The antiviral drug Tamiflu (Oseltamivir Phosphate, OP), has been indicated by the World Health Organization as a first-line defense in case of an avian influenza pandemic. Recent studies have demonstrated that Oseltamivir Carboxylate (OC), the active metabolite of the prodrug OP, has the potential to be released into water bodies. The present laboratory study focused on basic processes governing the environmental fate of OC in surface water from two contrasting aquatic ecosystems of northern Italy, the River Po and the Venice lagoon. Results of this study confirmed the potential of OC to persist in surface water. However, addition of 5% of sediments resulted in rapid OC degradation. Estimated half-life of OC in water/sediment of the River Po was 15 days. After three weeks of incubation at 20 C, more than 8% of 14C-OC evolved as 14CO2 from water/sediment samples of the River Po and Venice lagoon. At the end of the 21-day incubation period, more than 65% of the 14C-residues were recovered from the liquid phase of both Po and Venice water/sediment samples. OC was moderately retained onto coarse sediments from the two sites. In water/sediment samples of the River Po and Venice lagoon treated with 14C-OC, more than 30% of the 14C-residues remained water-extractable after three weeks of incubation. The low affinity of OC to sediments suggests that presence of sediments would not reduce its bioavailability to microbial degradation.
Saccà M.L., Accinelli C., Fick J., Lindberg R., Olsen B. (2009). Environmental fate of the antiviral drug Tamiflu in two aquatic ecosystems. CHEMOSPHERE, 75, 28-32 [10.1016/j.chemosphere.2008.11.060].
Environmental fate of the antiviral drug Tamiflu in two aquatic ecosystems
ACCINELLI, CESARE;
2009
Abstract
The antiviral drug Tamiflu (Oseltamivir Phosphate, OP), has been indicated by the World Health Organization as a first-line defense in case of an avian influenza pandemic. Recent studies have demonstrated that Oseltamivir Carboxylate (OC), the active metabolite of the prodrug OP, has the potential to be released into water bodies. The present laboratory study focused on basic processes governing the environmental fate of OC in surface water from two contrasting aquatic ecosystems of northern Italy, the River Po and the Venice lagoon. Results of this study confirmed the potential of OC to persist in surface water. However, addition of 5% of sediments resulted in rapid OC degradation. Estimated half-life of OC in water/sediment of the River Po was 15 days. After three weeks of incubation at 20 C, more than 8% of 14C-OC evolved as 14CO2 from water/sediment samples of the River Po and Venice lagoon. At the end of the 21-day incubation period, more than 65% of the 14C-residues were recovered from the liquid phase of both Po and Venice water/sediment samples. OC was moderately retained onto coarse sediments from the two sites. In water/sediment samples of the River Po and Venice lagoon treated with 14C-OC, more than 30% of the 14C-residues remained water-extractable after three weeks of incubation. The low affinity of OC to sediments suggests that presence of sediments would not reduce its bioavailability to microbial degradation.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
