Toxicity induced by ciprofloxacin and enrofloxacin: oxidative stress and metabolism

Tunable ciprofloxacin delivery through personalized electrospun patches for tympanic membrane perforations

Approximately 740 million symptomatic patients are affected by otitis media every year. Being an inflammatory disease affecting the middle ear, it is one of the primary causes of tympanic membrane (TM) perforations, often resulting in impaired hearing abilities. Antibiotic therapy using broad-spectrum fluoroquinolones, such as ciprofloxacin (CIP), is frequently employed and considered the optimal route to treat otitis media. However, patients often get exposed to high dosages to compensate for the low drug concentration reaching the affected site. Therefore, this study aims to integrate tissue engineering with drug delivery strategies to create biomimetic scaffolds promoting TM regeneration while facilitating a localized release of CIP. Distinct electrospinning (ES) modalities were designed in this regard either by blending CIP into the polymer ES solution or by incorporating nanoparticles-based co-ES/electrospraying. The combination of these modalities was investigated as well. A broad range of release kinetic profiles was achieved from the fabricated scaffolds, thereby offering a wide spectrum of antibiotic concentrations that could serve patients with diverse therapeutic needs. Furthermore, the incorporation of CIP into the TM patches demonstrated a favorable influence on their resultant mechanical properties. Biological studies performed with human mesenchymal stromal cells confirmed the absence of any cytotoxic or anti-proliferative effects from the released antibiotic. Finally, antibacterial assays validated the efficacy of CIP-loaded scaffolds in suppressing bacterial infections, highlighting their promising relevance for TM applications.

Biodegradation of ciprofloxacin using machine learning tools: Kinetics and modelling

Recently, the rampant administration of antibiotics and their synthetic organic constitutes have exacerbated adverse effects on ecosystems, affecting the health of animals, plants, and humans by promoting the emergence of extreme multidrug-resistant bacteria (XDR), antibiotic resistance bacterial variants (ARB), and genes (ARGs). The constraints, such as high costs, by-product formation, etc., associated with the physico-chemical treatment process limit their efficacy in achieving efficient wastewater remediation. Biodegradation is a cost-effective, energy-saving, sustainable alternative for removing emerging organic pollutants from environmental matrices. In view of the same, the current study aims to explore the biodegradation of ciprofloxacin using microbial consortia via metabolic pathways. The optimal parameters for biodegradation were assessed by employing machine learning tools, viz. Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and statistical optimization tool (Response Surface Methodology, RSM) using the Box-Behnken design (BBD). Under optimal culture conditions, the designed bacterial consortia degraded ciprofloxacin with 95.5% efficiency, aligning with model prediction results, i.e., 95.20% (RSM) and 94.53% (ANN), respectively. Thus, befitting amendments to the biodegradation process can augment efficiency and lead to a greener solution for antibiotic degradation from aqueous media.

Pharmacokinetics of Enrofloxacin in Plasma, Urine, and Feces of Donkey (Equus asinus) after a Single Intragastric Administration

Enrofloxacin is a broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent, but the study of its pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PKs/PDs) in donkeys is rarely reported. The present study aimed to investigate the pharmacokinetics of enrofloxacin administered intragastrically, and to study the pharmacokinetics of enrofloxacin and its metabolite ciprofloxacin in plasma, urine, and feces, and the PK/PD parameters were investigated to provide a rationale for enrofloxacin treatment in donkeys. A total of five healthy donkeys were selected for intragastric administration of 7.5 mg·kg-1 BW of enrofloxacin by gavage, and blood, urine, and fecal samples were collected. The results showed that the elimination half-life of plasma enrofloxacin was 11.40 ± 6.40 h, Tmax was 0.55 ± 0.12 h, Cmax was 2.46 ± 0.14 mg·L-1, AUC0-∞ was 10.30 ± 3.37 mg·L-1·h, and mean residence time (MRT) was 7.88 ± 1.26 h. The Tmax of plasma ciprofloxacin was 0.52 ± 0.08 h, Cmax was 0.14 ± 0.03 mg·L-1, and AUC0-∞ was 0.24 ± 0.16 mg·L-1·h. Urinary Cmax was 38.18 ± 8.56 mg·L-1 for enrofloxacin and 15.94 ± 4.15 mg·L-1 for ciprofloxacin. The total enrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin recovered amount in urine was 7.09 ± 2.55% of the dose for 144 h after dosing. The total enrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin recovered amount in feces was 25.73 ± 10.34% of the dose for 144 h after dosing. PK/PD parameters were also examined in this study, based on published MICs. In conclusion, 7.5 mg/kg BW of enrofloxacin administered intragastrically to donkeys was rapidly absorbed, widely distributed, and slowly eliminated in their bodies, and was predicted to be effective against bacteria with MICs < 0.25 mg·L-1.

Electrospun Aligned Nanofiber Yarns Constructed Biomimetic M-Type Interface Integrated into Precise Co-Culture System as Muscle-Tendon Junction-on-a-Chip for Drug Development

The incorporation of engineered muscle-tendon junction (MTJ) with organ-on-a-chip technology provides promising in vitro models for the understanding of cell-cell interaction at the interface between muscle and tendon tissues. However, developing engineered MTJ tissue with biomimetic anatomical interface structure remains challenging, and the precise co-culture of engineered interface tissue is further regarded as a remarkable obstacle. Herein, an interwoven waving approach is presented to develop engineered MTJ tissue with a biomimetic "M-type" interface structure, and further integrated into a precise co-culture microfluidic device for functional MTJ-on-a-chip fabrication. These multiscale MTJ scaffolds based on electrospun nanofiber yarns enabled 3D cellular alignment and differentiation, and the "M-type" structure led to cellular organization and interaction at the interface zone. Crucially, a compartmentalized co-culture system is integrated into an MTJ-on-a-chip device for the precise co-culture of muscle and tendon zones using their medium at the same time. Such an MTJ-on-a-chip device is further served for drug-associated MTJ toxic or protective efficacy investigations. These results highlight that these interwoven nanofibrous scaffolds with biomimetic "M-type" interface are beneficial for engineered MTJ tissue development, and MTJ-on-a-chip with precise co-culture system indicated their promising potential as in vitro musculoskeletal models for drug development and biological mechanism studies.

Subchronic doses of artemether-lumefantrine, ciprofloxacin and diclofenac precipitated inflammatory and immunological dysfunctions in female Wistar rats

Recents reports have shown increases in the abuse of anti-malaria, antibiotic and analgesic drugs. This study evaluated the effects of co-administration of artemether-lumefantrine (AL), ciprofloxacin (CPX) and diclofenac (DFC) on inflammatory and immunological status of female Wistar rats. Ninety-six female Wistar rats were assigned into eight groups of twelve animals each. Group A was control, groups B, C, D, E, F, G and H were administered AL, CPX, DFC, AL + CPX, AL + DFC, CPX + DFC and AL + CPX + DFC respectively. Dosages of administered drugs were 178 mg/kg b/w of AL, 185 mg/kg b/w of CPX and 9 mg/kg b/w of DFC. Animals were sacrificed after 6 and 12 weeks of oral administration. Blood was obtained through cardiac puncture. The liver was harvested and processed for immunohistochemical analysis. Differential leukocyte count and neutrophil adhesion test was conducted on whole blood. Immunological response was assessed by the serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-1β (Il-1β), interleukin-6 (Il-6), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), myeloperoxidase, and total immunoglobulin G. Data were analyzed with Graph pad prism 5, using one way analysis of variance at 5 % level of significance. Total leukocyte, lymphocyte and basophils count increased (p<0.05) in B, C, E, F, G and H, while neutrophil count decreased (p<0.05) in D, E, G and H at 6 weeks. Neutrophil adhesion decreased (p<0.05) in B, E, F, G and H at 6 weeks. There was no significant difference (p>0.05) in the expression of Il-6, MCP-1 and VCAM-1 across the groups. Il-1β decreased in H, while CRP increased in H at 6 weeks and 12 weeks. MPO activity decreased (p<0.05) in B, C, D, E, G and H at 6 weeks, but increased (p<0.05) in D and G at 12 weeks. Immunohistochemical analysis indicated increase (p<0.05) in tumour necrosis factor-α in liver tissues of B, C, D, E, F and G, while nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 increased (p<0.05) in C, D, E, F and G, but decreased (p<0.05) in H at 12 weeks. The co-administration of AL, CPX and DFC induced inflammatory responses with attendant immunological dysfunctions and liver damage.

Microplastics aggravate the bioaccumulation and corresponding food safety risk of antibiotics in edible bivalves by constraining detoxification-related processes

Characterized by a sessile filter-feeding lifestyle, commercial marine bivalves inhabiting pollution-prone coastal areas may accumulate significant amounts of pollutants, such as antibiotic residues, in their soft tissues and thus pose a potential threat to the health of seafood consumers. Microplastics are another type of emerging pollutant that are prevalent in coastal areas and have been reported to interact with common antibiotics such as enrofloxacin (ENR) and trimethoprim (TMP). Nevertheless, little is known about the impacts of MPs on the accumulation and corresponding food safety risk of antibiotics in edible bivalve species. Taking the frequently detected ENR, TMP, and polystyrene (PS)-MPs as representatives, the accumulation of above-mentioned antibiotics in three commercial bivalves with or without the copresence of MPs was assessed. In addition, the corresponding food safety risks of consuming antibiotic-contaminated bivalves were evaluated. Moreover, the impacts of these pollutants on detoxification-related processes were analyzed using the thick-shell mussel as a representative. Our results demonstrated that blood clams (Tegillarca granosa), thick-shell mussels (Mytilus coruscus), and Asiatic hard clams (Meretrix meretrix) accumulated significantly higher amounts of antibiotics in their bodies under antibiotic-MP coexposure scenarios. Although based on the target hazard quotients (THQs) and the margins of exposure (MoEs) obtained, the direct toxic risks of consuming ENR- or TMP-contaminated bivalves were negligible, the TMP residue accumulated in TMP-MP-coexposed mussels did surpass the maximum residue limits (MRLs) of the corresponding National Food Safety Standard of China, suggesting that other forms of potential risks should not be ignored. In addition, it was shown that the detoxification, energy provision, and antioxidant capacities of the thick-shell mussels were significantly hampered by exposure to the pollutants. In general, our data indicate that MPs may aggravate the accumulation and corresponding food safety risk of antibiotics in edible bivalves by disrupting detoxification-related processes, which deserves closer attention.

Integrated transcriptomic and biochemical characterization of the mechanisms governing stress responses in soil-dwelling invertebrate (Folsomia candida) upon exposure to dibutyl phthalate

Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) is one of the most commonly utilized plasticizers and a frequently detected phthalic acid ester (PAE) compound in soil samples. However, the toxicological effects of DBP on soil-dwelling organisms remain poorly understood. This study employed a multi-biomarker approach to investigate the impact of DBP exposure on Folsomia candida's survival, reproduction, enzyme activity levels, and transcriptional profiles. Analyses of antioxidant biomarkers, including catalase (CAT) and glutathione S-transferase (GST), as well as detoxifying enzymes such as acetylcholinesterase (AChE), Cytochrome P450 (CYP450), and lipid peroxidation (LPO), revealed significant increases in CAT activity, GST levels, and CYP450 expression following treatment with various doses of DBP for 2, 4, 7, or 14 days. Additionally, LPO induction was observed along with significant AChE inhibition. In total, 3175 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified following DBP treatment that were enriched in six Gene Ontology (GO) terms and 144 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways, including 85 upregulated and 59 downregulated primarily associated with lipid metabolism, signal transduction, DNA repair, and cell growth and death. Overall these results provide foundational insights for further research into the molecular mechanisms underlying responses of soil invertebrates to DBP exposure.

Occurrence of antibiotics and antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the Lebanese polluted Litani River

Antibiotic contamination in polluted rivers is well recognized as an environmental and public health challenge. In this study, the occurrence, distribution, and ecological risk assessment of three commonly used antibiotics (amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin, and azithromycin) were assessed in the Litani River, the most important and highly polluted river in Lebanon. Physicochemical and microbiological water quality parameters including the antibiotic-resistant ones were in parallel determined in the same sites. Water samples from five sites stretching across the river upper basin were analyzed for the antibiotics under study using high-performance liquid chromatography, with both fluorometric and UV detectors post-extraction using a solid-phase method with a hydrophilic-lipophilic balance cartridges. The disc diffusion method and standardized water quality methods were used for antibiotic-resistant bacteria and water quality assessment, respectively. Amoxicillin and ciprofloxacin were found at concentrations of 250 ng/L and 107.2 ng/L, while azithromycin was not detected in any of the sites under study. Varying levels of antibiotic resistance were detected with the isolated Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) while the total coliforms showed resistance to multiple antibiotics. COD, TP, PO43-, TN, NO3-, NH4 + , E. coli, total coliform, P. aeruginosa, and Cd levels surpassed permissible levels. Correlation analysis with water quality parameters (COD, total phosphate, phosphate, total nitrogen, and cadmium) showed a significant positive correlation with ciprofloxacin (r > 0.5, p value < 0.05). Also, the resistant P. aeruginosa showed a significant positive correlation with cadmium (r > 0.5, p value < 0.05) while the resistant E. coli was positively correlated with total nitrogen, nitrate, and lead levels (r > 0.5, p value < 0.05). The ecological risk assessment revealed that all the tested antibiotics pose low risks (ecological risk quotient RQ < 0.1) except ciprofloxacin, which could pose a medium risk (0.1 < RQ < 1). Future research concerning the long-term assessment of antibiotics' residues and the identification of resistance genes in the river is recommended.

Disruption of sex steroid hormones biosynthesis by short-term enrofloxacin antibiotic exposure in Carassius auratus var. Pengze

BACKGROUND

It has been reported that antibiotic enrofloxacin can impair reproductive function of mammals, induces multi-generational oscillatory effects on reproduction of Caenorhabditis elegans, and disturbes endocrine system in grass carp.

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to explore the effect of short-term enrofloxacin exposure on sex steroid hormones biosynthesis in Carassius auratus var. Pengze through assessing the contents of growth hormone (GH), thyroid hormone 4 (T4), estradiol (E2) and testosterone (T) in plasma, and investigating sex steroid hormones biosynthesis based on targeted metabonomics analysis, and determining expression level of some important genes, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (gnrh), gonadotropin hormone 1-β (gth1-β), gonadotropin hormone 2-β (gth2-β) and cyp19a1a in hypothalamus-pituitary-ovary axis (HPOA).

RESULTS

We found that short-term exposure of enrofloxacin disordered contents of E2 and T in plasma of fish determined by ELISA detection, T content elevation and E2 content decline, which was confirmed by the following data from targeted metabonomics analysis of plasma. The metabonomic results showed that both T and its upstream intermediate products during the process of sex steroid hormones biosynthesis in fish were increased significantly, but E2 content was decreased markedly. At the exposure 24 h of enrofloxacin, expression of gnrh in hypothalamus, gth1-β and gth2-β in pituitary were promoted. Meanwhile GH and T4 contents in plasma, two inducers of sex steroid hormones synthesis, were augmented, which indicated that sex steroid hormones biosynthesis was improved. However cyp19a1a expression in ovary was repressed, and content of estriol (E3) was upregulated. These data suggested that enrofloxacin promoted sex steroid hormones biosynthesis and conversion of E2 to estriol (E3), but inhibited the conversion of T to E2. Finally, content of E2 was declined sharply.

DISCUSSION

Animal specific antibacterial enrofloxacin is widely detectable in aquatic ecosystem, exposure of the agent can induce adverse effects on plants and animals. This study firstly evidenced induction of disruption of sex steroid hormones by enrofloxacin in fish, which indicates enrofloxacin is an endocrine disruption compound that can induce endocrine disruption of animals, including fish.

Highly reproducible and cost-effective one-pot organoid differentiation using a novel platform based on PF-127 triggered spheroid assembly

Organoid technology offers sophisticatedin vitrohuman models for basic research and drug development. However, low batch-to-batch reproducibility and high cost due to laborious procedures and materials prevent organoid culture standardization for automation and high-throughput applications. Here, using a novel platform based on the findings that Pluronic F-127 (PF-127) could trigger highly uniform spheroid assembly through a mechanism different from plate coating, we develop a one-pot organoid differentiation strategy. Using our strategy, we successfully generate cortical, nephron, hepatic, and lung organoids with improved reproducibility compared to previous methods while reducing the original costs by 80%-95%. In addition, we adapt our platform to microfluidic chips allowing automated culture. We showcase that our platform can be applied to tissue-specific screening, such as drug toxicity and transfection reagents testing. Finally, we generateNEAT1knockout tissue-specific organoids and showNEAT1modulates multiple signaling pathways fine-tuning the differentiation of nephron and hepatic organoids and suppresses immune responses in cortical organoids. In summary, our strategy provides a powerful platform for advancing organoid research and studying human development and diseases.

The Assessment of Withdrawal Interval for Enrofloxacin in Yellow Catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco) after Multiple Oral Administrations at Disparate Temperatures

The objective of the present study was to investigate the residue depletion of EF and CF in yellow catfish to estimate its WTs in plasma and tissues after multiple oral doses for 3 days at 20 mg/kg at 15, 20, and 25 °C. Samples were collected at pre-designed time points after oral doses. A validated method was performed to quantify EF and CF in plasma and tissues by high-performance liquid chromatography. Statistical differences were conducted using one-way ANOVA analysis. According to the maximum residue limit of China and Europe considering 95% percentile with 95% confidence, the WTs were estimated to be 44, 72, 66, 99, and 95 days at 15 °C; 32, 66, 65, 86, and 73 days at 20 °C; and 32, 61, 64, 55, and 59 days at 25 °C in the plasma, muscle and skin, gill, liver, and kidney, respectively. We found that increased temperature shortened the WTs in plasma and tissues. Therefore, this study can help the risk assessment of EF in aquatic products for human health at different temperatures to avoid residue violation.

Toxicologic effect of short-term enrofloxacin exposure on brain of Carassius auratus var. Pengze

To further explore short-term exposure of enrofloxacin (ENR) induced toxicity in crucian carp brain that has been reported by our previous work, as well as the possible toxicological mechanisms, this study investigated the blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability to low dosage of ENR through comprehensively assessing expression of BBB constitutive molecules zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) and permeability glycoprotein (P-gp), as well as ENR residue in brain of crucian carp. Toxicologic effect of ENR on brain tissue was determined through evaluating expression of brain-derived proteins S100B, neuron specific enolase (NSE) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in crucian carp brain tissue, as well as contents of the proteins in serum. The toxicological mechanisms were explored through analyzing transcriptome analysis data. Results showed that ENR possessed excellent permeability to crucian carp BBB, which was closely related to deranged BBB structure and declined ENR efflux that were attributed to downregulated expression of ZO-1 and P-gp by ENR exposure. Meanwhile, S100B, NSE and GFAP were upregulated in brain by ENR, and came out into blood across the damaged BBB. These data revealed that ENR induced disruption of BBB and damage of brain tissue in crucian carp. Transcriptome analysis data indicated that ENR induced toxicologic effect might be related to modification of metabolism, organismal systems, and genetic information processing, etc., and that PI3K/Akt, MAPK, HIF-1, and ubiquitin mediated proteolysis involved the mechanisms, most of the mechanisms were attributed to ENR induced oxidative stress in crucian carp brain.

Salvinia molesta phytoremediation capacity as a nature-based solution to prevent harmful effects and accumulation of ciprofloxacin in Neotropical catfish

Phytoremediation has been a potential solution for the removal of pharmaceuticals from water. Here, we evaluated the toxicological safety of ciprofloxacin-contaminated water treated by 96 h with Salvinia molesta. The Neotropical catfish Rhamdia quelen was used as a model, and the potential of the phytoremediation technique for mitigating the drug accumulation in the fishes was also studied. Fish exposed to Cipro (1 and 10 µg·L^-1) in untreated water showed toxic responses (alteration of hematological, genotoxicity, biochemical, and histopathological biomarkers) and accumulated Cipro in their muscles at concentrations high for human consumption (target hazardous quotient > 1). Fish exposed to water treated with S. molesta showed no toxic effect and no accumulation of Cipro in their tissues. This must be related to the fact that S. molesta removed up to 97% of Cipro from the water. The decrease in Cipro concentrations after water treatment with S. molesta not only prevented the toxic effects of Cipro on R. quelen fish but also prevented the antimicrobial accumulation in fish flesh, favouring safe consumption by humans. For the very first time, we showed the potential of phytoremediation as an efficiently nature-based solution to prevent environmental toxicological effects of antimicrobials to nontarget organisms such as fish and humans. The use of S. molesta for Cipro-removal from water is a green technology to be considered in the combat against antimicrobial resistance.

Efficient Activation of Peroxymonosulfate by Biochar-Loaded Zero-Valent Copper for Enrofloxacin Degradation: Singlet Oxygen-Dominated Oxidation Process

The removal of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) has become a hot research topic in the field of environmental engineering in recent years. In this work, a simple pyrolysis method was designed to prepare a high-performance biochar-loaded zero-valent copper (CuC) material for the catalytic degradation of antibiotics ENR by PMS. The results showed that 10 mg/L of ENR was completely removed within 30 min at an initial pH of 3, CuC 0.3 g/L, and PMS 2 mmol/L. Further studies confirmed that the reactive oxygen species (ROS) involved in ENR degradation are ·OH, SO4-·, ¹O₂, and O2-. Among them, ¹O₂ played a major role in degradation, whereas O2-· played a key role in the indirect generation of ¹O₂. On the one hand, CuC adsorbed and activated PMS to generate ·OH, SO4-· and O2-·. O2-· was unstable and reacted rapidly with H₂O and ·OH to generate large amounts of ¹O₂. On the other hand, both the self-decomposition of PMS and direct activation of PMS by C=O on biochar also generated ¹O₂. Five byproducts were generated during degradation and eventually mineralized to CO₂, H₂O, NO3-, and F^-. This study provides a facile strategy and new insights into the biochar-loaded zero-valent transition-metal-catalyzed PMS degradation of CECs.