A new paper with the title "New insights into transformation pathways of a mixture of cytostatic drugs using Polyester-TiO2 films: Identification of intermediates and toxicity assessment" was recently published in Science of The Total Environment. This work is the result of the ongoing, close collaboration of BikiarisLab with Asoc. Prof. D. Lambropoulou, who is the principal investigator in this work, and her team.
The team of BikiarisLab was responsible for the preparation of polymer films with TiO2 to be used as photocatalysts. The two polymers used were postconsumer poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and poly(lactic acid) (PLA). Previous work from this collaboration on PET and PLA-based phototalysts was recently published in Chemosphere and Applied Sciences.
Abstract
The photocatalytic activity of two bio-based polymer photocatalysts [poly(ethylene terephthalate)-TiO2 (PET-TiO2) and poly(L-lactic acid)-graphene oxide-TiO2 (PLLA-GO-TiO2)] towards Tamoxifen (TAM), Cyclophosphamide (CP), Cytarabine (CYT) and 5-Fluorouracil (5-FLU) removal was explored and compared. The highest photocatalytic activity for the degradation of the cytostatic drugs was accomplished by PET-TiO2. Among the contaminants, TAM was the most easily removed, requiring 90 min for complete elimination, while CP showed the highest resistance to photocatalysis, not being completely removed after 6 h. Liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry analysis was employed for the identification of several transformation products (TPs) and potential pathways were proposed. A total of seventy (70) TPs including thirty-four (34) novel ones detected in AOPs were identified. The ecotoxicity of the mixture of the cytostatic drugs and TPs formed during the photocatalytic treatment was evaluated using Daphnia magna assay and was associated with the occurrence of specific TPs during the treatment process. The follow-up ECOSAR (Ecological Structure Activity Relationship) analysis further elucidated that only minor chemical transformations, such as the hydroxylation or the oxidative opening of an aromatic ring system, could hamper the adverse effects of cytostatic drugs in aquatic species. Such a comparative study on the mixture toxicity of cytostatics and their TPs is presented for the first time.
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