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. 2020 Mar 25;25(7):1476.
doi: 10.3390/molecules25071476.

Influence of Selected Antidepressants on the Ciliated Protozoan Spirostomum ambiguum: Toxicity, Bioaccumulation, and Biotransformation Products

Grzegorz Nałęcz-Jawecki  1 , Milena Wawryniuk  1 , Joanna Giebułtowicz  2 , Adam Olkowski  1 , Agata Drobniewska  1
Affiliations

Influence of Selected Antidepressants on the Ciliated Protozoan Spirostomum ambiguum: Toxicity, Bioaccumulation, and Biotransformation Products

Grzegorz Nałęcz-Jawecki et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of the most common antidepressants on aquatic protozoa. Spirostomum ambiguum was used as the model protozoan. The biological activity of four antidepressants, namely fluoxetine, sertraline, paroxetine, and mianserin, toward S. ambiguum was evaluated. Sertraline was found to be the most toxic drug with EC50 values of 0.2 to 0.7 mg/L. The toxicity of the antidepressants depended on the pH of the medium and was the highest in alkaline conditions. Sertraline was also the most bioaccumulating compound tested, followed by mianserin. Slow depuration was observed after transferring the protozoa from the drug solutions to a fresh medium, which indicated possible lysosomotropism of the tested antidepressants in the protozoa. The biotransformation products were identified using a high-resolution mass spectrometer after two days of incubation of the protozoa with the tested antidepressants. Four to six potential biotransformation products were observed in the aqueous phase, while no metabolites were detected in the protozoan cells. Because of the low abundance of metabolites in the medium, their structure was not determined.

Keywords: Spirotox; fluoxetine; mianserin; paroxetine; pharmaceuticals in the environment; sertraline.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Toxicity of tested antidepressants in Spirotox test after 1, 2, and 7 days incubation (EC50 expressed in mg/L).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Concentration of tested antidepressants in S. ambiguum cells [μg/g].
Figure 3
Figure 3
Bioconcentration factor expressed as the ratio of concentration of tested antidepressants in S. ambiguum cells to the concentration in water.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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