Assessment of sulfamethoxazole removal by three wetland plant species under hydroponic conditions: uptake, accumulation, and physiological responses
Creators: name: Li, Li
name: Yang, Fengjuan
name: A, Dan
name: Jiang, Yu
name: Chen, Minling
name: Zhang, Xiaomeng
name: Yang, Yang
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Cell Biology
subject: Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Ecology
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Infectious Diseases
subject: FOS: Health sciences
subject: Plant Biology
subject: Virology

description: Plants play a crucial role as a removal pathway in constructed wetlands, demonstrating the ability to absorb and tolerate antibiotics from wastewater. However, the specific contribution of plants in this regard has not yet to be sufficiently established. To gain a more comprehensive insight into the associated processes, we selected three common wetland plant species, <i>Canna indica</i> L. (<i>C. indica</i>), <i>Cyperus alternifolius</i> L. (<i>C. alternifolius</i>), and <i>Thalia dealbata</i> Fraser (<i>T. dealbata</i>), to evaluate their capacity for uptake, accumulation, and physiological response in the removal of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) at varying initial concentrations (10, 30, 100, and 300 µg/L) under hydroponic conditions. The results showed that SMX removal was more efficient at lower concentrations (10 and 30 µg/L) than at higher concentrations (100 and 300 µg/L). Moreover, plant systems were found to consistently outperform unplanted systems in SMX removal. Among the assessed species, <i>C. indica</i> was identified as being relatively effective in the removal of SMX, whereas the performance of <i>C. alternifolius</i> was notably less pronounced. A positive correlation was observed between the concentration of SMX in the plant tissues and that in the external aqueous medium. However, plant tissue residues contributed only a minor fraction to the overall removal of SMX. Wetland plants absorb SMX through their roots, and we accordingly detected significantly higher concentrations in submerged plant tissues. Furthermore, we also detected reductions in net photosynthetic rates indicative of potential phytotoxicity, which is associated with the accumulation of antibiotic in the shoot tissues. Accumulation of SMX in the roots and rhizomes was also found to be associated with the development of shorter roots, with this effect becoming more pronounced with an increase in the concentration of exogenous SMX. However, despite these adverse effects, plants can detoxify antibiotics <i>via</i> the glutathione pathway. Of the assessed plant species, <i>C. indica</i> was identified as the most SMX tolerant, as indicated by <i>K</i><sub>m</sub> and <i>V</i><sub>max</sub> values, with <i>C. alternifolius</i> being the least tolerant. Our findings in this study reveal the potential value of wetland plants in the sequestration of antibiotics and provide evidence for the underlying mechanisms of action. These findings could make an important contribution to the implementation of phytoremediation in antibiotic-contaminated water. Three wetland plants with fibrous root systems, namely <i>Canna indica</i>, <i>Cyperus alterniflius</i>, and <i>Thalia dealbata</i>, were selected to investigate the removal efficiencies of sulfamethoxazole in the hydroponic system by different emergent plants, quantify the contribution of uptake and accumulation for sulfamethoxazole in plant tissues, and assess the physiological responses of plants and their effect on the removal of sulfamethoxazole. The knowledge obtained from this study shows the potential use of wetland plants for removing antibiotics and the inherent mechanisms, which will be useful for the application of phytoremediation in antibiotic contaminated water.