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Toxicity of Diclofenac in the Fern Azolla filiculoides and the Lichen Xanthoria parietina

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Abstract

This study investigated the occurrence of toxicity, expressed as damage to the photosynthetic apparatus, in the aquatic fern Azolla filiculoides and the lichen Xanthoria parietina following treatments with diclofenac at different concentrations (0.1, 1, 10 and 100 mg/L) and different exposure times (24, 48, 72 and 240 h). Measurements of photosynthetic efficiency, chlorophyll content and chlorophyll degradation indicated dose- and time-dependent toxicity, since significant differences with control samples as well as among treatments, emerged mainly for the highest concentration (100 mg/L) and the longest time (240 h). In addition, also the mycobiont of the lichen X. parietina showed similar toxic effects, expressed as ergosterol content. The absence of relevant alterations at the lowest concentration (0.1 mg/L) suggested a very limited susceptibility of these species to environmentally relevant levels of this pharmaceutical.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Via P.A. Mattioli 4, 53100, Siena, Italy

    Andrea Vannini, Luca Paoli, Marco Vichi & Stefano Loppi

  2. Department of Botany, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University, Manesova 23, Košice, 041 67, Slovak Republic

    Martin Bačkor

  3. Department of Pharmacognosy and Botany, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, Komenského 73, Košice, 041 81, Slovak Republic

    Miriam Bačkorová

Authors
  1. Andrea Vannini
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  2. Luca Paoli
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  3. Marco Vichi
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  4. Martin Bačkor
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  5. Miriam Bačkorová
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  6. Stefano Loppi
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Correspondence to Stefano Loppi.

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Vannini, A., Paoli, L., Vichi, M. et al. Toxicity of Diclofenac in the Fern Azolla filiculoides and the Lichen Xanthoria parietina. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 100, 430–437 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-017-2266-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-017-2266-4

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