Antidepressants in Aquatic Organisms: A Wide Range of Effects

Abstract

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and tricyclics are commonly prescribed antidepressants in the developed world. The increasing use of such antidepressants coupled with their possible release in municipal sewage effluent creates the potential for physiological and behavioral modification of aquatic organisms. Antidepressants often act by modulating and mimicking the effect of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Since serotonin regulates a wide range of physiological systems, including vasoconstriction in trout, retinomotor activity in sunfishes, larval metamorphosis in snails, reproduction in a variety of molluscs, and ciliary beating in protozoans, drugs that mimic its action could have salient effects on these and other organisms. Laboratory data have shown that several groups of aquatic organisms respond physiologically to applied antidepressants. This review summarizes our current knowledge of the effects of SSRIs, tricyclic antidepressants, and serotonin on the physiology and behavior of aquatic organisms.