Environmental concentrations of fluoxetine antidepressant affect early development of sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus

Fluoxetine (FLX), one of the most widely prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, is frequently detected in the aquatic environment. In this study we assessed the ecotoxicological effects of FLX on the early life-stages of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus, a key species in the Mediterranean Sea. Fertilization rate, developmental anomalies and behavioural alterations were evaluated up to 72 h by exposing gametes, zygotes, and embryos (gastrula) to environmental (0.001, 0.01 mg/L) and high concentrations (0.1, 1, 10 mg/L). Further, the different types and frequency of morphological anomalies at larval level were classified to estimate the Index of Contaminant Impact (ICI) at relevant and high concentrations. The ICI was applied to predict which FLX concentrations may pose a risk to sea urchins. Although FLX did not affect fertilization, significant skeletal anomalies and behavioural alterations were found in plutei from each exposed stage. Based on EC50 values, the sensitivity level ranks as follows: zygote > gastrula > sperm. The ICI values indicated high and moderate impacts only at high concentrations. However, a slight impact was also found in plutei from zygote exposure at relevant environmental concentrations, highlighting a potential risk for sea urchin early development. Considering increasing FLX consumption, we suggest to include this PC in monitoring plans, to not exceed levels that may impair and severely affect the early developmental stages of echinoderms. In addition, our findings promote the use of ICI as a novel tool for FLX impact assessment.