The Effects of Sertraline on Fathead Minnow (Pimephales promelas) Growth and Steroidogenesis

• Published in: Bulletin of environmental contamination and toxicology Vol. 98; no. 6; pp. 753 - 757
• Main Authors: Carty, D. R., Hala, D., Huggett, D. B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-06-2017; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: 11β-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase; Animals; Antidepressants; Aquatic Pollution; Aromatase; Brain; Cyprinidae - metabolism; Cyprinidae - physiology; Dehydrogenase; Dehydrogenases; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecological effects; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Exposure; Female; Fish; Gene expression; Larvae; Male; Pimephales promelas; Pollution; Reproduction - drug effects; Serotonin; Serotonin uptake inhibitors; Sertraline; Sertraline - toxicity; Soil Science & Conservation; Steroidogenesis; Steroids - metabolism; Thyroid; Thyroid gland; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollutants, Chemical - metabolism; Water Pollutants, Chemical - toxicity; Water Pollution Control; Endocrine disruption; Fathead minnow; Pharmaceuticals
• ISSN: 0007-4861; 1432-0800
• DOI: 10.1007/s00128-017-2079-5

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the steroidogenic effects of sertraline, a popular selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, on larval fathead minnow (FHM;
Pimephales promelas
) and adult FHM. Larvae were exposed to 0.1, 1, and 10 µg/L sertraline for 28 days and analyzed for differential mRNA expression of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11β-HSD), 20β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (20β-HSD), aromatase (CYP19a), nuclear thyroid receptor alpha (TRα), and normalized to RP-L8. Adult FHM were exposed to 3 or 10 µg/L sertraline for 7 days and analyzed for differential expression of the same genes with the addition of thyroid receptor beta (TRβ). Larval FHM exposed to 0.1 μg/L had a significant upregulation of both 20β-HSD and TRα while adult FHM exposed to 10 µg/L had a significant upregulation of 11β-HSD expression in brain tissue. The significance of these findings with respect to survival, growth and reproduction are currently unknown, but represent areas for future research.