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- Green solutions: exploring nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs´ impact on cucurbitaceae for environmental remediationPublication . Mudiyanselage, Chathurika Priyadarshani Huladduwa; Urbaniak, Magdalena; Chícharo, LuisNonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are widely used pharmaceuticals in the world, found as contaminants in water, soil, and sediment, posing risks to natural organisms and human health. Phytoremediation is an effective and ecologically acceptable approach for environmental pollutants. Plants from the Cucurbitaceae family have the potential to remediate contaminants in soil. Recent research indicates that certain fungicides can regulate the uptake of organic compounds, modulating major latex-like protein (MLP) in these plants. This study examines the impact of NSAIDs combined with benomyl on the physiology, biochemistry, and leaf endophytes of the zucchini plant (Cucurbita pepo). Plants were grown in OECD soil media under controlled greenhouse conditions for 28 days. There were six variants: control, paracetamol (25 mg/L), paracetamol + benomyl, diclofenac (2.5 mg/L), diclofenac + benomyl and benomyl. Water, fertilizer and benomyl were added according to a predefined schedule. After the incubation, fresh biomass, chlorophyll contents and phenolics concentrations were measured for each variant. Functional and structural diversity of leaf endophytes were analyzed by Biolog EcoPlate™ method and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The study demonstrated that paracetamol decreased the fresh biomass of roots, stems and leaves, while diclofenac treatment had a similar trend, with the lowest stems and leaves biomass. Paracetamol treatment increased chlorophyll content, whereas diclofenac had a minimal effect on chlorophyll pigments. Additionally, phenolic compounds increased significantly in plants treated with paracetamol but lowered in the diclofenac variant compared to the control. Both NSAIDs significantly decreased the leaf endophytic metabolic activity and microbial structural diversity. Benomyl, when applied alone, also displayed some impacts on plant physiology and leaf endophytic microbial community. However, benomyl considerably mitigated the detrimental consequences of NSAID-treated plants by enhancing biomass and chlorophyll content, improving resilience to oxidative stress, and promoting endophytic microbial diversity. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the fungicide-mediated regulation of NSAID-induced phytotoxicity in zucchini and highlight the potential for developing strategies to enhance phytoremediation in contaminated environments.