Plant uptake of pharmaceuticals through the agricultural applications of reclaimed water and biosolids from wastewater treatment plants has been widely concerned about human health impact, especially through the consumption of contaminated fresh produce. Pharmaceuticals taken up by plants has been continuously studied for the past decade, however, the primary factors affecting pharmaceutical accumulation and transport in plants are still under discussion. Additionally, phytohormone homeostasis may be affected by the pharmaceuticals during plant uptake, which could decrease biomass and abnormal growth of plants. In this study, plant uptake study with atenolol, caffeine, and lincomycin were carried out under hydroponic growing conditions of lettuce and celery. The distribution of the pharmaceuticals in the hydroponic solution and plant tissues as well as phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) were determined by liquid chromatography–hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF/MS) through a targeted analysis method. Results showed that atenolol and lincomycin primarily accumulated in lettuce and celery roots while caffeine was mainly transported in lettuce shoots and celery leaves during 168 hours of uptake. The difference in selected pharmaceutical accumulation and transport in plants could be due to their molecular size and affinity to plant tissues. The ABA level in celery leaves was greater than that of the control while the level in lettuce shoots was similar to that of the control after 168 hours of uptake. The variation of ABA levels in plants could also be the reason for the reduction of celery biomass and the resemblance of lettuce biomass comparing to the control. The results obtained from this study could provide useful information for not only food quality but also associated human health risk assessment.

Uptake and transport of pharmaceuticals in celery and lettuce and their influence on phytohormone homeostasis

ACS Fall 2021

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