Environmentally relevant levels of four psychoactive compounds vary in their effects on freshwater fish condition: a brain concentration evidence approach

Abstract

<jats:sec> <jats:title>Background</jats:title> <jats:p>The aquatic environment has been contaminated with various anthropogenic pollutants, including psychoactive compounds that may alter the physiology and behavior of free-living organisms. The present study focused on the condition and related mortality of the juvenile chub (<jats:italic>Squalius cephalus</jats:italic>). The aim of the study was to test whether the adverse effects of the antidepressants sertraline and citalopram, the analgesic tramadol and the illicit drug methamphetamine, on fish condition exist under environmentally relevant concentrations and whether these effects persist after a depuration period. Innovative analyses of the fish brain concentrations of these compounds were performed with the aim to show relationship between compound brain tissue concentration and fish condition.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Methods</jats:title> <jats:p>The laboratory experiment consisted of 42 days of exposure and a subsequent 14-day depuration period with regular monitoring of the condition and mortality of exposed and control fish. Identical methodology, including individual brain concentration analyses for the tested compounds, was applied for all substances. Additional study on feeding under sertraline exposure was also conducted. The feeding was measured from the 28th day of the exposure, three times in a week, by observation of food intake during 15 minutes in social environment.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Results</jats:title> <jats:p>The effects of particular psychoactive compounds on chub condition varied. While sertraline induced a lower condition and increased mortality, the effects of methamphetamine were inverse, and tramadol and citalopram had no significant effect at all. Individual brain concentrations of the tested compounds showed that the effects of sertraline and methamphetamine on fish condition were increased with brain concentration increases. Additionally, the food intake was reduced in case of sertraline. In contrast, there was no relationship between tramadol and citalopram brain tissue concentration and fish condition, suggesting that the concentration-dependent effect is strongly compound-specific. Methamphetamine was the only compound with a persistent effect after the depuration period. Our results demonstrate the suitability of the brain concentration evidence approach and suggest that changes in fish condition and other related parameters can be expected in freshwater ecosystems polluted with specific psychoactive compounds.</jats:p> </jats:sec>

Psychoactive substances in soils, plants, freshwater and fish: A mini review

“…Tramadol in brown trout was found to accumulate in the liver and kidneys (Grabicová et al 2017). Juvenile chubs exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of TMD, showed positive brain concentrations from the 1 st day of exposure, however, there were no signs of changes in the condition of the chubs (Hubená et al 2020). When exposed to TMD, chubs showed no increase in aggression, but during depuration, increased aggression was observed, possibly as a side effect of withdrawals (Hubená et al 2021).…”

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“…The study found bioaccumulation of methamphetamine (psychostimulant) in various tissues (kidney > liver > brain > muscle > plasma) to induce degenerative symptoms (apoptosis) in liver and heart of the brown trout (Salmo trutta fario) exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations for 35 days. The recent study of Hubená et al, 49 showed varied effects of four psychoactive compounds on food intake and brain function in juvenile chub (Squalius cephalus) exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations. From the above literature of review, it is clear that pharmaceuticals in wastewater interfered with histopathological changes in the liver, gill, kidney, and gut tissues of various fish species exposed to wastewater with pharmaceuticals.…”

Developmental exposure to sertraline impaired zebrafish behavioral and neurochemical profiles

“…The concentration of SER in surface water can be found in the ng/L to µg/L range, and has been shown to induce adverse effects, especially in fish species inhabiting affected areas (Schultz et al, 2011) (Valenti et al, 2012) (Hedgespeth et al, 2014). Sertraline is fairly lipophilic (logK ow = 5.29), so it passively diffuses through lipid membranes and is therefore known to accumulate in high lipid content tissues including the brain (Xie et al, 2017;Hubená et al, 2020). As the serotonin system is phylogenetically well conserved between fish and mammals (Panula et al, 2006), fish continuously exposed to environmental levels of SSRIs, such as, SER could result in physiological/behavioral changes (Kreke and Dietrich, 2008).…”