Toxic Effects of common Pharmaceutical Contaminants on Daphnia pulex
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Campus where you would like to present
SURC Ballroom C/D
Start Date
16-5-2013
End Date
16-5-2013
Abstract
Human activity introduces a wide variety of chemical pollutants to our aquatic habitats, which makes it important to understand the effects of these pollutants on the organisms that live within them. The purpose of my study was to assess the effect of four of some of the most commonly present pharmaceutical compounds (Carbamazepine (CBZ), Diclofenac (DIC), 17α- ethinylestradiol (EE2), and Metoprolol (MET)) on Daphnia pulex, a keystone plankton species. I exposed individuals of a single clonal line of Daphnia to the four pharmaceuticals separately and together as a mixture in order to examine the resultant effects on mortality. CBZ, DIC and MET induced significant mortality at ecologically relevant doses, as did a mixture of all four pharmaceuticals. In a second, ongoing study, I am using a single cell gel electrophoresis (comet) assay to measure whether each compound induces DNA damage in Daphnia embryos. The toxic effects of these pharmaceuticals on organisms such as Daphnia have important implications because they may reflect effects on other eukaryotes, including humans.
Recommended Citation
Okere, Al, "Toxic Effects of common Pharmaceutical Contaminants on Daphnia pulex" (2013). Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 139.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2013/posters/139
Poster Number
30
Additional Mentoring Department
Biological Sciences
Toxic Effects of common Pharmaceutical Contaminants on Daphnia pulex
SURC Ballroom C/D
Human activity introduces a wide variety of chemical pollutants to our aquatic habitats, which makes it important to understand the effects of these pollutants on the organisms that live within them. The purpose of my study was to assess the effect of four of some of the most commonly present pharmaceutical compounds (Carbamazepine (CBZ), Diclofenac (DIC), 17α- ethinylestradiol (EE2), and Metoprolol (MET)) on Daphnia pulex, a keystone plankton species. I exposed individuals of a single clonal line of Daphnia to the four pharmaceuticals separately and together as a mixture in order to examine the resultant effects on mortality. CBZ, DIC and MET induced significant mortality at ecologically relevant doses, as did a mixture of all four pharmaceuticals. In a second, ongoing study, I am using a single cell gel electrophoresis (comet) assay to measure whether each compound induces DNA damage in Daphnia embryos. The toxic effects of these pharmaceuticals on organisms such as Daphnia have important implications because they may reflect effects on other eukaryotes, including humans.
Faculty Mentor(s)
Alison Scoville