New insight into the bioaccumulation and trophic transfer of free and conjugated antibiotics in an estuarine food web based on multimedia fate and model simulation

The substantial utilization of antibiotics causes their "pseudo-persistence" in offshore environments. Published studies on antibiotic surveillance in food webs have primarily emphasized on parent forms; however, the compositions and concentrations of conjugated antibiotics in aquatic orga...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of hazardous materials 2024-03, Vol.465, p.133088-133088, Article 133088
Main Authors: Wu, Nian-Nian, Liu, Shan, Xu, Ru, Huang, Qian-Yi, Pan, Yun-Feng, Li, Heng-Xiang, Lin, Lang, Hou, Rui, Cheng, Yuan-Yue, Xu, Xiang-Rong
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bioaccumulation
Conjugated antibiotic
Estuary
Food Web
Trophic transfer
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The substantial utilization of antibiotics causes their "pseudo-persistence" in offshore environments. Published studies on antibiotic surveillance in food webs have primarily emphasized on parent forms; however, the compositions and concentrations of conjugated antibiotics in aquatic organisms remain largely unexplored. This study systematically examined the distribution characteristics and trophodynamics of free antibiotics and their conjugated forms in an estuarine food web. Total antibiotic levels differed insignificantly between the surface and bottom waters. The total mean values of free antibiotics in crabs, fish, shrimps, sea cucumbers, and snails varied from 0.77 to 1.4 ng/g (wet weight). The numbers and values of antibiotics rose in these biological samples after enzymatic hydrolysis. Conjugated antibiotics accounted for 23.8–76.9% of the total antibiotics in the biological samples, revealing that conjugated forms play a non-negligible role in aquatic organisms. More number of antibiotics exhibited bioaccumulation capabilities after enzymatic hydrolysis. In the food web, the free forms of anhydroerythromycin and conjugated forms of trimethoprim and ciprofloxacin underwent trophic dilution, whereas the free forms of trimethoprim and conjugated forms of ofloxacin underwent trophic amplification. The present work provides new insights into the bioaccumulation and trophic transfer of free and conjugated antibiotics in food webs. [Display omitted] •Conjugated antibiotics were first quantified in the estuarine food web.•Molecular weight and hydrophobicity modulated the distribution of antibiotics.•Conjugated antibiotics were nonnegligible compositions of antibiotics in organisms.•Bioaccumulation capabilities of antibiotics elevated after enzymatic hydrolysis.•Free and conjugated antibiotics exhibited distinct trophodynamics in the food web.
ISSN:0304-3894
1873-3336
DOI:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.133088