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Polystyrene microplastics alter the trophic transfer and biotoxicity of fluoxetine in an aquatic food chain
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Polystyrene microplastics changed how the antidepressant fluoxetine moves through a food chain of brine shrimp and zebrafish. While microplastics increased fluoxetine buildup in shrimp, they actually reduced its accumulation in fish and lessened some of its brain-specific toxic effects. However, microplastics worsened other types of damage in fish, including oxidative stress and immune disruption, showing that the combined effects of these pollutants are unpredictable.
Microplastics (MPs) and fluoxetine are ubiquitous emerging pollutants in aquatic environments that may interact with each other due to the carrier effects of MPs, posing unpredictable risks to non-target organisms. However, limited studies have focused on the carrier effects of MPs in the aquatic food chain. This study evaluated the influences of polystyrene MPs on the trophic transfer and biotoxicity of fluoxetine in a simple food chain composed of brine shrimp (Artemia nauplii) and zebrafish (Danio rerio). The finding reveals that carrier effects of MPs enhanced the accumulation of waterborne fluoxetine in brine shrimp, but suppressed that in zebrafish due to the distinct retention times. The accumulated fluoxetine in shrimp was further transferred to fish through the food chain, which was alleviated by MPs due to their cleaning effects. In addition, the specific neurotransmission biotoxicity in fish induced by fluoxetine was mitigated by MPs, whilst the oxidative damage, apoptosis, and immune responses in zebrafish were reversely enhanced by MPs due to the stimulating effect. These findings highlight the alleviating effects of MPs on the trophic transfer and specific biotoxicity of fluoxetine in the food chain, providing new insights into the carrier effects of MPs in aquatic environments in the context of increasing global MP pollution.
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Effects of the Antidepressant Amitriptyline on Juvenile Brown Trout and Their Modulation by Microplastics
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Researchers exposed juvenile brown trout to the antidepressant amitriptyline with and without polystyrene microplastics and found that microplastics modulated the pharmaceutical's effects on fish behavior and physiology, highlighting the complexity of combined pharmaceutical-plastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems.
Effect of an antidepressant on aquatic ecosystems in the presence of microplastics: A mesocosm study
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In a three-month experiment using near-natural pond ecosystems, researchers found that microplastics changed how aquatic food webs responded to the antidepressant fluoxetine, altering plankton growth and microbial decomposition rates. The interaction between microplastics and the drug produced different effects than either pollutant alone. This study shows that microplastics can change how other common water pollutants affect ecosystems, making real-world impacts harder to predict.
Toxic effects of fluoxetine-loaded onto virgin or aged polypropylene, polyamide and polyvinyl chloride microparticles on Daphnia magna
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Researchers tested whether microplastics loaded with the antidepressant fluoxetine could transfer the drug into the food chain using water fleas as a model organism. They found that all types of microplastics carrying fluoxetine were toxic to the water fleas, with virgin plastics causing more harm than weathered ones. The study provides evidence that microplastics can act as carriers for pharmaceutical pollutants in aquatic environments, delivering harmful chemicals to organisms that ingest them.
Toxic interactions between fluoxetine and microplastics in zebrafish embryonic development
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Researchers studied the combined toxic effects of the antidepressant fluoxetine and microplastics on zebrafish embryos at concentrations found in the environment. They found that the mixture caused more severe harm than either substance alone, including pericardial swelling, spinal deformities, delayed hatching, and increased mortality. The study suggests that microplastics and pharmaceutical pollutants may interact in waterways to create compounding threats to developing fish.
Effects of microplastics on the uptake, distribution and biotransformation of chiral antidepressant venlafaxine in aquatic ecosystem
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Microplastics were found to affect how an antidepressant drug (venlafaxine) is absorbed and metabolized by fish, duckweed, and mud carp in lab aquatic systems. Microplastics can alter the behavior of pharmaceutical pollutants in water, potentially changing their toxicity to aquatic life.
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