Evaluation of pharmaceutical plastic leachates and its impact on Artemia franciscana as a model organism

Plastic materials are extensively used in the healthcare sector for the packaging of pharmaceuticals and related accessories. Even though plastics are considered to be inert, they can leach chemical additives and degradation products. The present study investigated the organic and inorganic composition of the leachate and its biological implications. The study used polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP), expanded polyethylene (EPE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) packaging materials for the investigation. FTIR and Raman spectroscopy were used for fingerprinting the characteristic functional group vibrations of each polymer. The release of a wide spectrum of organic compounds, including phthalates were identified using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrum (GC-MS). Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) was used to detect the migrated inorganic constituents (metals). A concentration dependant increase in mortality was observed in Artemia franciscana treated with PP and EPE leachates with highest mortality rate of 15% and 18.33% respectively. The changes in the oxidative stress markers indicate that pharmaceutical plastic leachates induce strong oxidative damage. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels increased with increasing leachate concentration. In comparison with the control of 42.01, the PET samples showed a higher range of 90.97 ROS level. The total protein (TP) and malondialdehyde (MDA) followed a similar increasing trend with increasing leachate concentration, confirming lipid peroxidation and membrane damage. The MDA was highest in PS samples of 2.986 nm compared to that of 0.097 nm in control, also the TP was highest in PP samples (118 µg/mL) compared to that of control (86.50 µg/mL) and the other polymers. The superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in contrast displayed a decreasing trend, with the lowest SOD activity of 0.0393 U/mg in EPE compared to 0.4779 U/mg in control. The variations in ROS, TP, LPO and SOD were highly significant (p < 0.001), confirming strong treatment effects. Overall, these findings highlight that pharmaceutical packaging materials are not chemically inert. Instead, they release biologically active compounds that disrupt the metabolic and antioxidant defense pathways of aquatic organisms. This study emphasizes the need for improved regulatory oversight for safer packaging strategies to minimize health and ecological risks associated with plastic leaching.