The increasing use of pharmaceuticals in human and veterinary medicine, along with their poor removal rates at wastewater treatment facilities is resulting in the chronic release of pharmaceutically-active compounds (PhACs) into the marine environment, where they pose a threat to non-target organisms. A useful approach, as applied in the current study for assessing the effects of PhACs on non-target organisms, is the proteomic approach: the large-scale study of an organism's proteins. Using ‘shotgun’ proteomics, we identified differentially-expressed proteins based on peptide fragments in the solitary ascidian, Herdmania momus, following a 14-day laboratory experimental exposure to the PhAC carbamazepine (CBZ), an anticonvulsant and antidepressant medication, frequently detected in the aquatic environment. Individuals were exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations: 5 or 10 µg/L of CBZ, in addition to a control treatment. Out of 199 identified proteins, 24 were differentially expressed (12%) between the treatment groups, and thus can potentially be developed as biomarkers for CBZ contamination. Ascidians’ phylogenetic position within the closest sister group to vertebrates presents an advantage in examining the pathological effects of PhACs on vertebrate-related organs and systems. Together with the world-wide distribution of some model ascidian species, and their ability to flourish in pristine and polluted sites, they provide a promising tool through which to study the extent and effects of PhAC contamination on marine organisms.

越来越多的药物在人类和兽医学中的使用，以及它们在废水处理设施中的低去除率导致药物活性化合物 (PhAC) 长期释放到海洋环境中，在那里它们对非目标生物构成威胁. 在当前研究中用于评估 PhAC 对非目标生物的影响的一种有用方法是蛋白质组学方法：对生物体蛋白质的大规模研究。使用“霰弹枪”蛋白质组学，我们基于孤立的海鞘Herdmania momus中的肽片段鉴定了差异表达的蛋白质，经过 14 天的实验室实验暴露于 PhAC 卡马西平 (CBZ)，一种抗惊厥药和抗抑郁药，经常在水生环境中检测到。个体暴露于环境相关浓度：5 或 10 µg/L CBZ，以及对照处理。在 199 种已鉴定的蛋白质中，有 24 种在处理组之间差异表达 (12%)，因此有可能被开发为 CBZ 污染的生物标志物。海鞘在与脊椎动物最接近的姐妹群中的系统发育位置在检查 PhAC 对脊椎动物相关器官和系统的病理影响方面具有优势。连同一些模式海鞘物种在世界范围内的分布，以及它们在原始和污染地点繁衍的能力，