2022 Fall Seminar Series Presents
Dr. Christopher Martyniuk
Associate Professor, The Center for Environmental and Human Toxicology in the Department of Physiological Sciences at the University of Florida.
WHEN: September 2, 2022 at Noon
WHERE: Seminar will be presented via Zoom
Please email jacki.craig@ucdenver.edu to receive the Zoom Meeting Link. Requests can be submitted any time before the Seminar but not after 10:00am the day of the seminar.
Antineoplastics in the environment: Cause for concern?
Cancer continues to be one of the top ten leading causes of death in the United States and worldwide. By the end of 2021, 1.89 million new cancer cases and 608,570 cancer deaths are projected to occur in the United States. Antineoplastic pharmaceuticals are used to treat cancers by inhibiting DNA synthesis of cancerous cells. Several antineoplastic drugs are not completely metabolized, and these pharmaceuticals can enter aquatic environments via wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and hospital wastewater in the µg/L concentration. In this seminar, I discuss the acute toxicity of antineoplastics to zebrafish, which is used as a surrogate model for ecologically relevant species. Using cyclophosphamide and ifosfamide as examples, I discuss the potential for sub-lethal toxicity based upon measurements related to embryonic mitochondrial oxidative respiration (oxygen consumption rates, reactive oxygen species, oxidative damage response transcripts), the immune system (cytokines and immune-signaling transcripts), and neurotoxicity. The effects of these antineoplastics on larval behaviors are also presented. This research contributes to an increased understanding of the risks associated with exposure to antineoplastic chemicals in the aquatic environment.
Everyone is welcome to join the seminar, please email jacki.craig@ucdenver.edu to receive the Zoom link. Requests can be submitted any time before the seminar but not after 10:00am the day of the seminar.