ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Role of Hydrophobicity in Bio-Accessibility
of Environmental Pollutants Among Different
Organisms
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1
University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Sub-Campus Burewala-Vehari, Pakistan
2
Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Vehari Campus, Pakistan
3
Department of Management Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Sahiwal Campus, Pakistan
4
Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus, Pakistan
Submission date: 2019-05-20
Final revision date: 2019-08-04
Acceptance date: 2019-08-06
Online publication date: 2020-04-07
Publication date: 2020-06-08
Corresponding author
Naeem Shahid
Department of System-Ecotoxicology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research -UFZ, Germany, Leipzig, 04318, Leipzig, Germany
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2020;29(5):3509-3516
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ABSTRACT
This study concerns the relationship between hydrophobicity and bio-accessibility of environmental
pollutants among Tetrahymena pyriformis (protozoan), Daphnia magna (water flea) and the fish Poecilia
reticulata. The toxicological data of 55 chemicals in terms of 50% effect concentration (EC50) was
selected toward these three biological objects along with their hydrophobic potential (octanol-water
partition coefficients (log Kow)). Overall, a significant correlation was recorded among all test systems,
with the highest between Tetrahymena pyriformis and Poecilia reticulata (R = 0.93). The acute toxicity
results revealed substantial difference in the sensitivity of the three test systems but at a certain level of
hydrophobicity (log Kow values 0.5 to 2.5), where all environmental pollutants have the utmost ability to
reach biological compartments as cytosole and target sites within the membranes, to interfere with normal
cell functioning by effecting normal enzymatic activity and directly to biological macromolecules.