The Science of the total environment
January 1, 2025
Marija Stevanović, Niki Tagkalidou, Cristiana Roberta Multisanti et al.
15 citations
A new automated platform, Zebra_K, measures the acoustic startle response (ASR), its habituation, and prepulse inhibition (PPI) in adult zebrafish. The ASR in adults shows a single short-latency C-bend similar to larvae. Females had higher responsiveness, lower habituation, and lower PPI than males. The NMDA-receptor antagonist ketamine increased responsiveness, decreased habituation, and abolished PPI. These findings support using adult zebrafish to study environmental effects on ASR plasticity.
The Science of the total environment
June 20, 2022
Xiqing Li, Lizhou Feng, Xiaolin Fan et al.
12 citations
2-fluoro-deschloroketamine (FDCK), a ketamine analog and new psychoactive substance, was monitored in wastewater from a southern Chinese province for the first time. In 2019, average FDCK loads in the province exceeded peak ketamine loads in most major Chinese cities in 2014, and FDCK became the predominant synthetic drug. Consumption dropped sharply in 2020 and 2021 after proactive police actions, yet FDCK remained the most consumed drug by 2021, suggesting it persisted despite enforcement and may have similar or improved psychoactive effects relative to ketamine. The findings highlight the need for wastewater-based monitoring of FDCK abuse in other regions.
The Science of the total environment
March 15, 2025
M Muñoz-Bartual, P Arjona-Mudarra, M Piñaga-Solé et al.
7 citations
Wastewater from the Campus of Valencia University, collected between 2023 and 2024, was analyzed for 40 psychoactive substances. Twenty-one substances were detected at least once. The most frequently found pharmaceuticals were the antidepressant venlafaxine, its metabolite O-desmethylvenlafaxine, escitalopram, and clorazepate, with concentrations up to 11,309 ng L-1. Among illicit drugs, cocaine and its metabolite benzoylecgonine were most common, with concentrations up to 980 and 5,699 ng L-1, respectively. Estimated mean consumption was highest for venlafaxine and O-desmethylvenlafaxine (489.0 and 37.2 mg day-1 per 1000 people), followed by cocaine (40.8), tramadol (30.9), MDMA (30.8), and amphetamine (17.0). The method demonstrates suitability for monitoring drug use trends via wastewater.
The Science of the total environment
November 15, 2024
Ha Hyun Lim, Hye Jin Cha, Jeong-Eun Oh
7 citations
Over 21 days, wastewater from Seoul, South Korea, was analyzed to track 22 illicit drugs. Ten drugs were detected; methamphetamine appeared consistently. Ketamine showed the highest estimated consumption rate at 47.5 mg/day per 1,000 people, followed by methamphetamine at 12.5 mg/day per 1,000 people. Daily patterns for methamphetamine and MDMA were relatively stable, with coefficients of variation of 7.03% and 13.4%, respectively. No statistically significant differences in drug consumption were found between weekends and weekdays. However, significant regional differences emerged for methamphetamine, MDMA, and ketamine, linked to average annual income and education levels.
The Science of the total environment
December 20, 2024
Huanbo Wang, Tingting Huo, Hongli Tao et al.
3 citations
Five ketamine analogues were detected in wastewater from 19 of 21 cities in Southwest China between 2022 and 2023, with four of these analogues found in wastewater for the first time. 2-fluoro deschloro-N-ethyl-ketamine (2-FDCNEK) was the most common, with a load up to 3.18 mg per day per 1000 inhabitants; other analogues had loads below 1 mg. 2-fluoro deschloroketamine (2-FDCK), a controlled substance since 2021, showed a clear downward trend, while 2-(methylamino)-2-(2-methyphenyl)-cyclohexanone (2-MDCK) disappeared quickly. In contrast, 2-FDCK and 2-FDCNEK persisted over two years, suggesting that analogues with halogen atoms on the phenyl group may have psychoactive effects similar to ketamine and high abuse potential. Wastewater analysis proved valuable for tracking the dynamic use of new psychoactive substances.
The Science of the total environment
December 10, 2024
Ondina Ribeiro, Luís Félix, Cláudia Ribeiro et al.
1 citation
MDMA (ecstasy) and its two mirror-image forms (enantiomers) cause distinct toxic effects in zebrafish embryos and larvae at concentrations as low as 0.02 μg/L, which are found in polluted waters. (S)-MDMA increases mortality and birth defects and disrupts the startle-habituation response, while (R)-MDMA suppresses general activity and avoidance behavior. The racemic mixture produces greater DNA damage than either enantiomer alone. Although MDMA does not accumulate in zebrafish tissues, these developmental, behavioral, and genetic effects could reduce larval survival and increase predation risk, raising concerns for wild fish populations. The findings demonstrate that enantioselective toxicity should be included in environmental risk assessments for MDMA.