Incomplete aerobic degradation of the antidiabetic drug Metformin and identification of the bacterial dead-end transformation product Guanylurea

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Authors

Active pharmaceutical ingredients as well as personal care products are detected in increasing prevalence in different environmental compartments such as surface water, groundwater and soil. Still little is known about the environmental fate of these substances. The type II antidiabetic drug Metformin has already been detected in different surface waters worldwide, but concentrations were significantly lower than the corresponding predicted environmental concentration (PEC). In human and mammal metabolism so far no metabolites of Metformin have been identified, so the expected environmental concentrations should be very high. To assess the aerobic biodegradability of Metformin and the possible formation of degradation products, three Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) test series were performed in the present study. In the Closed Bottle test (OECD 301 D), a screening test that simulates the conditions of an environmental surface water compartment, Metformin was classified as not readily biodegradable (no biodegradation). In the Manometric Respiratory test (OEDC 301 F) working with high bacterial density, Metformin was biodegraded in one of three test bottles to 48.7% and in the toxicity control bottle to 57.5%. In the Zahn-Wellens test (OECD 302 B) using activated sludge, Metformin was biodegraded in both test vessels to an extent of 51.3% and 49.9%, respectively. Analysis of test samples by high performance liquid chromatography coupled to multiple stage mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS(n)) showed in the tests vessels were biodegradation was observed full elimination of Metformin and revealed Guanylurea (Amidinourea, Dicyandiamidine) as single and stable aerobic bacterial degradation product. In another Manometric Respiratory test Guanylurea showed no more transformation. Photodegradation of Guanylurea was also negative. A first screening in one of the greatest sewage treatment plant in southern Germany found Metformin with high concentrations (56.8μgL(-1)) in the influent (PEC=79.8μgL(-1)), but effluent concentration was much lower (0.76μgL(-1)) whereas Guanylurea was detected in a low influent and high effluent concentration (1.86μgL(-1)). These data support the experimental findings in the OECD tests and analytical results of other studies, that Metformin under aerobic conditions can bacterially be degraded to the stable dead-end transformation product Guanylurea.
Translated title of the contributionUnvollständige aerobe Degradierung des antidiabetischen Medikaments Metformin und Identifizierung des Bakterien Transformation Endproduktes Guanylurea
Original languageEnglish
JournalChemosphere
Volume85
Issue number5
Pages (from-to)765-773
Number of pages9
ISSN0045-6535
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 10.2011

    Research areas

  • Chemistry - Environmental Chemistry, Aquatic environment, Biodegradation, Dead-end metabolite, Photodegradation, Toxicity, Water treatment
  • Sustainability Science

Recently viewed

Publications

  1. Soziale Tatsachen
  2. Tablets im Sportunterricht!? Echt? Wow!
  3. Klassentestheft Teil 2 (10 Ex.) - 2. Schuljahr
  4. Integrating food security and biodiversity governance
  5. Stronger evidence for own-age effects in memory for older as compared to younger adults.
  6. From the plurality of transdisciplinarity to concrete transdisciplinary methods
  7. The impact of mindfulness on the wellbeing and performance of educators
  8. The strength of vertical linkages
  9. Crossing borders
  10. Decision Support for Crew Rostering in Public Transit
  11. Cues from Facial Expressions for Emotional Interfaces
  12. Party Goals, Institutional Veto Points and the Discourse on Political Corruption
  13. Participatory scenario planning in place-based social-ecological research
  14. On the Problematic Productivity of Hype
  15. Kundenintegration durch Additive Fertigung
  16. Correction to
  17. The evaluation of education yields at country level
  18. Tanja Dückers - Essay
  19. A longitudinal panel study on antecedents and outcomes of work-home interference
  20. Systematics of the ant genus proceratium roger (Hymenoptera, formicidae, proceratiinae) in China – with descriptions of three new species based on micro-CT enhanced next-generation-morphology
  21. Article 28 Relationship with Existing International Conventions
  22. 20-20-20 Competitiveness and Conflicts
  23. Ökonomischer Ansatz und die Theorie des Self-Command bei Thomas Schelling
  24. Incorporating anthropogenic effects into trophic ecology
  25. Contestation 'all the way down'?
  26. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) and earnings management
  27. School Will Never End
  28. Connecting Some Dots
  29. Anspannung
  30. Performance Saga: Interview 04
  31. What influences environmental entrepreneurship? A multilevel analysis of the determinants of entrepreneurs’ environmental orientation
  32. Irritation des Alltäglichen
  33. Awareness and Application of Sustainability Management Tools in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
  34. Civic Values and Value Change in Austria and Germany
  35. Expatriate training
  36. International scaling of sustainability continuing professional development for in-service teachers