video: This is control -- untreated male zebrafish. view more
Credit: Movie courtesy of the University of Ottawa.
Administration of the antidepressant fluoxetine to zebrafish, a common laboratory model, reduced levels of the stress hormone cortisol as well as exploratory behavior, effects that persisted across generations, according to a study. Fluoxetine is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) used to treat depression during pregnancy. Given that SSRIs can cross the placenta, Marilyn Vera-Chang and colleagues investigated the effects of fluoxetine on multiple descendant generations of zebrafish. The authors exposed developing zebrafish embryos to concentrations of the drug found in the cord blood of treated pregnant women and measured production of cortisol, a steroid hormone produced by zebrafish kidneys in response to stress, in three subsequent generations of adults. The authors found that both the human-relevant level and a lower concentration of the antidepressant detected as a pollutant in aquatic environments reduced cortisol levels, especially in response to stress. The effect was present in all three generations, despite a lack of further exposure to fluoxetine, and was more prominent in males than females. Analysis of gene expression in the kidneys showed that pathways involved in steroid production were affected. According to the authors, the zebrafish results underscore the need for further research in humans, given the widespread use of SSRIs and potential negative effects on offspring.
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Article #18-11695: "Transgenerational hypocortisolism and behavioral disruption are induced by the antidepressant fluoxetine in male zebrafish Danio rerio," by Marilyn Vera-Chang et al.
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Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences