Danio rerio larvae exposed to SSRIs Fluoxetine and Sertraline

Pharmaceutical chemicals used in human medicine are released into surface waters via municipal effluents and pose a risk for aquatic organisms. Among these substances are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) which can affect aquatic organisms at sub ppb concentrations. To better understand biochemical pathways influenced by SSRIs, evaluate changes in the transcriptome, and identify gene transcripts with potential for biomarkers of exposure to SSRIs; larval zebrafish Danio rerio were exposed (96 h) to two concentrations (25 and 250 g/L) of the SSRIs, fluoxetine and sertraline, and changes in global gene expression were evaluated (Affymetrix GeneChip Zebrafish Array). Significant changes in gene expression (>=1.7 fold change, p<0.05) were determined with Partek Genomics Suite Gene Expression Data Analysis System and ontology analysis was conducted using Molecular Annotation System 3. The number of genes differentially expressed after fluoxetine exposure was 288 at 25 g/L and 131 at 250 g/L; and after sertraline exposure was 33 at 25 g/L and 52 at 250 g/L. Five genes were differentially regulated in all treatments relative to control, suggesting that both SSRIs share some similar molecular pathways. Among them, expression of the gene coding for FK506 binding protein 5 (FKBP5), which is annotated to stress response regulation, was highly down-regulated in all treatments (results confirmed by qRT-PCR). Gene ontology analysis indicated that regulation of stress response and cholinesterase activity were critical functions influenced by these SSRIs, and suggested that changes in the transcription of FKBP5 or acetylcholinesterase could be useful biomarkers of SSRIs exposure in wild fish.

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Park JW, Heah TP, Gouffon JS, Henry TB, Sayler GS