Digging into Understudied Sediments: What Lumbriculus variegatus Reveals about Fluoxetine Exposure from the Cellular to the Individual Level.
4 affiliations
- 1CESAM-Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies & Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, Aveiro3810-193, Portugal.
- 2CESAM-Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies & Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, Aveiro3810-193, Portugal.
- 3H&TRC - Health & Technology Research Center, Coimbra Health School, Polytechnic University of Coimbra, Rua 5 de Outubro, Coimbra3045-043, Portugal.
- 4Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, Building 1540, Aarhus CDK-8000, Denmark.
Abstract
Sediments accumulate persistent and toxic compounds, yet assessing their effects on benthic species remains challenging. Especially antidepressants, such as fluoxetine, are of concern due to their sediment affinity and potential to disrupt neuroendocrine functions at low concentrations. This study investigated the chronic effects of fluoxetine in the sediment-dwelling worm Lumbriculus variegatus through two 28-day sediment exposures (0.00025-25 mg/kg) conducted in accordance with OECD 225, with modifications. Endpoints encompassed multiple biological levels, including biochemical markers of neurotoxicity (cholinesterase), oxidative stress (catalase, glutathione-S-transferase, total glutathione), damage (lipid peroxidation), energy metabolism (lipids, sugars, proteins, electron transport system), physiological responses (oxygen consumption), three novel behavioral assays (chemical avoidance, feeding, phototaxis), and conventional apical endpoints (mortality, growth, reproduction). Effects on the non-conventional endpoints occurred at environmentally relevant sediment concentrations. Additionally, oxidative stress and behavioral responses were substantially more sensitive endpoints of fluoxetine exposure than the conventional endpoints growth, reproduction, and mortality. Integrating responses across biological levels, we propose a qualitative Adverse Outcome Pathway linking molecular and cellular events to individual-level effects. Our findings demonstrate that environmentally relevant fluoxetine concentrations elicit ecologically meaningful effects in L. variegatus that current regulatory frameworks would likely overlook, emphasizing the need for standardized behavioral assays in sediment risk assessment.
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BibTeX
@article{hilgendorf2026digging,
title = {{Digging into Understudied Sediments: What Lumbriculus variegatus Reveals about Fluoxetine Exposure from the Cellular to the Individual Level.}},
author = {Jacqueline Hilgendorf and Vânia Calisto and Diana Campos and Diogo N Cardoso and Joana Fernandes and Diana L D Lima and Jesper G Sørensen and Érika M L Sousa and Susana Loureiro},
journal = {Environmental science \& technology},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1021/acs.est.5c12822},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42915449},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Digging into Understudied Sediments: What Lumbriculus variegatus Reveals about Fluoxetine Exposure from the Cellular to the Individual Level.
AU - Jacqueline Hilgendorf
AU - Vânia Calisto
AU - Diana Campos
AU - Diogo N Cardoso
AU - Joana Fernandes
AU - Diana L D Lima
AU - Jesper G Sørensen
AU - Érika M L Sousa
AU - Susana Loureiro
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/01
JO - Environmental science & technology
DO - 10.1021/acs.est.5c12822
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42915449
AB - Sediments accumulate persistent and toxic compounds, yet assessing their effects on benthic species remains challenging. Especially antidepressants, such as fluoxetine, are of concern due to their sediment affinity and potential to disrupt neuroendocrine functions at low concentrations. This study investigated the chronic effects of fluoxetine in the sediment-dwelling worm Lumbriculus variegatus through two 28-day sediment exposures (0.00025-25 mg/kg) conducted in accordance with OECD 225, with modifications. Endpoints encompassed multiple biological levels, including biochemical markers of neurotoxicity (cholinesterase), oxidative stress (catalase, glutathione-S-transferase, total glutathione), damage (lipid peroxidation), energy metabolism (lipids, sugars, proteins, electron transport system), physiological responses (oxygen consumption), three novel behavioral assays (chemical avoidance, feeding, phototaxis), and conventional apical endpoints (mortality, growth, reproduction). Effects on the non-conventional endpoints occurred at environmentally relevant sediment concentrations. Additionally, oxidative stress and behavioral responses were substantially more sensitive endpoints of fluoxetine exposure than the conventional endpoints growth, reproduction, and mortality. Integrating responses across biological levels, we propose a qualitative Adverse Outcome Pathway linking molecular and cellular events to individual-level effects. Our findings demonstrate that environmentally relevant fluoxetine concentrations elicit ecologically meaningful effects in L. variegatus that current regulatory frameworks would likely overlook, emphasizing the need for standardized behavioral assays in sediment risk assessment.
SN - 0013-936X
SN - 1520-5851
ER -