Toxicological effects of drugs (Diclofenac, Ibuprofen, mixture) and Hormesis on a non-target organism: Paramecium sp

Abstract

The exposure to pharmaceutical residues is inevitable, they are present in all ecosystems, particularly Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and their mixtures. In fact, the impact studies of these compounds on microorganisms are infrequent. In this context, the toxicity evaluation of Diclofenac, Ibuprofen and mixture, is undertaken on Paramecium sp, researching the effects of these xenobiotics on cellular growth and respiratory metabolism. The results show that cells exposure to low concentrations of Ibuprofen (1 and 10 μg/L), induces a insignificant stimulation, of cell growth and respiratory metabolism, in contrast to cells treated with Diclofenac, where an inhibition of cell growth is observed. The two xenobiotics mixture treatments show a significant toxicity in the presence of Diclofenac. The specific behavior of Paramecia with low concentrations of Ibuprofen may sugget a hormetic dose-response curve, expressed by an increase in the two measured physiological processes, cell growth and respiration.