Short-term exposure to tricyclic antidepressants delays righting time in marine and freshwater snails with evidence for low-dose stimulation of righting speed by imipramine

Fong, Peter; DiPenta, Kelsey E.; Jonik, Sarahrose M.; Ward, Courtney D.

Short-term exposure to tricyclic antidepressants delays righting time in marine and freshwater snails with evidence for low-dose stimulation of righting speed by imipramine

2019

Fong, Peter | DiPenta, Kelsey E. | Jonik, Sarahrose M. | Ward, Courtney D.

Active pharmaceutical ingredients such as tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) are contaminants of emerging concern which are commonly detected in wastewater effluent and which can disrupt the behavior of non-target organisms. In aquatic snails, the righting response is a critical behavior that has been shown to be inhibited by exposure to SSRI-type antidepressants. We exposed marine and freshwater snails to three tricyclic antidepressants (clomipramine, amitriptyline, and imipramine) for 1 h and measured righting response time. In the marine mud snail (Ilyanassa obsoleta), all three TCAs significantly increased righting time at concentrations as low as 156 μg/L. Similarly, in the freshwater snail Leptoxis carinata, all three TCAs increased righting time at concentrations as low as 263 μg/L. However, exposure to imipramine from 15.8 to 316 μg/L resulted in significantly faster righting time. Such low-dose stimulation and high-dose inhibition are characteristics of a hormetic response. We discuss the possible physiological mechanism of action of TCAs and other antidepressants on snail behavior, and the occurrence of non-monotonic, hormetic dose responses to human pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment.

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