Development and evaluation of preconcentration process of fluoroquinolones degradation products using Solid Phase-Extraction (SPE) and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)

• Grant number: 13/07454-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2013
• End date: December 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Analytical Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Alvaro José dos Santos Neto
• Grantee: Amanda Hikari Imamura
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química de São Carlos (IQSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The pharmaceutical substances in the aquatic and terrestrial environments, even at low concentrations, are of concern due to their negative impact. For example, these pharmaceuticals can decrease the cyanophytes population and cause the emergence of antibiotic-resistant. In particular, fluoroquinolones (FQs) are antibiotics widely consumed in human and veterinary medicine due to their broad activity spectrum against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. FQs, as other pharmaceutical residues, resist ordinary wastewater treatment; consequently, they remain in the aquatic environment; eventually reaching the terrestrial environment. In this context, research projects have been proposed and developed, aiming at the degradation and removal of these micropollutants. In the advanced oxidation process, the hydroxyl radicals oxidize substances to compounds more susceptible to biodegradation and less toxic. However, there is the possibility of appearing degradation products more toxic than the original molecule. Here we intend to study and develop preconcentration methods for samples containing degradation products of FQs. These methods will be based on Solid-Phase Extraction (SPE) and will be evaluated using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The results of this work may collaborate in the development of degradation and removal methods for FQs in real samples. (AU)