Interactive Effects of Sertraline and Diphenhydramine on Biochemical and Behavioral Responses in Crucian Carp (Carassius auratus).

Zhengxin Xie,Guanghua Lu

doi:10.3390/ijerph16173137

Abstract

The ecotoxicity of psychiatric pharmaceuticals to aquatic organisms is being increasingly recognized. However, current ecological studies focus on the effects of individual psychiatric pharmaceuticals, with little attention being given to their combined effects. In this study, the interactive effects of two psychiatric pharmaceuticals, sertraline (SER) and diphenhydramine (DPH), on bioconcentration and biochemical and behavioral responses were investigated in crucian carp (Carassius auratus) after seven days of exposure. DPH was found to increase the accumulation of SER in fish tissues relative to SER-alone exposure. In addition, the mixture of SER and DPH significantly changed the activities of antioxidant enzymes and led to significant increases in malondialdehyde content, relative to SER alone. Concerning the neurotoxicity, relative to SER-alone exposure, brain AChE activity was significantly enhanced in fish following the combined exposure. Regarding behavioral responses, swimming activity and shoaling behavior were significantly altered in co-exposure treatments compared with the SER alone. Moreover, the inhibition effects on the feeding rates were increased in co-exposure treatments compared to SER alone. Collectively, our results suggest that the mixtures of psychiatric pharmaceuticals may pose more severe ecological risks to aquatic organisms compared to these compounds individually.

Highlights

Pharmaceuticals have gained growing attention for their potential risks to aquatic ecosystems [1].Due to their large usage and incomplete removal in sewage treatment plants (STPs) or the lack of STPs, pharmaceuticals have been widely found in aquatic environments [2,3,4,5]
The results of this study showed that the presence of DPH elevated the tissue concentrations of SER, indicating an increased bioconcentration risk of fish upon exposure to pharmaceutical mixtures
Antioxidant enzymes and MDA in fish were more sensitive to co-exposure treatments, indicating that greater oxidative stress was caused by the mixture of SER and DPH

Summary

Introduction

Pharmaceuticals have gained growing attention for their potential risks to aquatic ecosystems [1]. Due to their large usage and incomplete removal in sewage treatment plants (STPs) or the lack of STPs, pharmaceuticals have been widely found in aquatic environments [2,3,4,5]. As an important group of pharmaceuticals, psychiatric compounds have received great attention These pharmaceuticals commonly include antidepressants, anxiolytics, sedatives, hypnotics, and antiepileptics. Because of their increasing usage and wide occurrence in aquatic environments globally, psychiatric pharmaceuticals have raised a growing concern for their negative effects on aquatic organisms [1]. The behavioral alterations are not lethal, but can indirectly influence entire populations, and ecosystem functioning [10]

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Conclusion