Aquatic photochemistry, abiotic and aerobic biodegradability of thalidomide: Identification of stable transformation products by LC-UV-MS(n.)

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Authors

Thalidomide (TD), besides being notorious for its teratogenicity, was shown to have immunomodulating and anti-inflammatory activities. This is why recently TD became a promising drug for the treatment of different cancers and inflammatory diseases. Yet nothing is known about the environmental fate of TD, which therefore was assessed experimentally and by in silico prediction programs (quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) models) within this study. Photolytic degradation was tested with two different light sources (medium-pressure mercury lamp; xenon lamp) and aerobic biodegradability was investigated with two OECD tests (Closed Bottle test (CBT), Manometric Respirometry test (MRT)). An additional CBT was performed for TD samples after 16min of UV-photolysis. The primary elimination of TD was monitored and the structures of its photo-, abiotic and biodegradation products were elucidated by HPLC-UV-Fluorescence-MS(n). Furthermore, elimination of dissolved organic carbon was monitored in the photolysis experiment. LC-MS revealed that new photolytic transformation products (TPs) were identified, among them two isomers of TD with the same molecular mass. These TPs were different to the products formed by biodegradation. The experimental findings were compared with the results obtained from the in silico prediction programs where e.g. a good correlation for TD biodegradation in the CBT was confirmed. Moreover, some of the identified TPs were also structurally predicted by the MetaPC software. These results demonstrate that TD and its TPs are not readily biodegradable and not fully mineralized by photochemical treatment. They may therefore pose a risk to the aquatic environment due to the pharmacological activity of TD and unknown properties of its TPs. The applied techniques within this study emphasize the importance of QSAR models as a tool for estimating environmental risk assessments.
Original languageEnglish
JournalThe Science of The Total Environment
Volume463-464
Pages (from-to)140-150
Number of pages11
ISSN0048-9697
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01.10.2013

Recently viewed

Publications

  1. Differential effect of grassland mowing on arthropod taxa
  2. Ein Haufen Zahlen
  3. Linking Tourism and Conservation on Privately Owned Natural Areas
  4. Water, rivers and wetlands
  5. Identification of polybrominated debenzofurans from photolysis of decabromdiphenylether by uv spectroscopy
  6. Qualifizierung für unternehmerische Nachhaltigkeit
  7. Verzetteln
  8. Empirische Arbeit
  9. The role of institutions in food system transformations
  10. Social and economic value in emerging decentralized energy business models
  11. The focal-species approach and landscape restoration: a critique
  12. International handbook of trade unions, ed. by John T. Addison ...
  13. Emissions of polychlorinated biphenyls, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, and polychlorinated dibenzofurans during 2010 and 2011 in Zurich, Switzerland
  14. Becoming-Environmental
  15. Stoffstrommanagement (im Rahmen der Verträglichkeitsanalyse)
  16. Förderprogramme
  17. Peter H. Reid. 2020. Every Hill a Burial Place
  18. Die Pflicht zur Information der Öffentlichkeit nach § 39 KrW-/AbfG - eine überflüssige Norm?
  19. Capability and fair return in European and International Space cooperation
  20. Public boards
  21. Self-legitimation in selected speeches of Abubakar Shekau, the Boko Haram terrorists leader
  22. Tree species richness modulates water supply in the local tree neighbourhood
  23. The Great Pacific Garbage Catch
  24. Role of perceived importance in intergroup contact
  25. Konfliktlösung durch Verhandlung
  26. Editorial
  27. Dialektik der Umweltinformatik
  28. Idylle und Ernüchterung
  29. Audit pricing in China and Pakistan
  30. Assessment of Degradation of 18 Antibiotics in the Closed Bottle Test
  31. Pragmatism, Truth and Social Accounting Research
  32. Lange erfolgreich lernen
  33. Unternehmensteuerreform 2008
  34. Audretsch, David B., Roy Thurik, Ingrid Verheul and Sander Wennekers (eds.), Entrepreneurship: Determinants and Policy in a European — U.S. Comparison
  35. Neue Technologien in der Umfrageforschung
  36. Implications of "New Economy" traits for the tourism industry
  37. Understanding relational values in cultural landscapes in Romania and Germany
  38. Global Consciousness Predicts Behavioral Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic
  39. Sozialismus, Kommunismus
  40. The Potential of Modular Product Design on Repair Behavior and User Experience - Evidence from the Smartphone Industry
  41. Affective States and Risky Driving Behavior of Novice and Young Drivers
  42. Die Abschiebungsanordnung nach § 58a Aufenthaltsgesetz
  43. Abschluss nach drei Semestern:
  44. Night-time noise annoyance