A peer-reviewed, open access online international journal which publishes original research papers. The journal welcomes submission from scholars and experts for possible publication from all over the world. The scope of the journal includes: Pharmaceutical research, chemistry and biochemistry of naturally occurring compounds, biological evaluation of crude extracts, ethnomedicine, traditional and complementary medicine, ethnopharmacology, biomedical research, Biotechnology, Evaluation of natural substances of land and sea and of plants, microbes and animals, pharmacognosy, bioavailability, clinical, pharmacological, toxicological studies and pharmacokinetics of phytochemicals, Isolation and characterization of compounds, structure elucidation, synthesis and experimental biosynthesis of natural Product as well as developments of methods in these areas are welcomed in the journal.

Pharmaceuticals are emerging contaminants of global concern, but their occurrence and removal in semi-arid regions such as Algeria remain poorly documented. This study provides the first systematic evaluation of pharmaceutical and physicochemical parameters in two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Mascara: an activated sludge system (WWTP-1) and an aerated lagoon system (WWTP-2). Ten pharmaceuticals of different therapeutic classes were quantified using UPLC-HR-QTOF-MS in influent, effluent, and sludge samples, and removal efficiencies were compared using ANOVA and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). WWTP-1 showed higher efficiency, with >90% removal of COD, BOD₅, and ammonium, and near-complete elimination of sulfamethoxazole (99.9%) and atenolol (94%). In contrast, WWTP-2 achieved only moderate reductions (69% COD, 51% BOD₅) and low pharmaceutical removal, with negative efficiencies for persistent compounds such as carbamazepine, diclofenac, and ibuprofen. Weak correlations between macro- and micropollutants indicated that traditional indicators cannot predict pharmaceutical behavior. This work is the first to integrate physicochemical monitoring, pharmaceutical profiling, and multivariate analysis in Algerian WWTPs. The findings highlight the limitations of conventional treatment in semi-arid conditions and provide a critical baseline for adopting advanced technologies to mitigate pharmaceutical pollution in North Africa.

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are recognized as hotspots for the release of pharmaceuticals and antibiotics into aquatic environments. In the current study, we assessed the biodegradation potential of 26 pharmaceuticals (PhACs) using the OECD 301F manometric respirometry test with activated sludge from a WWTP in Mascara (Algeria) by assessing oxygen consumption and characterized the associated microbial community using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing combined with culture-based isolation. Biodegradability, expressed as theoretical oxygen demand (ThOD) percent, exhibited marked variability among the compounds. After 28 days, spiramycin (93.4%) and doxycycline (66.7%) met the criteria for ready biodegradability, whereas several antibiotics (e.g., gentamicin, sulfamethoxazole, and clarithromycin) and pharmaceuticals (e.g., fluvastatin, esomeprazole, and tramadol) exhibited low or negligible biodegradation (<30%). Amplicon-based community analysis indicated that the dominate phyla in the activated sludge were Proteobacteria and Firmicutes, with prevalent genera including Pseudomonas, Enterococcus, Bacillus, Citrobacter, Klebsiella, and Enterobacter. Multivariate analysis identified six clusters of microbial communities associated with different enrichment conditions. In parallel, 39 bacterial strains were isolated from biodegradation assays and taxonomically affiliated with Pseudomonas, Enterococcus, Bacillus, Klebsiella, and Citrobacter, supporting their potential involvement in the PhAC transformation processes. Overall, the results demonstrated a compound-specific biodegradation potential in activated sludge and highlighted the association between microbial community composition and biodegradation performance. While oxygen consumption-based assays provide valuable screening information, further studies integrating chemical analyses and functional omics are required to confirm specific biodegradation pathways and the roles of individual taxa.