Effects of pharmaceuticals on aquatic invertebrates. Part II: the antidepressant drug fluoxetine.

Fluoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressant and high-prescription-volume drug, is excreted unchanged or as a glucuronide from the human organism. Little is known about its fate in sewage treatment plants. Effects of fluoxetine on life-cycle parameters of the midge Chironomus riparius, especially development (mean emergence time), emergence, sex ratio, and fecundity, were assessed, as well as effects on reproduction of the oligochaete Lumbriculus variegatus and of the freshwater mudsnail Potamopyrgus antipodarum. Due to the moderate lipophilic properties of the compound with a log P (OW) of 4.05, C. riparius and L. variegatus were exposed to fluoxetine via spiked artificial sediment at a nominal concentration range between 0.15 and 5.86 mg/kg (dry weight). Additionally, a test was performed exposing P. antipodarum via water in a nominal concentration range between 0.64 and 400 mug/L. As endpoints, emergence rate and timing, sex ratio, clutch numbers and clutch size of the midges, the number of worms in the oligochaete test, as well as the number of embryos in the snail test were monitored. For C. riparius, no clear substance-related effects were observed; for L. variegatus, the results indicated a slight increase in reproduction, which was statistically significant at nominal fluoxetine concentrations of 0.94 and 2.34 mg/kg. In P. antipodarum, the antidepressant reduced reproduction significantly. No observed effect concentration (NOEC) and 10% effect concentration (EC(10)) were determined to be 0.47 and 0.81 mug/L, respectively, based on measured fluoxetine concentrations in water. These low values indicate that P. antipodarum and possibly other aquatic mollusks are sensitive to fluoxetine and that the drug might pose a risk to gastropod populations in the field.

Description and initial evaluation of a Xenopus metamorphosis assay for detection of thyroid system-disrupting activities of environmental compounds.

A need is recognized for the development and evaluation of bioassays for detection of thyroid system-disrupting compounds. The issue of testing for thyroid disruption can be addressed by exploiting amphibian metamorphosis as a biological model. In the present study, a test protocol for a Xenopus metamorphosis assay (XEMA) was developed and its interlaboratory transferability was evaluated in an informal ring test with six laboratories participating. In the XEMA test, exposure of Xenopus laevis tadpoles was initiated at stages 48 to 50 and continued for 28 d. Development and growth of tadpoles were assessed by means of developmental stage and whole body length determinations, respectively. For initial test protocol evaluation, thyroxine (T4), and propylthiouracil (PTU) were used as positive controls for thyroid system-modulating activity, and ethylenethiourea (ETU) was used as a test compound. Exposure of tadpoles to 1 microg/L T4 produced a significant acceleration of metamorphosis whereas PTU concentrations of 75 and 100 mg/L completely inhibited metamorphosis. Five different ETU concentrations (5, 10, 25, 50, and 100 mg/L) were tested and a concentration-dependent inhibition of metamorphosis was observed. None of the compounds affected tadpole survival, and only PTU caused a slight retardation in tadpole growth. This study demonstrates that the XEMA test provides a sensitive, robust, and practical testing approach for detection of compounds with both agonistic and antagonistic effects on the thyroid system in Xenopus tadpoles.

Ring-testing and field-validation of a terrestrial model ecosystem (TME)--an instrument for testing potentially harmful substances: effects of carbendazim on organic matter breakdown and soil fauna feeding activity.

Organic matter (OM) decomposition and soil fauna feeding activity were integrated as functional endpoints into ecotoxicological tests with intact-soil-core Terrestrial Model Ecosystems (TMEs). Cellulose filter paper served as standardized OM and was either inserted into the top soil or placed on the soil surface for a period of up to 16 weeks. Faunal feeding activity was assessed by the bait-lamina method. The fungicide carbendazim, applied at six dosages ranging from 0.36 kg/ha to 87.5 kg a.i./ha, served as a model chemical. To validate the results from the TME test, a field study was run in parallel. In TMEs the cellulose paper inserted into the soil was decomposed faster than under field conditions. The carbendazim-induced effects on OM decomposition in TMEs and in the field were comparable and followed a clear dose-response relationship. The calculated EC50 values after 8 weeks of incubation were 9.5, 7.1 and 2.1 kg carbendazim/ha for grassland TMEs, grassland field and arable TMEs, respectively. The feeding activity of the soil fauna showed a large variability. The EC50 values for the effect of carbendazim on bait-lamina consumption ranged between 2.0 and 56 kg a.i./ha. Effects on decomposition were correlated with effects on enchytraeids and earthworms but not with effects on bait-lamina consumption.