Now-a-days, the occurrence of antidepressant residues in surface waters has become a major concern. Amitriptyline (AMI) has been described to treat depression and other disorders for decades. However, little is known about its effect on non-target organisms. The aim of this study was to assess the potential impact of AMI on the mRNA expression of antioxidant and detoxification enzymes during the early embryonic development of zebrafish (Danio rerio). Fertilized D. rerio embryos were exposed to AMI at concentrations of 300 ng/L and 30 μg/L and sampled 24, 48, 96, and 144 h post fertilization (hpf) to assess the mRNA expressions of cytochrome P450 1A1, glutathione-S-transferase, glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase. The time courses of the mRNA expressions of antioxidant and detoxification enzymes revealed characteristic changes during embryonic development causing generally transient changes post hatching; however, AMI did not cause any significant impact except in the case of CAT after 144 h, which was significantly upregulated by the AMI concentration of 30 μg/L. The results suggest that the antidepressant AMI causes only moderate to minor impacts on antioxidant and detoxification enzymes during early embryonic development of the non-target organism D. rerio and that CAT is the only biomarker affected by AMI.

Department of Animal Protection Welfare and Behaviour Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno Czech Republic

Department of Ecophysiology and Aquaculture Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries Berlin Germany

Department of Ecophysiology and Aquaculture Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries Berlin Germany; Department of Endocrinology Institute of Biology and Albrecht Daniel Thaer Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences Humboldt University of Berlin Berlin Germany

Department of Veterinary Public Health and Forensic Medicine Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno Czech Republic

Department of Veterinary Public Health and Forensic Medicine Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno Czech Republic; Department of Animal Protection Welfare and Behaviour Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno Czech Republic

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The effect of the antidepressant venlafaxine on gene expression of biotransformation enzymes in zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos