Bypassing the Identification: MS2Quant for Concentration Estimations of Chemicals Detected with Nontarget LC-HRMS from MS2 Data.

Nontarget analysis by liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) is now widely used to detect pollutants in the environment. Shifting away from targeted methods has led to detection of previously unseen chemicals, and assessing the risk posed by these newly detected chemicals is an important challenge. Assessing exposure and toxicity of chemicals detected with nontarget HRMS is highly dependent on the knowledge of the structure of the chemical. However, the majority of features detected in nontarget screening remain unidentified and therefore the risk assessment with conventional tools is hampered. Here, we developed MS2Quant, a machine learning model that enables prediction of concentration from fragmentation (MS2) spectra of detected, but unidentified chemicals. MS2Quant is an xgbTree algorithm-based regression model developed using ionization efficiency data for 1191 unique chemicals that spans 8 orders of magnitude. The ionization efficiency values are predicted from structural fingerprints that can be computed from the SMILES notation of the identified chemicals or from MS2 spectra of unidentified chemicals using SIRIUS+CSI:FingerID software. The root mean square errors of the training and test sets were 0.55 (3.5×) and 0.80 (6.3×) log-units, respectively. In comparison, ionization efficiency prediction approaches that depend on assigning an unequivocal structure typically yield errors from 2× to 6×. The MS2Quant quantification model was validated on a set of 39 environmental pollutants and resulted in a mean prediction error of 7.4×, a geometric mean of 4.5×, and a median of 4.0×. For comparison, a model based on PaDEL descriptors that depends on unequivocal structural assignment was developed using the same dataset. The latter approach yielded a comparable mean prediction error of 9.5×, a geometric mean of 5.6×, and a median of 5.2× on the validation set chemicals when the top structural assignment was used as input. This confirms that MS2Quant enables to extract exposure information for unidentified chemicals which, although detected, have thus far been disregarded due to lack of accurate tools for quantification. The MS2Quant model is available as an R-package in GitHub for improving discovery and monitoring of potentially hazardous environmental pollutants with nontarget screening.

MS2Tox Machine Learning Tool for Predicting the Ecotoxicity of Unidentified Chemicals in Water by Nontarget LC-HRMS.

To achieve water quality objectives of the zero pollution action plan in Europe, rapid methods are needed to identify the presence of toxic substances in complex water samples. However, only a small fraction of chemicals detected with nontarget high-resolution mass spectrometry can be identified, and fewer have ecotoxicological data available. We hypothesized that ecotoxicological data could be predicted for unknown molecular features in data-rich high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) spectra, thereby circumventing time-consuming steps of molecular identification and rapidly flagging molecules of potentially high toxicity in complex samples. Here, we present MS2Tox, a machine learning method, to predict the toxicity of unidentified chemicals based on high-resolution accurate mass tandem mass spectra (MS2). The MS2Tox model for fish toxicity was trained and tested on 647 lethal concentration (LC50) values from the CompTox database and validated for 219 chemicals and 420 MS2 spectra from MassBank. The root mean square error (RMSE) of MS2Tox predictions was below 0.89 log-mM, while the experimental repeatability of LC50 values in CompTox was 0.44 log-mM. MS2Tox allowed accurate prediction of fish LC50 values for 22 chemicals detected in water samples, and empirical evidence suggested the right directionality for another 68 chemicals. Moreover, by incorporating structural information, e.g., the presence of carbonyl-benzene, amide moieties, or hydroxyl groups, MS2Tox outperforms baseline models that use only the exact mass or log KOW.

Variability in Toxicity of Plastic Leachates as a Function of Weathering and Polymer Type: A Screening Study with the Copepod Nitocra spinipes.

AbstractThe production and use of plastic over many decades has resulted in its accumulation in the world's oceans. Plastic debris poses a range of potential risks to the marine environment and its biota. Especially, the potential hazards of small plastic debris and chemicals associated with plastic have not been extensively studied. When buoyant plastic is exposed to ultraviolet radiation, it will slowly degrade and leach chemicals into surrounding waters. These leachates can include additives, sorbed organic pollutants, and degradation products of the plastic polymers. While most hazard assessments have focused on studying adverse effects due to the uptake of plastic, toxicity studies of the leachates of plastics are less common. To begin to address this knowledge gap, we studied the acute toxicity of leachates from diverse plastics in the harpacticoid copepod Nitocra spinipes. Our results show that leachates caused a higher toxicity after plastic was exposed to ultraviolet light compared to leaching in darkness. We observed differences in toxicity for different polymer types: polyvinyl chloride and polypropylene resulted in the most toxic leachates, while polystyrene and poly[ethylene terephthalate] were least toxic. Furthermore, we observed increased toxicity of leachates from some plastics that had been weathered in the real marine environment compared to matching new materials. Our results indicate that both weathering condition and polymer type influence the toxicity of plastic leachates.

Calmodulin inhibition as a mode of action of antifungal imidazole pharmaceuticals in non-target organisms.

To improve assessment of risks associated with pharmaceutical contamination of the environment, it is crucial to understand effects and mode of action of drugs in non-target species. The evidence is accumulating that species with well-conserved drug targets are prone to be at risk when exposed to pharmaceuticals. An interesting group of pharmaceuticals released into the environment is imidazoles, antifungal agents with inhibition of ergosterol synthesis as a primary mode of action in fungi. However, imidazoles have also been identified as competitive antagonists of calmodulin (CaM), a calcium-binding protein with phylogenetically conserved structure and function. Therefore, imidazoles would act as CaM inhibitors in various organisms, including those with limited capacity to synthesize sterols, such as arthropods. We hypothesized that effects observed in crustaceans exposed to imidazoles are related to the CaM inhibition and CaM-dependent nitric oxide (NO) synthesis. To test this hypothesis, we measured (i) CaM levels and its gene expression, (ii) NO accumulation and (iii) gene expression of NO synthase (NOS1 and NOS2), in the cladoceran Daphnia magna exposed to miconazole, a model imidazole drug. Whereas significantly increased CaM gene expression and its cellular allocation were observed, supporting the hypothesized mode of action, no changes occurred in either NO synthase expression or NO levels in the exposed animals. These findings suggest that CaM inhibition by miconazole leads to protein overexpression that compensates for the loss in the protein activity, with no measurable downstream effects on NO pathways. The inhibition of CaM in D. magna may have implications for effect assessment of exposure to mixtures of imidazoles in aquatic non-target species.

Bioaccumulation Potential of CPs in Aquatic Organisms: Uptake and Depuration in Daphnia magna.

Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are industrial chemicals, subdivided into three categories: short chain (SCCPs), medium chain (MCCPs), and long chain (LCCPs) chlorinated paraffins. SCCPs are currently restricted in Europe and North America. MC and LCCPs are being used as substitution products, but there is a knowledge gap concerning their bioaccumulation potential in aquatic organisms. In this work, we performed laboratory bioconcentration (passive uptake) and bioaccumulation (including dietary uptake) experiments with Daphnia magna using five different CP technical substances. All tested CP technical substances were bioaccumulative in D. magna, with log BCF and log BAF values ranging between 6.7-7.0 and 6.5-7.0 (L kg lipid-1), respectively. An increase in carbon chain length and an increase in chlorine content (% w/w) of the CP technical substances had significant positive effects on the log BCF and log BAF values. For the different CP technical substances, 50% depuration was achieved after 2 to 10 h when D. magna were transferred to clean media. Our results show that SC, MC, and LCCPs are (very)bioaccumulative in aquatic organisms. We believe these data can aid the ongoing policy discussion concerning the environmental risk posed by CPs.

Multiple biomarker responses in caged benthic gastropods Bellamya aeruginosa after in situ exposure to Taihu Lake in China.

BACKGROUND: Freshwater sediments have been recognized as a long-term sink and potential source for environmental pollutants released into the aquatic ecosystems. In this study, the sediment quality of Taihu Lake, which is susceptible to anthropogenic contamination, was assessed by a combination of chemical analytical and biological end points. Specifically, the snail Bellamya aeruginosa was caged in situ at two locations representing different pollution levels for different exposure times (7, 14 and 21 days). At each of these time points, biochemical parameters, i.e., phase I biotransformation enzymes ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD), the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase and catalase, reactive oxygen species, protein carbonyl content and lipid peroxidation, were evaluated in the hepatopancreas of snails. In addition, surface sediments were collected for analysis of contaminants of concern, including inorganic pollutants, organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers. RESULTS: Chemical analyses revealed that sediments from Taihu Lake were contaminated with trace elements and organic pollutants. Concentrations of trace elements (Cu, Ni and As) and organochlorinated pesticides (4,4'-DDE) exceeded their corresponding threshold effect level according to the sediment quality assessment values for freshwater ecosystems in Canada, indicating that adverse biological effects may occur. All biomarkers, except EROD activity, were induced in snails during all exposure times. The integrated biomarker response index (IBR) indicated that during the initial exposure phase (7 days), B. aeruginosa were subjected to significant environmental stress, which diminished during later sampling time points. CONCLUSIONS: Results showed that IBR correlated well with the levels of environmental contaminants, demonstrating the applicability of this biomonitoring approach to complex environmental exposure scenarios.

Partitioning of Chlorinated Paraffins (CPs) to Daphnia magna Overlaps between Restricted and in-Use Categories.

Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are high-production volume industrial chemicals consisting of n-alkanes (with 10 to 30 carbon atoms in the chain) with chlorine content from 30 to 70% of weight. In Europe, the use of short chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) has been restricted by the Stockholm Convention on POPs due to their PBT (persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic) properties. Medium (MCCPs) and long chain (LCCPs) chlorinated paraffins are used as substitution products. In this work we studied the partitioning behavior of five different CP technical mixtures from the established categories (2 SCCPs, 1 MCCP, 1 LCCP and 1 CP technical mixture covering all categories) using passive dosing, by determining the partitioning coefficient of CP technical mixtures between silicone and water ( Ksilicone-water) as well as between organic matter and water ( Koc-water). We show that both silicone-water and organic carbon-water partition coefficients overlap between different categories of CP technical mixtures. These results indicate that in-use MCCPs and LCCPs may be equally or more bioaccumulative than restricted SCCPs. For the tested mixtures, both chlorine content and carbon chain length showed a significant correlation with both Ksilicone-water and Koc-water.

Multi-level toxicity assessment of engineered cellulose nanofibrils in Daphnia magna.

Cellulose nanofibril (CNF)-based materials are increasingly used in industrial and commercial applications. However, the impacts of CNF on aquatic life are poorly understood, and there are concerns regarding their potential toxicity. Using a combination of standard ecotoxicological tests and feeding experiments, we assessed the effects of CNF exposure (0.206-20.6 mg/L) on the feeding (food uptake and gut residence time) and life-history traits (growth and reproduction) in the cladoceran Daphnia magna. No mortality was observed in a 48 h acute exposure at 2060 mg/L. Moreover, a 21-day exposure at low food and moderate CNF levels induced a stimulatory effect on growth, likely driven by increased filtration efficiency, and, possibly, partial assimilation of the CNF by the animals. However, at low food levels and the highest CNF concentrations, growth and reproduction were negatively affected. These responses were linked to caloric restriction caused by dilution of the food source, but not an obstruction of the alimentary canal. Finally, no apparent translocation of CNF past the alimentary canal was detected. We conclude that CNF displays a low toxic potential to filter-feeding organisms and the expected environmental risks are low.

Temperature and food quantity effects on the harpacticoid copepod Nitocra spinipes: Combining in vivo bioassays with population modeling.

The harpacticoid copepod Nitocra spinipes has become a popular model species for toxicity testing over the past few decades. However, the combined influence of temperature and food shortage, two climate change-related stressors, has never been assessed in this species. Consequently, effects of three temperatures (15, 20 and 25°C) and six food regimes (between 0 and 5 × 105 algal cells/mL) on the life cycle of N. spinipes were examined in this study. Similarly to other copepod species, development times and brood sizes decreased with rising temperatures. Mortality was lowest in the 20°C temperature setup, indicating a close-by temperature optimum for this species. Decreasing food concentrations led to increased development times, higher mortality and a reduction in brood size. A sex ratio shift toward more females per male was observed for increasing temperatures, while no significant relationship with food concentration was found. Temperature and food functions for each endpoint were integrated into an existing individual-based population model for N. spinipes which in the future may serve as an extrapolation tool in environmental risk assessment. The model was able to accurately reproduce the experimental data in subsequent verification simulations. We suggest that temperature, food shortage, and potentially other climate change-related stressors should be considered in environmental risk assessment of chemicals to account for non-optimal exposure conditions that may occur in the field. Furthermore, we advocate combining in vivo bioassays with population modeling as a cost effective higher tier approach to assess such considerations.

Passive dosing of triclosan in multigeneration tests with copepods - stable exposure concentrations and effects at the low µg/L range.

Ecotoxicity testing is a crucial component of chemical risk assessment. Still, due to methodological difficulties related to controlling exposure concentrations over time, data on long-term effects of organic chemicals at low concentrations are limited. The aim of the present study was, therefore, to test the applicability of passive dosing to maintain stable concentrations of the organochlorine bacteriocide triclosan in the water phase during a 6-wk multigeneration population development test with the harpacticoid copepod Nitocra spinipes. Triclosan was loaded into silicone (1000 mg), which was used as passive dosing phase in the exposure vials. The distribution ratio for triclosan between silicone and water (Dsilicone-water ) was 10466 ± 1927. A population development test was conducted at 3 concentration levels of triclosan that were measured to be 3 µg/L to 5 µg/L, 7 µg/L to 11 µg/L and 16 µg/L to 26 µg/L. The results demonstrate that passive dosing is applicable for long-term ecotoxicity testing of organic chemicals, including during significant growth of the test organism population. Shifts in the demographic structure of the population during exposure suggest the most severe effects were exerted on juvenile development. Progressively lower development index values in the populations exposed to increasing triclosan concentrations suggest developmental retardation. The results further stress the need for chronic exposure during ecotoxicity testing in chemical risk assessment because even the most sensitive endpoint was not significant until after 7 d of exposure. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:1254-1260. © 2016 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of SETAC.

Bioassay battery interlaboratory investigation of emerging contaminants in spiked water extracts - Towards the implementation of bioanalytical monitoring tools in water quality assessment and monitoring.

Bioassays are particularly useful tools to link the chemical and ecological assessments in water quality monitoring. Different methods cover a broad range of toxicity mechanisms in diverse organisms, and account for risks posed by non-target compounds and mixtures. Many tests are already applied in chemical and waste assessments, and stakeholders from the science-police interface have recommended their integration in regulatory water quality monitoring. Still, there is a need to address bioassay suitability to evaluate water samples containing emerging pollutants, which are a current priority in water quality monitoring. The presented interlaboratory study (ILS) verified whether a battery of miniaturized bioassays, conducted in 11 different laboratories following their own protocols, would produce comparable results when applied to evaluate blinded samples consisting of a pristine water extract spiked with four emerging pollutants as single chemicals or mixtures, i.e. triclosan, acridine, 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) and 3-nitrobenzanthrone (3-NBA). Assays evaluated effects on aquatic organisms from three different trophic levels (algae, daphnids, zebrafish embryos) and mechanism-specific effects using in vitro estrogenicity (ER-Luc, YES) and mutagenicity (Ames fluctuation) assays. The test battery presented complementary sensitivity and specificity to evaluate the different blinded water extract spikes. Aquatic organisms differed in terms of sensitivity to triclosan (algae > daphnids > fish) and acridine (fish > daphnids > algae) spikes, confirming the complementary role of the three taxa for water quality assessment. Estrogenicity and mutagenicity assays identified with high precision the respective mechanism-specific effects of spikes even when non-specific toxicity occurred in mixture. For estrogenicity, although differences were observed between assays and models, EE2 spike relative induction EC50 values were comparable to the literature, and E2/EE2 equivalency factors reliably reflected the sample content. In the Ames, strong revertant induction occurred following 3-NBA spike incubation with the TA98 strain, which was of lower magnitude after metabolic transformation and when compared to TA100. Differences in experimental protocols, model organisms, and data analysis can be sources of variation, indicating that respective harmonized standard procedures should be followed when implementing bioassays in water monitoring. Together with other ongoing activities for the validation of a basic bioassay battery, the present study is an important step towards the implementation of bioanalytical monitoring tools in water quality assessment and monitoring.

Correction: The dilemma in prioritizing chemicals for environmental analysis: known versus unknown hazards.

Correction for 'The dilemma in prioritizing chemicals for environmental analysis: known versus unknown hazards' by Anna Sobek et al., Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2016, DOI: 10.1039/c6em00163g.

Luminescent Nanocellulose Platform: From Controlled Graft Block Copolymerization to Biomarker Sensing.

A strategy is devised for the conversion of cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) into fluorescently labeled probes involving the synthesis of CNF-based macroinitiators that initiate radical polymerization of methyl acrylate and acrylic acid N-hydroxysuccinimide ester producing a graft block copolymer modified CNF. Finally, a luminescent probe (Lucifer yellow derivative) was labeled onto the modified CNF through an amidation reaction. The surface modification steps were verified with solid-state (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) confirmed the successful labeling of the CNF; the CNF have a hydrodynamic radius of about 700 nm with an average number of dye molecules per fibril of at least 6600. The modified CNF was also imaged with confocal laser scanning microscopy. Luminescent CNF proved to be viable biomarkers and allow for fluorescence-based optical detection of CNF uptake and distribution in organisms such as crustaceans. The luminescent CNF were exposed to live juvenile daphnids and microscopy analysis revealed the presence of the luminescent CNF all over D. magna's alimentary canal tissues without any toxicity effect leading to the death of the specimen.

Improving environmental risk assessment of human pharmaceuticals.

This paper presents 10 recommendations for improving the European Medicines Agency's guidance for environmental risk assessment of human pharmaceutical products. The recommendations are based on up-to-date, available science in combination with experiences from other chemical frameworks such as the REACH-legislation for industrial chemicals. The recommendations concern: expanding the scope of the current guideline; requirements to assess the risk for development of antibiotic resistance; jointly performed assessments; refinement of the test proposal; mixture toxicity assessments on active pharmaceutical ingredients with similar modes of action; use of all available ecotoxicity studies; mandatory reviews; increased transparency; inclusion of emission data from production; and a risk management option. We believe that implementation of our recommendations would strengthen the protection of the environment and be beneficial to society. Legislation and guidance documents need to be updated at regular intervals in order to incorporate new knowledge from the scientific community. This is particularly important for regulatory documents concerning pharmaceuticals in the environment since this is a research field that has been growing substantially in the last decades.

Toxicity of leachate from weathering plastics: An exploratory screening study with Nitocra spinipes.

Between 60% and 80% of all marine litter is plastic. Leachate from plastics has previously been shown to cause acute toxicity in the freshwater species Daphnia magna. Here, we present an initial screening of the marine environmental hazard properties of leachates from weathering plastics to the marine harpacticoid copepod [Crustacea] Nitocra spinipes. Twenty-one plastic products made of different polymeric materials were leached and irradiated with artificial sunlight. Eight of the twenty-one plastics (38%) produced leachates that caused acute toxicity. Differences in toxicity were seen for different plastic products, and depending on the duration of irradiation. There was no consistent trend in how toxicity of leachate from plastics changed as a function of irradiation time. Leachate from four plastics became significantly more toxic after irradiation, two became significantly less toxic and two did not change significantly. Analysis of leachates from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) by liquid chromatography coupled to a full-scan high-resolution mass spectrometer showed that the leachates were a mixture of substances, but did not show evidence of degradation of the polymer backbone. This screening study demonstrates that leachates from different plastics differ in toxicity to N. spinipes and that the toxicity varies under simulated weathering.

Bacteria-mediated effects of antibiotics on Daphnia nutrition.

In polluted environments, contaminant effects may be manifested via both direct toxicity to the host and changes in its microbiota, affecting bacteria-host interactions. In this context, particularly relevant is exposure to antibiotics released into environment. We examined effects of the antibiotic trimethoprim on microbiota of Daphnia magna and concomitant changes in the host feeding. In daphnids exposed to 0.25 mg L(-1) trimethoprim for 24 h, the microbiota was strongly affected, with (1) up to 21-fold decrease in 16S rRNA gene abundance and (2) a shift from balanced communities dominated by Curvibacter, Aquabacterium, and Limnohabitans in controls to significantly lower diversity under dominance of Pelomonas in the exposed animals. Moreover, decreased feeding and digestion was observed in the animals exposed to 0.25-2 mg L(-1) trimethoprim for 48 h and then fed 14C-labeled algae. Whereas the proportion of intact algal cells in the guts increased with increased trimethoprim concentration, ingestion and incorporation rates as well as digestion and incorporation efficiencies decreased significantly. Thus, antibiotics may impact nontarget species via changes in their microbiota leading to compromised nutrition and, ultimately, growth. These bacteria-mediated effects in nontarget organisms may not be unique for antibiotics, but also relevant for environmental pollutants of various nature.

Population-level effects in Amphiascus tenuiremis: contrasting matrix- and individual-based population models.

Environmental risk assessment (ERA) is generally based on individual-level endpoints, even though protection goals in ERA intend higher biological levels. Population models have the potential to translate individual-level endpoints to population-level responses and range from simple demographic equations to highly complex individual based models (IBMs). The aims of the current study were to develop a matrix model (MM) with the structure and parameterization proposed in the draft OECD guideline "Harpacticoid copepod development and reproduction test with Amphiascus tenuiremis", and an IBM with the same data requirements. Experimental data from lindane exposure from validation studies of the OECD guideline was projected to the population level. Lindane does not only cause effects on survival and reproduction, but also on the time it takes to develop from larvae to adults. The two model approaches were contrasted in terms of their ability to properly project these effects on development. The MM projected smaller effects of the lindane treatments on population growth rate compared to the IBM since in its proposed structure, it did not include the delay in development explicitly. Population-level EC10 for population growth rate in the IBM was at the same level as the most sensitive individual-level endpoint, whereas the EC10 from the MM was not as sensitive. Based on these findings, our conclusion is that the IBM (or an improved MM) should be used for datasets including shifts in development, whereas the simpler MM is sufficient for datasets where only mortality and reproduction are affected, or as a screening tool in lower-tier population-level ERA.

Feeding activity and xenobiotics modulate oxidative status in Daphnia magna: implications for ecotoxicological testing.

To apply biomarkers of oxidative stress in laboratory and field settings, an understanding of their responses to changes in physiological rates is important. The evidence is accumulating that caloric intake can increase production of reactive oxygen species and thus affect background variability of oxidative stress biomarkers in ecotoxicological testing. This study aimed to delineate effects of food intake and xenobiotics on oxidative biomarkers in Daphnia magna. Antioxidant capacity measured as oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) and lipid peroxidation assayed as thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) were measured. Food intake was manipulated by varying food densities or by exposing the animals to chemicals inhibiting feeding rate (pharmaceutical haloperidol and pesticide lindane). Feeding rate proved to affect both protein, ORAC, and TBARS in unexposed daphnids. However, there was no significant effect of feeding rate on the protein-specific ORAC values. Both substances affected individual protein and ORAC levels and changed their relationship to feeding rate. Our results show that inhibition of feeding rate influenced the interpretation of biomarker response and further emphasize the importance of understanding (1) baseline variability in potential biomarkers due to variations in metabolic state and (2) the contribution of feeding rate on toxic response of biomarkers.

Identifying chemicals that are planetary boundary threats.

Rockström et al. proposed a set of planetary boundaries that delimit a "safe operating space for humanity". Many of the planetary boundaries that have so far been identified are determined by chemical agents. Other chemical pollution-related planetary boundaries likely exist, but are currently unknown. A chemical poses an unknown planetary boundary threat if it simultaneously fulfills three conditions: (1) it has an unknown disruptive effect on a vital Earth system process; (2) the disruptive effect is not discovered until it is a problem at the global scale, and (3) the effect is not readily reversible. In this paper, we outline scenarios in which chemicals could fulfill each of the three conditions, then use the scenarios as the basis to define chemical profiles that fit each scenario. The chemical profiles are defined in terms of the nature of the effect of the chemical and the nature of exposure of the environment to the chemical. Prioritization of chemicals in commerce against some of the profiles appears feasible, but there are considerable uncertainties and scientific challenges that must be addressed. Most challenging is prioritizing chemicals for their potential to have a currently unknown effect on a vital Earth system process. We conclude that the most effective strategy currently available to identify chemicals that are planetary boundary threats is prioritization against profiles defined in terms of environmental exposure combined with monitoring and study of the biogeochemical processes that underlie vital Earth system processes to identify currently unknown disruptive effects.

Are pharmaceuticals with evolutionary conserved molecular drug targets more potent to cause toxic effects in non-target organisms?

The ubiquitous use of pharmaceuticals has resulted in a continuous discharge into wastewater and pharmaceuticals and their metabolites are found in the environment. Due to their design towards specific drug targets, pharmaceuticals may be therapeutically active already at low environmental concentrations. Several human drug targets are evolutionary conserved in aquatic organisms, raising concerns about effects of these pharmaceuticals in non-target organisms. In this study, we hypothesized that the toxicity of a pharmaceutical towards a non-target invertebrate depends on the presence of the human drug target orthologs in this species. This was tested by assessing toxicity of pharmaceuticals with (miconazole and promethazine) and without (levonorgestrel) identified drug target orthologs in the cladoceran Daphnia magna. The toxicity was evaluated using general toxicity endpoints at individual (immobility, reproduction and development), biochemical (RNA and DNA content) and molecular (gene expression) levels. The results provide evidence for higher toxicity of miconazole and promethazine, i.e. the drugs with identified drug target orthologs. At the individual level, miconazole had the lowest effect concentrations for immobility and reproduction (0.3 and 0.022 mg L-1, respectively) followed by promethazine (1.6 and 0.18 mg L-1, respectively). At the biochemical level, individual RNA content was affected by miconazole and promethazine already at 0.0023 and 0.059 mg L-1, respectively. At the molecular level, gene expression for cuticle protein was significantly suppressed by exposure to both miconazole and promethazine; moreover, daphnids exposed to miconazole had significantly lower vitellogenin expression. Levonorgestrel did not have any effects on any endpoints in the concentrations tested. These results highlight the importance of considering drug target conservation in environmental risk assessments of pharmaceuticals.