Effects of propranolol and haloperidol on non-target organisms: A case study with amphibians

The technological expansion allowed the development of active substances that promoted an improvement of human life quality and a population increase. However, the increase in the consumption of pharmaceutical substances, in terms of quantity and variety, has promoted its environmental presence, namely in aquatic systems. Considering the bioactive nature of these substances, undesirable effects may be expected in the biota inhabiting ecosystems that receive these chemicals. Among these organisms are amphibians, that show high sensitivity to environmental changes. The present study aimed to assess the individual effects of two pharmaceutical drugs (propranolol and haloperidol) to aquatic early life stages (embryos and tadpoles) of Xenopus laevis and Pelophylax perezi. Assessed endpoints included mortality, malformations and growth. Furthermore, in vitro assays, where cell viability was assessed, were performed, to validate its relevance as a non-animal alternative to assess potential risks to amphibians. Thus, embryos and tadpoles of X. laevis and P. perezi and two cell lines (A6, an epithelial line derived from the kidney of an adult male; and XTC-2, a fibroblast-like line derived from a tadpole) of X. laevis were exposed to a range of concentrations of each pharmaceutical alone. Overall, the results showed that X. laevis and P. perezi tadpoles were more sensitive than the respective embryos to both pharmaceuticals drugs. When comparing the two species, X. laevis tended to be more sensitive than P. perezi. Furthermore, the in vitro assays were less sensitive to the pharmaceuticals, when compared to the tadpoles’ assays.