Amoxicillin

Endpoint summary

Additional information

From the toxicity data found in the literature, it could be realized that algae have a higher sensitivity toward amoxicillin compared to crustaceans and fish. This indicates that effects on higher trophic levels primarily would be indirect (Holten-Lützholft et al., 1999). On the one hand, although no long-term toxicity studies to aquatic invertebrates or fish were available in the literature, taking into account the acute toxicity studies performed on crustaceans (Daphnia magna and M. macrocopa) and fish (Oryzias letipes and Danio rerio), amoxicillin seems to be not toxic for these two trophic levels. The obtained E(L)C50 are much between 100 and 6500 mg/L (Park et al., 2008; Iannocone et al., 2009 and Oliveira et al., 2013,). On the other hand, in regards to aquatic algae, amoxicillin displayed toxicity to the cyanobacterium but showed no toxicity to the green algae. The results indicated that the prokaryotic blue-green algae are considered more sensitive to antibiotics than eukaryotic green algae, most probably due to their structure being more like bacteria and due to the mode of action which specially inhibits bacterial cell wall synthesis (González-Pleiter et al., 2013; Halling-Sørensen, 2000 and Holten-Lützholftet et al., 1999). From the published results (Holten-Lützholft et al., 1999; Andreozzi et al., 2004 and González- Pleiter et al., 2013), the unicellular cyanobacteria M. aeruginosa and the S. leopoliensis seem to be more sensitive to the filamentous Anabaena CPB4337. However, it should be pointed out that both the exposure time and the toxicity endpoint were different. Taking into account the available information and particularly the results obtained in cyanobacteria were as follows: 96h-EC50 = 0.00222 and 96h-NOEC = 0.00078 mg/L for S. leopoliensis (Andreozzi et al. 2004) and 7d-EC50 for M. aeruginosa (Holten-Lützhohlft et al. 1999). In contrary, the results obtained in green algae and Lemma gibba were as follows: 72h-EC50 = 3108 mg/L for R. Salina and 72h-NOEC = 250 mg/L for S. capricornotum (Holten-Lützholft et al. 1999); the EC50 was > 50 mg/L (highest tested dose) for P. subpicata, C. ehrenbergii and C. meneghiniana (Andreaozzi et al. 2004); the 72h-EC10 was > 1000 mg/L for S. subpicata (González-Pleiter et al. 2013) and 7d-EC50/EC10 > 1000 mg/L for L. gibba (Brain et al. 2003).