Naturally occurring biopterin as a photosensitizer for enhanced photodegradation of sulfonamides in aquatic environments.

Biopterin (Bip) significantly enhances the photodegradation of sulfamethazine (SMZ), achieving a 69.06% degradation in 3 hours under simulated sunlight with 5 μM Bip.

• Why it matters: Understanding natural photosensitizers like Bip is crucial because they influence the fate and toxicity of antibiotics in aquatic environments, impacting ecological and human health.
• What they did: The study used simulated sunlight, varying Bip concentrations, pH, and ions, along with laser flash photolysis, quenching experiments, and DFT calculations to investigate Bip’s role and mechanisms in SMZ photodegradation.
• The result: While Bip accelerates SMZ breakdown, it produces more toxic derivatives, as evidenced by increased toxicity in aquatic organisms, highlighting the need to consider photoproduct toxicity in water pollution management.