Exposure to low concentration of fluoxetine affects development, behaviour and acetylcholinesterase activity of zebrafish embryos.
Fluoxetine (FLX) is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant widely used in clinics and very often found in environmental samples of urban aquatic ecosystems in concentrations ranging from ng/L to μg/L. Fish populations might be especially susceptible to FLX due to the presence of conserved cellular receptors of serotonin. Neurotoxic effects on fish biota of polluted water bodies may be expected, but there are no sufficient studies in the current literature to elucidate this hypothesis. Batteries of embryo larval assays with zebrafish were performed to evaluate the potential effects of FLX exposure, including environmentally relevant concentrations. Evaluated parameters included survival, development, behaviour and neuronal biochemical markers. Regarding acute toxicity, a 168 h-LC50 value of 1.18 mg/L was obtained. Moreover, hatching delay and loss of equilibrium were observed, but at a concentration level much higher than FLX measured environmental concentrations (>100 μg/L). On the other hand, effects on locomotor and acetylcholinesterase activity (≥0.88 and 6 μg/L, respectively) were found at levels close to the maximum reported FLX concentration in surface waters. Altogether, these results suggest that FLX is neurotoxic to early life stages of zebrafish, in a short period of time causing changes in important ecological attributes which can probably be linked from molecular to population level.
['de Farias|Natália Oliveira|NO|', 'Oliveira|Rhaul|R|', 'Sousa-Moura|Diego|D|', 'de Oliveira|Reginaldo Carlyle Silva|RCS|', 'Rodrigues|Maria Augusta Carvalho|MAC|', 'Andrade|Thayres Sousa|TS|', 'Domingues|Inês|I|', 'Camargo|Níchollas Serafim|NS|', 'Muehlmann|Luís Alexandre|LA|', 'Grisolia|Cesar Koppe|CK|']
D000110:Acetylcholinesterase D000818:Animals D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation D001522:Behavior, Animal D015415:Biomarkers D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors D004351:Drug Resistance D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian D047108:Embryonic Development D005473:Fluoxetine D007814:Larva D007928:Lethal Dose 50 D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins D009994:Osmolar Concentration D017367:Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors D013045:Species Specificity D023382:Toxicity Tests, Acute D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical D015027:Zebrafish D029961:Zebrafish Proteins
Fish Neurotoxicity Danio rerio Embryotoxicity Locomotor effects Pharmaceuticals