Efeitos de resíduos de psicofármacos na água sobre o desenvolvimento inicial de zebrafish

Abstract

The growing and continuous use of drugs by the human population transformed the pharmacological agents in "emerging pollutants" are often found in aquatic environments. The consequences of this finding are still unclear, and little is known about the effects of these compounds on the environment and the health of exposed species. The excretion of these components still in its active form and the improper disposal thereof are among the main causes of environmental contamination. The use of embryos and larvae of zebrafish (Danio rerio) as an experimental model for toxicological testing has shown a number of benefits when compared to other animal models, as they represent a low cost model, easily handled, fast reproduction. In addition the extracorporeal development and embryonic transparency of zebrafish make it an ideal alternative to determine of potential lethality and teratogenicity of different molecules. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects caused by exposure to the psychiatric drugs diazepam, fluoxetine and risperidone on embryos and larvae of zebrafish, taking into account survival parameters, hatching, heart rate and overall length. The embryos were exposed to different concentrations of each drug, taking into account concentrations already found in the aquatic environment and described in the literature. Risperidone, fluoxetine and diazepam affect the early development of zebrafish, the first drug having greater effect, causing changes in all evaluated parameters. When placed in an environmental context, the effects can interfere with population levels and survival of the species in natural environment.