Reprint of “Effects of the SSRI citalopram on behaviours connected to stress and reproduction in Endler guppy, Poecilia wingei”

Abstract

Psychoactive drugs, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) have been identified in high levels in effluents from Swedish sewage treatment plants (STP) at concentrations high enough to give pharmacological effects in fish. In humans SSRIs are used in the treatment of depression and they have anxiolytic effects. In the present study we exposed Endler guppy (Poecilia wingei) of both sexes to citalopram that showed the highest concentrations of SSRIs in STP effluents and studied reproductive and non-reproductive behaviour. Male courting behaviours were not affected compared to control fish after 14-28 days exposure to 1 μgL(-1). In two experiments exposing both sexes to 0.2, 2.3 or 15 μgL(-1) for 21 days, fish exposed to the two highest doses showed anxiolytic effects when placed in a novel environment (novel tank diving test, NT). Males were only affected by exposure to 15 μgL(-1). They had significantly longer latency to explore the upper half of the aquarium, more visits and longer time spent in the upper half, and showed less bottom freezing behaviour, all markers of anxiolytic behaviour. In females exposure to 2.3 or 15 μgL(-1) significantly increased freezing behaviour, while no effects on other behaviour variables were observed. No effects on shoaling behaviour could be discerned. These results show that citalopram have anxiolytic effects on guppy fish and thus affect ecologically relevant behaviours of importance to survival of fish.

Impact of the antidepressant citalopram on the behaviour of two different life stages of brown trout

“…For this reason and the inherent variation in this setup for behaviour measurement the biological relevance of the slight effect in the 1 and 10 µg/L treatment has to be confirmed with a bigger sample size. An anxiolytic effect of citalopram in the novel tank test was also shown for other fish species like Endler's guppies, three-spined sticklebacks and zebrafish, even at decidedly lower concentrations of citalopram down to 1.5 µg/L, which all spent more time in the upper aquaria part during the novel tank test (Kellner et al, 2016;Olsen et al, 2014;Sackerman et al, 2010). Furthermore, Kellner et al (2017) discovered increased transitions to the bright side in sticklebacks exposed to 1.5 µg/L citalopram for 30 days with subsequent 120 days recovery phase.…”

“…Though, neither freezing behaviour and latency or number of transitions spent in the upper half were influenced, which can be seen as no change in anxiety. But, Olsen et al (2014) could show anxiolytic effects in the novel tank diving test, like reduced freezing behaviour and faster and longer time spent in the upper aquaria in Endler's guppies exposed to 2.3 and 15 µg/L of citalopram for 21 days. With regard to feeding behaviour, Kellner et al (2015) showed that three-spined sticklebacks had reduced food intake when exposed to 0.15 µg/L citalopram for 21 days.…”

Reduced anxiety is associated with the accumulation of six serotonin reuptake inhibitors in wastewater treatment effluent exposed goldfish Carassius auratus

“…Three-spine stickleback ( Gasterosteus aculeatus ) were more active and exploratory when exposed to citalopram 23 . Endler guppies ( Poecilia wingei ) were more likely to move in a novel environment after citalopram exposure 44 . Venlafaxine has been identified as a neuroendocrine disruptor 45 that can alter predator avoidance 46 and predation behaviour 47 , 48 .…”

Adult vertebrate behavioural aquatic toxicology: Reliability and validity

“…When attempting to carry out work of a translational nature (i.e., work that uses observaions in model systems to inform human condition; Mattes and Walker, 2009), a challenge faced by all involved in preclinical research is confirming validity to ensure the usefulness of data derived from the model (Nestler and Hyman, 2010). There are three types of validity associated with translational models (as first discussed by Willner, 1997): (i) face validity; the phenomenological and subjective similarity between the model and the intended translational target (e.g., superficial similarities between the effects of anxiolytic drugs on marine vertebrates/invertebrates and humans; Brodin et al, 2013;Guler and Ford, 2010;Olsén et al, 2014); (ii) construct validity; a solid theoretical basis for the model (e.g., endocrine disruptors such as bisphenol A have developmental effects in mammals and marine vertebrates/invertebrates through mimicking the sex hormone oestradiol; Howdeshell et al, 1999;Kang et al, 2007); and (iii) predictive validity; the ability of the model make accurate predictions (e.g., if an animal was exposed to an endocrine disrupting compound during early development, and this increases stress reactivity in later life, is this rescued by anxiolytic drugs?). A fourth type of validity, ecological validity, describes the degree to which work carried out within a laboratory can be generalised outside to the 'real world', and this is discussed in detail below.…”

“…Since the first report of widespread pharmaceutical contamination of streams in the U.S.A. (Heberer, 2002;Kolpin et al, 2002), in particular by the widely used antidepressant fluoxetine, studies of the endocrine and reproductive effects of this environmental contamination in Japanese Medaka (Brooks et al, 2003), among other vertebrate (Gaworecki and Klaine, 2008;Olsén et al, 2014;Stewart et al, 2014a) and invertebrate (De Lange et al, 2006;Guler and Ford, 2010;Nentwig, 2007) species, have emerged. The behavioural effects of fluoxetine contamination, and the wider implications of this for the affected ecosystems, are becoming clear (Brodin et al, 2014).…”