ECO-PHARMA

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Eco-friendly solutions for monitoring and protecting the biodiversity of integrated systems, as well as preventing their destruction – ECO-PHARMA

Team Leader: Dr. Biol. Mihai NITĂ-LAZĂR

Short description: The pollution with pharmaceutical substances, especially those with antimicrobial effects, is a current issue because, despite their control over infections caused by pathogenic bacteria, these substances accumulate in the surrounding environment, leading to the phenomenon of antibiotic resistance and disrupting the balance of the entire biota. The project proposes the exploration of environmentally friendly solutions, aiming to replace synthetic pharmaceutical substances with antimicrobial effects and develop new plant-based products with enhanced antimicrobial effects. To identify the effects of these new products, novel methods for monitoring and predictively assessing the toxic impact of pollutants are suggested, considering their influence on biodiversity. Various types of bioindicators, ranging from transcriptional to translational levels and extending to prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell levels, will be employed in this process.

Phase 1/2023:

In silico study on the distribution and impact generated by pharmaceutical substances in the environment;
Study to highlight the current state of knowledge regarding alternative methods versus conventional methods for identifying biodiversity.
Fieldwork protocol for eDNA analysis;
Study on characterizing the impact of pharmaceutical substances with pollutant effects on plants with antimicrobial potential.

Phase 2/2023:

Experimental study for ecotoxicological characterization of pharmaceutical compounds.
Work protocol for toxicity/histopathology tests and protein profile.
Database with strains from the intestinal microbiota of antibiotic-resistant fish.
Experimental study for molecular analysis of phyto-biomarkers of stress.
Method for obtaining compounds from plant extracts with potential antimicrobial effects.
Experimental study for characterizing the composition and structure of biotic communities in selected aquatic systems.
Specific methodology for analyzing pollen types.

Phase 3/2024

Experimental study to evaluate the antimicrobial effects of eco-friendly extracts compared to existing pharmaceutical compounds

Phase 3/II/2024

Experimental study to evaluate the antimicrobial effects of commercial and laboratory-prepared sage extracts compared to existing pharmaceutical compounds

Phase 4/2024

Study on the implementation in the laboratory of methods for determining CCOCr and CBO5 aligned with international standards in force
Experimental study to evaluate the degradation capacity of new eco-friendly sage-based compounds
Working protocol for CCOCr and CBO5 analyses

Phase 4/II/2024

Experimental study to evaluate the ecotoxicological effects of extracts prepared from sage

I. ISI-BDI Articles / Patents / Books

Banciu, A.R.; Pascu, L.F.; Stoica, C.; Gheorghe, S.; Lucaciu, I.; Feodorov, L.; Nita-Lazar, M. COVID-19 Pandemic Modulates the Environmental Contamination Level of Enteric Bacteria from WWTPs, Water 2024, 16, 1092, Q2, FI 3,4 https://doi.org/10.3390/w16081092
Banciu, A.R.; Pascu, L.F.; Radulescu, D.M.; Stoica, C.; Gheorghe, S.; Lucaciu, I.; Ciobotaru, F.V.; Novac, L.; Manea, C.; Nita-Lazar, M. The COVID-19 Pandemic Impact of Hospital Wastewater on Aquatic Systems in Bucharest. Water 2024, 16, 245, Q2, FI 3,4. https://doi.org/10.3390/w16020245
Laura Feodorov, Anca-Maria Harabagiu, Alina Roxana Banciu, Dragos Radulescu, Ionut Cristea, Mihai Nita-Lazar, Antimicrobial activity of citrus semivolatile compounds obtained through a new enzyme assisted extraction technique, Romanian Journal of Ecology & Environmental Chemistry, publication vol. 6, no. 1, 2024, doi.org/10.21698/rjeec.2024.104 – BDI Article
Fulgheci, A.M., Rudaru, D.G., Andrei, M., Pirvu, F., Vasilache, N., Paun, I, Assessment of the efficiency of a municipal wastewater treatment plant from Romania. A case study. Romanian Journal of Ecology & Environmental Chemistry, 2024, 6, no.1, pp. 54÷62. https://doi.org/10.21698/rjeec.2024.105 – BDI Article

II. Scientific Events

Catalina Stoica, Gabriela Ioana-Tomoimac, Ionut Andrei Sandor, Gabriela Adina Morosanu, Dana-Maria Constantin, Ana-Maria Fulgheci, Iuliana Paun, Florinela Pirvu, Laura Florentina Chiriac and Mihai Nita Lazar, Impact of environmental variables on benthic invertebrates community structure in Comana Marsh, Romania, Climate Change in Europe: Impact, Risks and Mitigation/ CCE 2024 – Book of abstract, 2024
Catalina Stoica, Stefania Gheorghe, Alina Banciu, Mihai Nita-Lazar, Monitoring the microplastics impacts on Cyprinus carpio by biomarkers expression at translational level, 38th BARCELONA International Conference on “Chemical, Biological and Environmental Sciences” (BCBES-24) April 24-26, 2024 Barcelona (Spain) – poster, 2024
Laura Feodorov, Stefania Gheorghe, Anca-Maria Patrascu, Ana Maria Fulgheci, Alina Roxana Banciu, Mihai Nita-Lazar, Ecotoxicological Impact of Antibiotics on Aquatic Ecosystems, International Conference on Environment and Life Science (ICELS-24), 4th – 5th November 2024, Milan, Italy, 2024
Laura Feodorov, Anca-Maria Patrascu, Daniel Rudaru, Dragos Mihai Radulescu, Alina Roxana Banciu, Mihai Nita-Lazar, Antimicrobial activity of citrus semivolatile compounds obtained through a new enzyme assisted extraction technique, International Symposium “The Environment and the industry” Constanta 2024 https://www.simiecoind.ro/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/SCIENTIFIC-PROGRAM-SIMI-2024.pdf , 2024.
Laura Feodorov, Mihai Nita-Lazar, Calina Petruta Cornea, Exploring Current Frontiers of Environmental challenges by Bioindicators and Biomarkers, ,,The International Conference of the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, Agriculture for life, life for Agriculture’’, June, 2024, poster, 2024
Ana-Maria Fulgheci, Daniel-Gheorghe Rudaru, Marta Andrei, Florinela Pirvu, Nicoleta Vasilache, Iuliana Paun, Assessment of the efficiency of a municipal wastewater treatment plant from Romania. A case study, 27^th International Symposium “Environment And Industry”, 19^th – 20^th September 2024
Anca-Maria Patrascu, Laura Feodorov, Daniel Rudaru, Dragos Mihai Radulescu, Alina Roxana Banciu, Mihai Nita-Lazar, Antimicrobial activity of rosemary semivolatile compounds obtained through a new enzyme assisted extraction technique, International Conference on Environment and Life Science (ICELS-24), 4th – 5th November 2024, Milan, Italy.

III. Other promotion activities or knowledge base for research projects

Project won PNCDI IV – Challenges Program, Subprogram Centers of Excellence, PN-IV-P6-6.1-CoEx-2024-0056: Center of Excellence in Water Management, Valorization of Materials, By-products and Waste for the Implementation of Circular Bioeconomy, acronym CERSUS
HORIZON EUROPE Project Proposal – HORIZON-CL6-2024-CIRBIO-02 Carbon negative, decentralised water treatment solution valorised for agriculture and beyond, Proposal no. 101182317-1, AWARE
HORIZON EUROPE Project Proposal – Horizon-MSCA-2024-DN-01, Proposal no. 101227713, TEAM

ECO-PHARMA

Eco-friendly solutions for monitoring and protecting the biodiversity of integrated systems, as well as preventing their destruction – ECO-PHARMA

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