Effects of Acetaminophen (Paracetamol) and Gemfibrozil on Seed Development and Antioxidant Enzyme Activities in Different Wheat Varieties

Acetaminophen and gemfibrozil are two pharmaceutically active agents that are commonly used in treatments. This study investigated the effects of these two substances on three wheat varieties “Ahmetağa”, “Cemre” and “Michelangelo”. Seeds are sown in petri dishes and treated with different concentrations (25, 50 and 100 µg/mL) of both substances. At the end of 5 days, root and stem developments were compared to the control groups. Then, planting pots were prepared by mixing 650 g soil with different concentrations (50, 100 and 250 mg) of gemfibrozil and acetaminophen. 7 g wheat seeds from each variety were planted on mixture and covered with 100 g soil. Plants were watered with regular intervals based on the field capacity calculation and harvested for analysis at the end of 15 days. After extraction procedure, the electrolyte leakage, and antioxidant enzyme activities for superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POX) and catalase (CAT) were measured. Results were statistically evaluated at 95% confidence interval based on the Duncan’s Multiple Range Test and significant differences were found. The findings demonstrated that acetaminophen and gemfibrozil treatments, in relation to the applied concentrations, retarded the root and stem developments in seeds, and increased the electrolyte leakage and antioxidant enzyme activities in plants, indicating that contamination of agricultural lands and irrigation waters by those kind of substances could cause the serious crops losses and health issues. Thus, legal arrangements should be prioritized regarding the use and disposal of these substances to minimize the environmental impacts. © 2017, Shiraz University.