Administration of the antidepressant fluoxetine to zebrafish, a common laboratory model, reduced levels of the stress hormone cortisol as well as exploratory behavior, effects that persisted across generations, according to a study by Vera-Chang and colleagues. They state that this may be a cause for concern given the high prescription rates of fluoxetine to pregnant women and the potential long-term negative impacts on humans exposed to these therapeutic drugs.
Vera-Chang MN, St-Jacques AD, Gagné R, Martyniuk CJ, Yauk CL, Moon TW and Trudeau VL: Transgenerational hypocortisolism and behavioral disruption are induced by the antidepressant fluoxetine in male zebrafish Danio rerio. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 115(52):E12435-E12442 (2018).
