PHARMACEUTICAL industries, due to the production of a wide range of drugs, have PHARMACEUTICAL effluents and wastewater in various types of synthetic, chemical, biological drugs, etc. The entry of these substances into the cycle of the environment and human life is extremely harmful and carries serious risks. Therefore, PHARMACEUTICAL wastewater treatment is of great importance in industry. There are various methods on an industrial scale to remove contaminants and PHARMACEUTICAL effluents, among them, electrochemical and oxidation-based methods are very suitable for industrial and medical applications due to technical-economic justification. In this study, the removal of contaminants in drug effluents was investigated using the oxidation process. In order to evaluate and determine the characteristics of high-consumption drugs (aspirin, atorvastatin, metformin, metronidazole, and ibuprofen), using a potentiostat device with a three-electrode cell, a cyclic voltammetric diagram with a 100 mV/s scanning rate was performed until the initial and peak conditions were reached. Oxidation of drug samples were evaluated. Then, using the chronoamperometry process (constant potential application), the drugs were subjected to an electrochemical oxidation process (using three-electrode cells), and the drug removal process was performed for insoluble and liquid samples. At the end of the chronoamperometry method (drug removal), the samples were again subjected to cyclic voltammetry test, and the level below the oxidation peaks of the sample was calculated and compared with the level below the initial peak, thus determining the removal efficiency of the sample (removal rate). The results indicate that this method has shown about 70% efficiency for removing selected drugs with a high removal efficiency and for the atorvastatin sample specifically, it was about 100%. It should be noted that the oxidation time of each drug varies according to the type of drug and the concentration of the drug under study. About 100 to 500 seconds seems to be enough to remove the drug in most cases. The oxidation potential of selected drugs is in the range of-0. 8 V. Therefore, according to the results obtained, this method has high and sufficient accuracy (RSD about 2%).

Penicillin is one of the emerging POLLUTANTS that has toxic effects on food chains and aquatic environments. It creates many problems for human health and other living organisms. Conventional wastewater treatment methods cannot remove penicillin,therefore, modern approaches are necessary to remove it from sewage. In this study, we examined the ability of TiO2 photocatalysis in the degradation of penicillin in aqueous solutions. The effects of different factors such as adsorption, pH, catalyst dosage, the initial concentration of penicillin, and time were examined. The results showed that photolysis and adsorption had negligible effects on penicillin degradation. The maximum degradation (94. 5%) was observed at an ambient pH of 5, 0. 1 g/l of TiO2, and 20 mg/l of penicillin for 90 min. The photodegradation of penicillin followed a first-order kinetic reaction, and the rate constant (k) was 0. 0213 min-1. A TOC analysis was conducted to determine the fate of the pollutant. The results showed that 41% of the organic carbon was removed in 120 min. Based on the results, TiO2 photocatalysis is an economically feasible procedure with good efficiency in removing penicillin from the aquatic environment.

Background and Objectives: Aquatic ecosystems, especially rivers that pass through densely populated residential areas are utilized more than any other resource for a variety of uses and can have great effects on environment and human health. Karaj River in Alborz province is one of the largest aquatic ecosystems along which three important treatment plants are established.Materials and Methods: Since long-term toxicity and retention are main features of PHARMACEUTICAL contaminants in the aquatic environment, present research aimed to evaluate anti-inflammatory drugs, concentrations of naproxen, diclofenac, and celecoxib in Karaj River with samples from 14 sites along the river, 6 stations, and the wastewater treatment plants. After preparation and filtration of samples, the concentrations of drugs were measured by HPLC.Results: The results showed that the average concentrations of drugs in the Karaj river water were as follow: 0.409 mg/l naproxen, 0.091 mg/l celecoxib, and 0.034 mg/l diclofenac. In the wastewater treatment plant and its sewer, the drugs concentrations were 0.774 and 0.566 mg/l naproxen, 0.260 and 0.171 mg/l celecoxib, and 0.082 and 0.064 mg/l diclofenac, respectively.Conclusion: Their reducing trend can be found in sewer, wastewater, and water with the highest concentration of naproxen and lowest concentration of diclofenac. The correlation between the POLLUTANTS in different samples may indicate inefficiency of the treatment plants and retention of the POLLUTANTS that are discharged into the river through the wastewater. For this, in order to protect environment it is essential to use effective methods of treatment.

In this work, a coal fly ash (CFA) as a waste generated from chimney furnaces was tested as a low-cost adsorbent to streptomycin (SPM) drug removal from aqueous solution. Treatment of the samples coal fly ash was performed to reduce cost the of end use. CFA composition depends on the kind of coal utilized and has crystalline and no crystalline character. CFA is a valuable material and extensively utilized in cement production and as a higher adsorbent for water treatment. The physical properties like surface area, morphology, porosity, and chemical composition (alumina, iron oxide, silica, and titania) make CFA efficient material for wastewater treatment. The CFA was characterized via chemical and physical techniques, like FE-SEM, TEM, and EDX. The best optimum condition of adsorption method for SPM drug removal onto CFA, several factors were studied like, effect of contact time solution pH, concentration of drug, adsorbent dosage, and solution temperature. The percentage removal of SPM drug increased while the modified CFA dosage increased. The removal percentage % of drug increased with decreased drug concentration, also increased with increase quantity of CFA. The best of SPM drug removal found 91.76 % at concentration of drug 10 g/mL, adsorbent dosage 0.05 g, temperature 25 oC, and solution pH of 6.6. The adsorption models were tested with two isotherms like isotherm Langmuir, and isotherm Freundlich, the adsorption model was found to follow the model Freundlich.

Introduction Emerging anthropogenic POLLUTANTS in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents have been shown to pose a particular risk to aquatics and potentially affect the aquatic environment from the molecular to the ecosystem level (Santos et al., 2010). MicroPOLLUTANTS are emerging POLLUTANTS that include PHARMACEUTICALs and personal care products (PPCPs). Due to the widespread consumption of a wide range of microPOLLUTANTS and their discharge into wastewater worldwide, their occurrence and fate in aquatic environments has become a research topic in recent decades (Ryu et al., 2014). The common wastewater treatment process is not able to completely remove these compounds from the wastewater, and as a result, a significant amount of these compounds enters the aquatic water environment (Rehman et al., 2015). Dexamethasone is a potent synthetic glucocorticoid with anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects that is used to treat many diseases including allergies, asthma, covid-19, rheumatic problems, and skin diseases (Sanders et al., 2020). Today, the increasing use of dexamethasone from sources such as hospitals is a global concern. High levels of this drug, which is a cortisone derivative, have been detected in wastewater (Herrero et al., 2013). As one of the important components of the innate immune system in ectothermic vertebrates, including fishes, the complement system has been less studied. Evaluation of serum complement activity is considered as a valuable tool to diagnose the health status of fish. Complement in the non-specific immune response to a compound can have a direct effect such as killing the pathogen by lysing it (Ellis, 1999). Methodology Fifteen mature Arabian sea bream, A. arabicus were collected from the Bahrakan Port in Abadan. Fish were transported to the 300 L tanks. After seven days of adaptation, the fish were anesthetized using 2-phenoxy ethanol (0.35 ml/L). Then, the fish were dissected under aseptic conditions and their spleens and kidney heads were separated (Wen et al., 2008). The separated tissues were immediately washed three times with 100 ml antibiotic medium (Leibovitz's L-15 (L-15) with 400 IU/ml penicillin, 400 µg/ml streptomycin and 200 µg/ml amphotericin B) each time for 30 minutes. The spleen cell culture was performed according to Huang et al. (2009). The head kidney cell culture followed the protocols described by Ribera et al. (2020). Dexamethasone cytotoxicity was assessed by MTT method according to Momeni et al. (2010). Cultivated spleen and head kidney cells were plated in 24-well microplates (105 cells / ml L-15 medium / well) and incubated at 28°C for 24h. The cell viability was assessed using trypan blue exclusion test. Then, 200 μL of fresh L-15 culture medium with different experimental concentrations of dexamethasone was added to each well and microplates were then incubated at 28°C for 48 h. Each treatment runs in five replicates. For this purpose, the cell suspensions were collected at 0, 12, 24 and 48 hours of experiment and transferred to microtubes for further analysis. The level of C3 and C4 was measured using immunoturbidimetry method by a double–antibody sandwich ELISA kits. ACH50 was measured by hemolytic method according to Sunyer and Tort (1995). Results Measurement of dexamethasone in hospital wastewater: To measure dexamethasone in hospital wastewater, samples were taken from the wastewater of Taleghani Hospital in Abadan, and after scanning the dexamethasone samples and determining the maximum absorption wavelength at 213 nm for it, the concentration of dexamethasone was measured using an HPLC device. The obtained concentration was 86 ng/l. Primary culture of head kidney and spleen cells: Using the trypan blue test, the survival rate of spleen and head kidney cells was determined to be 95%. Then, cells derived from the spleen and head kidney were incubated in L-15 culture medium for two weeks at 28°C. After 48 hours, cells started to grow and colony formation started 5 days after incubation. The cells grew well and completely occupied the culture dish within 12 days. All the time, the cells were floating in the culture medium as round cells and did not stick to the bottom of the culture container. The trypan blue test showed that more than 90% of the cells were alive and healthy during the test. Twelve days after incubation, the cells were passaged. The second passage was performed fifteen days after incubation and then the cells were used for cytotoxicity assay. The C3 contents notably decreased in spleen cells exposed to all concentrations of dexamethasone except for the lowest concentration (3 μM; P < 0.05). In the head kidney, the C3 contents only notably decreased in cells treated with the higher concentrations of dexamethasone (3×10 and 3×102 μM; P < 0.05). The complement C4 has no obvious change following exposure of spleen and head kidney cells to all concentrations of dexamethasone except for the highest concentration. The C4 content of spleen and head kidney cells significantly decreased after 24 h exposure to highest concentration of dexamethasone (P < 0.05).  The concentrations of dexamethasone (except the highest concentration of dexamethasone) caused a significant change in the ACH50 content of spleen cells compared to the controls (P > 0.05). The exposure of spleen cells to 3 mM dexamethasone led to an 11% decrease in alternative complement activity after 48 hours of exposure (P < 0.05). ACH50 activity in head kidney cells treated with 3×102 nM and 3 μM of dexamethasone showed no difference compared to control (P > 0.05). A significant decrease in ACH50 was observed after exposure of head kidney cells to 3×10 and 3×102 μM of dexamethasone (P < 0.05). The amount of ACH50 activity in head kidney cells treated with 3 mM dexamethasone decreased by 27% after 48 hours of exposure (P < 0.05) Discussion and Conclusion This study is the first study that reports the suppressive effects of dexamethasone on the activity of complement components of head kidney cells and spleen of Arabian yellow fin sea bream (Acanthopagrus arabicus) in cell culture medium. Dexamethasone is commonly known as an immunosuppressant drug that is toxic to immune cells and inhibits the function of the immune system (Ribas et al., 2016). The complement system plays an important role in innate and acquired immunity by facilitating the function of phagocytizing cells and cell lysis. The components of this system, which are activated in a cascade manner, lead to the destruction of pathogens by targeting the membrane components of invading agents (Boshra et al., 2006). C3 is an important component of the complement system, whose stimulation activates other components. This component belongs to the acute phase cellular proteins and is the first component of the complement system to be activated (Bayne et al., 2001). In the present study, dexamethasone led to a significant decrease in C3 levels in spleen and head kidney cells. On the other hand, the level of C4 in spleen and head kidney cells was suppressed only by the highest concentration of dexamethasone. In the study of Zach et al. (1993), corticosteroids can suppress the expression level of genes related to the synthesis and activity of C3 through the glucocorticoid (GR) and mineralocorticoid (MR) receptors. Most Osteichthyes have three corticosteroid receptors, including two glucocorticoid receptors (GR1 and GR2) and one mineralocorticoid receptor (MR), which are encoded by three different genes (Zach et al., 1993). This can explain the decrease in complement levels under the influence of dexamethasone (corticosteroid) in the present study. In the present study, dexamethasone did not affect the activity of alternative complement component (ACH50) of spleen and head kidney cells, and only its highest concentration decreased ACH50 levels after 48 hours. Milla et al. (2018) did not observe any changes in gene expression, protein quantity or activity of proteins related to innate immunity (such as ACH50 level) up to two weeks after exposure of Perca fluviatilis to 11-deoxycorticosterone (corticosteroid). While after two weeks, a significant increase in the ACH50 level of the spleen was observed. They stated that acute exposure to corticosteroids (as immunosuppressants) does not seem to have a significant effect on some innate immune proteins (Milla et al., 2018). Acknowledgment This work was supported by the Khorramshahr University of Marine Science and Technology.