci. Technol.76, 30003021. 10.2166/wst.2017.465

  • 245

    TanB. L. L.HawkerD. W.MüllerJ. F.LeuschF. D. L.TremblayL. A.ChapmanH. F. (2007). Modelling of the fate of selected endocrine disruptors in a municipal wastewater treatment plant in South East Queensland, Australia. Chemosphere69, 644654. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2007.02.057

  • 246

    TanoueR.Margiotta-CasaluciL.HuertaB.RunnallsT. J.EguchiA.NomiyamaK.et al (2019). Protecting the environment from psychoactive drugs: problems for regulators illustrated by the possible effects of tramadol on fish behaviour.Sci. Total Environ.664915926. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.02.090

  • 247

    TernesT. A. (1998). Occurrence of drugs in German sewage treatment plants and rivers. Water Res.32, 32453260. 10.1016/S0043-1354(98)00099-2

  • 248

    TernesT. (2001). “Pharmaceuticals and metabolites as contaminants of the aquatic environment,” in Pharmaceuticals and Care Products in the Environment ACS Symposium Series, ed.DaughtonC. G. (Washington, DC: American Chemical Society), 239. 10.1021/bk-2001-0791.ch002

  • 249

    ThibautR.SchnellS.PorteC. (2006). The interference of pharmaceuticals with endogenous and xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes in carp liver: an in-vitro study.Environ. Sci. Technol.4051545160. 10.1021/es0607483

  • 250

    TijaniJ. O.FatobaO. O.BabajideO. O.PetrikL. F. (2016). Pharmaceuticals, endocrine disruptors, personal care products, nanomaterials and perfluorinated pollutants: a review.Environ. Chem. Lett.142749. 10.1007/s10311-015-0537-z

  • 251

    TińmaM.Nnidarńič-PlazlP.ŃeloG.ToljI.ŃperandaM.Bucić-KojićA.et al (2021). Trametes versicolor in lignocellulose-based bioeconomy: state of the art, challenges and opportunities.Bioresour. Technol.330:124997. 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.124997

  • 252

    TixierC.SingerH. P.OellersS.MüllerS. R. (2003). Occurrence and fate of carbamazepine, clofibric acid, diclofenac, ibuprofen, ketoprofen, and naproxen in surface waters. Environ. Sci. Technol.37, 10611068. 10.1021/es025834r

  • 253

    TompsettA. (2020). The lazarus drug: the impact of antiretroviral therapy on economic growth.J. Dev. Econ.143:102409. 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2019.102409

  • 254

    TranN. H.UraseT.TaT. T. (2014). A preliminary study on the occurrence of pharmaceutically active compounds in hospital wastewater and surface water in Hanoi, Vietnam. Clean Soil Air Water42, 267275. 10.1002/clen.201300021

  • 255

    TriebskornR.CasperH.HeydA.EikemperR.KöhlerH.-R.SchwaigerJ. (2004). Toxic effects of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac: Part II. Cytological effects in liver, kidney, gills and intestine of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).Aquat. Toxicol.68151166. 10.1016/j.aquatox.2004.03.015

  • 256

    ValcárcelY.González AlonsoS.Rodríguez-GilJ. L.GilA.CataláM. (2011). Detection of pharmaceutically active compounds in the rivers and tap water of the Madrid Region (Spain) and potential ecotoxicological risk.Chemosphere8413361348. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2011.05.014

  • 257

    Valdez-CarrilloM.AbrellL.Ramírez-HernándezJ.Reyes-LópezJ. A.Carreón-DiazcontiC. (2020). Pharmaceuticals as emerging contaminants in the aquatic environment of Latin America: a review.Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res.274486344891. 10.1007/s11356-020-10842-9

  • 258

    VasiliadouI. A.MolinaR.ParienteM. I.ChristoforidisK. C.MartinezF.MeleroJ. A. (2019). Understanding the role of mediators in the efficiency of advanced oxidation processes using white-rot fungi.Chem. Eng. J.35914271435. 10.1016/j.cej.2018.11.035

  • 259

    VaudreuilM.-A.Vo DuyS.MunozG.FurtosA.SauvéS. (2020). A framework for the analysis of polar anticancer drugs in wastewater: on-line extraction coupled to HILIC or reverse phase LC-MS/MS. Talanta220:121407. 10.1016/j.talanta.2020.121407

  • 260

    VergeynstL.HaeckA.De WispelaereP.Van LangenhoveH.DemeestereK. (2015). Multi-residue analysis of pharmaceuticals in wastewater by liquid chromatography-magnetic sector mass spectrometry: method quality assessment and application in a Belgian case study. Chemosphere119, S2S8. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2014.03.069

  • 261

    VerlicchiP.GallettiA.PetrovicM.BarcelóD. (2010). Hospital effluents as a source of emerging pollutants: an overview of micropollutants and sustainable treatment options.J. Hydrol.389416428. 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2010.06.005

  • 262

    Vidal-DorschD. E.BayS. M.MaruyaK.SnyderS. A.TrenholmR. A.VanderfordB. J. (2012). Contaminants of emerging concern in municipal wastewater effluents and marine receiving water. Environ. Toxicol. Chem.31, 26742682. 10.1002/etc.2004

  • 263

    VieiraW. T.de FariasM. B.SpaolonziM. P.da SilvaM. G. C.VieiraM. G. A. (2020). Removal of endocrine disruptors in waters by adsorption, membrane filtration and biodegradation. A review.Environ. Chem. Lett.1811131143. 10.1007/s10311-020-01000-1

  • 264

    VilvertE.Contardo-JaraV.Esterhuizen-LondtM.PflugmacherS. (2017). The effect of oxytetracycline on physiological and enzymatic defense responses in aquatic plant species Egeria densa, Azolla caroliniana, and Taxiphyllum barbieri.Toxicol. Environ. Chem.99104116. 10.1080/02772248.2016.1165817

  • 265

    WangS.MaX.LiuY.YiX.DuG.LiJ. (2020). Fate of antibiotics, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and cell-free antibiotic-resistant genes in full-scale membrane bioreactor wastewater treatment plants.Bioresour. Technol.302:122825. 10.1016/j.biortech.2020.122825

  • 266

    WangZ.DuY.YangC.LiuX.ZhangJ.LiE.et al (2017). Occurrence and ecological hazard assessment of selected antibiotics in the surface waters in and around Lake Honghu, China. Sci. Total Environ.609, 14231432. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.08.009

  • 267

    WijayaL.AlyemeniM.AhmadP.AlfarhanA.BarceloD.El-SheikhM. A.et al (2020). Ecotoxicological effects of ibuprofen on plant growth of Vigna unguiculata L.Plants9:1473. 10.3390/plants9111473

  • 268

    WillyardC. (2017). The drug-resistant bacteria that pose the greatest health threats.Nature543:15. 10.1038/nature.2017.21550

  • 269

    WojcieszyńskaD.DomaradzkaD.Hupert-KocurekK.GuzikU. (2014). Bacterial degradation of naproxen – undisclosed pollutant in the environment.J. Environ. Manage.145157161. 10.1016/j.jenvman.2014.06.023

  • 270

    WollenbergerL.Halling-SørensenB.KuskK. O. (2000). Acute and chronic toxicity of veterinary antibiotics to Daphnia magna.Chemosphere40723730. 10.1016/S0045-6535(99)00443-9

  • 271

    WuJ.QianX.YangZ.ZhangL. (2010). Study on the matrix effect in the determination of selected pharmaceutical residues in seawater by solid-phase extraction and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization low-energy collision-induced dissociation tandem mass spectrometry. J. Chromatogr. A1217, 14711475. 10.1016/j.chroma.2009.12.074

  • 272

    WuS.ZhangL.ChenJ. (2012). Paracetamol in the environment and its degradation by microorganisms.Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol.96875884. 10.1007/s00253-012-4414-4

  • 273

    XiaL.ZhengL.ZhouJ. L. (2017). Effects of ibuprofen, diclofenac and paracetamol on hatch and motor behavior in developing zebrafish (Danio rerio).Chemosphere182416425. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.05.054

  • 274

    XuS.YaoJ.AiniwaerM.HongY.ZhangY. (2018). Analysis of bacterial community structure of activated sludge from wastewater treatment plants in winter.Biomed Res. Int.2018:8278970. 10.1155/2018/8278970

  • 275

    YadavA.ReneE. R.MandalM. K.DubeyK. K. (2021). Threat and sustainable technological solution for antineoplastic drugs pollution: review on a persisting global issue.Chemosphere263:128285. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.128285

  • 276

    YanJ.LinW.GaoZ.RenY. (2021). Use of selected NSAIDs in Guangzhou and other cities in the world as identified by wastewater analysis.Chemosphere279:130529. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130529

  • 277

    YangS.HaiF. I.NghiemL. D.NguyenL. N.RoddickF.PriceW. E. (2013). Removal of bisphenol A and diclofenac by a novel fungal membrane bioreactor operated under non-sterile conditions.Int. Biodeterior. Biodegrad.85483490. 10.1016/j.ibiod.2013.03.012

  • 278

    YangY.FuJ.PengH.HouL.LiuM.ZhouJ. L. (2011). Occurrence and phase distribution of selected pharmaceuticals in the Yangtze Estuary and its coastal zone. J. Hazard. Mater.190, 588596. 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2011.03.092

  • 279

    YuJ. T.BouwerE. J.CoelhanM. (2006). Occurrence and biodegradability studies of selected pharmaceuticals and personal care products in sewage effluent. Agric. Water Manage.86, 7280. 10.1016/j.agwat.2006.06.015

  • 280

    YuY.WuL.ChangA. C. (2013). Seasonal variation of endocrine disrupting compounds, pharmaceuticals and personal care products in wastewater treatment plants.Sci. Total Environ.442310316. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.10.001

  • 281

    ZafarR.BashirS.NabiD.ArshadM. (2021). Occurrence and quantification of prevalent antibiotics in wastewater samples from Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan.Sci. Total Environ.764:142596. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142596

  • 282

    ZainabS. M.JunaidM.XuN.MalikR. N. (2020). Antibiotics and antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs) in groundwater: a global review on dissemination, sources, interactions, environmental and human health risks.Water Res.187:116455. 10.1016/j.watres.2020.116455

  • 283

    ZhangQ.-Q.YingG.-G.PanC.-G.LiuY.-S.ZhaoJ.-L. (2015). Comprehensive evaluation of antibiotics emission and fate in the river basins of china: source analysis, multimedia modeling, and linkage to bacterial resistance.Environ. Sci. Technol.4967726782. 10.1021/acs.est.5b00729

  • 284

    ZhangY.DuanL.WangB.LiuC. S.JiaY.ZhaiN.et al (2020). Efficient multiresidue determination method for 168 pharmaceuticals and metabolites: optimization and application to raw wastewater, wastewater effluent, and surface water in Beijing, China.Environ. Pollut.261:114113. 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114113

  • 285

    ZhangY.GeißenS.-U. (2012). Elimination of carbamazepine in a non-sterile fungal bioreactor.Bioresour. Technol.112221227. 10.1016/j.biortech.2012.02.073

  • 286

    ZouM.TianW.ZhaoJ.ChuM.SongT. (2022). Quinolone antibiotics in sewage treatment plants with activated sludge treatment processes: a review on source, concentration and removal.Process Saf. Environ. Prot.160116129. 10.1016/j.psep.2022.02.013

Summary

Keywords

pharmaceutical active compounds, bioremediation, wastewater, mycoremediation, emerging contaminants, pharmaceutical pollution

Citation

Ortúzar M, Esterhuizen M, Olicón-Hernández DR, González-López J and Aranda E (2022) Pharmaceutical Pollution in Aquatic Environments: A Concise Review of Environmental Impacts and Bioremediation Systems. Front. Microbiol. 13:869332. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.869332

Received

04 February 2022

Accepted

30 March 2022

Published

26 April 2022

Volume

13 - 2022

Edited by

Muhammad Bilal, Huaiyin Institute of Technology, China

Reviewed by

Sandeep Kumar Singh, Centre of Bio-Medical Research (CBMR), India; M. Kamaraj, Addis Ababa Science and Technology University, Ethiopia

Updates

Copyright

*Correspondence: Maranda Esterhuizen,

†These authors have contributed equally to this work

This article was submitted to Microbiotechnology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Microbiology

Disclaimer

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Outline

Figures

Cite article

Copy to clipboard


Export citation file


Share article

Article metrics