Fluoxetine results in misleading conclusions on fish behavior

Abstract

Freshwater ecosystems contain 41% of the world's known fish species (Daily, 1997). Unfortunately, freshwater biodiversity faces many threats. Aquatic environments, and especially small bodies of the water, are currently one of the most degraded types of ecosystems (WWF Living Planet Report, 2020). Pharmaceuticals are a threat to modern biodiversity. The reason is permanent presence of pharmaceutical substances in the freshwater ecosystems (Hughes et al., 2013). Among these medicines, there is the commonly used and increasingly prescribed antidepressant, fluoxetine (Prozac), a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (Schultz et al., 2010;Silva et al., 2012). The medicine is prescribed in the case of depression, anorexia, bulimia, obsessive and compulsive disorder, panic disorder etc., and became the third most frequently consumed group of pharmaceuticals (Mojtabai & Olfson, 2011). Two main sources

Identifying knowledge gaps in understanding the effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) on fish behaviour

“…This individual behavioural variance, like stress coping styles (SCS), has been associated with personality aspects ( Tudorache et al, 2015 ; Fatsinia et al, 2020 ; Carbonara et al, 2019 ). Indeed, not all individuals within a species react the same way when subjected to the same conditions, even if they share the same age, size, sex, and place of origin ( Grzesiuk and Pawelec, 2021 ). This variation in individual sensitivity may affect susceptibility to disease and/or environmental contaminants ( Demin et al, 2019 ; Wong et al, 2019 ).…”

“…Although it is well established that SSRIs can interfere with fish behaviour, data on differential responses to this type of antidepressant depending on fish personality, is very limited ( Salahinejad et al, 2022 ). In humans, the suppression of certain personality traits due to SSRI treatment has been reported to occur in some cases ( Grzesiuk and Pawelec, 2021 ).…”

“…Indeed, the modulation of bold (proactive) behaviour by the SSRI fluoxetine (0.5 μg–50 μg/L) into a shyer phenotype has been recently reported in some fish species ( B. splendens, D. rerio ) ( Fior et al, 2018b ; Dzieweczynski et al, 2016a , 2016b ). Nonetheless, Grzesiuk and Pawelec (2021) ( Grzesiuk and Pawelec, 2021 ), in a study performed with two freshwater wild fish species ( N. fluviatilis and Gobio ), observed an increase in the proportion of bold individuals after 21 days of exposure to an environmentally relevant concentration of fluoxetine (360 ng/L). In a two-year multigenerational assay with P. reticulata , Polverino et al (2021) ( Polverino et al, 2021 ) reported that exposure to environmentally realistic levels of fluoxetine (40 and 366 ng/L) suppresses behavioural differences between individuals by diluting the individual activity level and risk-taking behaviour.…”

Risk of Ecotoxicity Due to Bioaccumulation of Antidepressants: Systematic Review

“…Ayrıca çevresel fluoksetine maruz kalmanın, lepisteslerde hayatta kalmayı azalttığı, anormal davranışları artırdığı ve yırtıcı hayvan kaçış tepkilerini geciktirdiği bulunmuştur. 11 Fluoksetinin davranışsal etkilerini değerlendirmek için erişkin medaka balıklarına fluoksetinin kronik uygulanmasından sonra kaygıyla ilgili ve sosyal davranışlarla ilgili gözlemler yapılmıştır. Kronik fluoksetinin uygulamasının balıklarda anksiyolitik tepkilere neden olduğu gözlenmiştir.…”

Ecotoxicological assessment of the effects of fluoxetine on Daphnia magna based on acute toxicity, multigenerational reproduction effects, and attraction-repellence responses

“…Although there are few studies on the effects of fluoxetine on nontarget organisms, the results show hazards at different levels. For instance, Grzesiuk and Pawelec (2021) found a delay in the response time to a possible dangerous situation (e.g. a predator) in Neogobius fluviatilis (monkey goby) and Duarte et al (2020) showed that fluoxetine was accumulated in fish tissue (Argyrosomus regius; Salmon-bass) causing DNA damage in liver cells, affecting growth, and triggering antioxidant defence responses.…”