The Effects of Prozac [Fluoxetine] on Chicken Embryological Development

Overview

The use of antidepressants during pregnancy is estimated at 15% of the pregnant population in the United States. The most widely-prescribed antidepressants for pregnant women are called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, and are found to increase the risk of embryonic malformations. Fluoxetine [trade name – Prozac], is the most prescribed antidepressant for pregnant women. Studies have found fluoxetine in the amniotic fluid and cord blood in humans, but little is known about the drug’s effects on embryonic development. The aim of this investigation was to use chicken embryos as a model to evaluate whether exposure to fluoxetine affects three variables in development: embryo length, somitogenesis, and survival. Embryos were surgically removed from the yolk and placed on sterile nutrient agar. Two solutions of fluoxetine (0.1 µM and 10 µM) were administered to the chicken embryo by pipetting the solution over the cultures. All control and experimental embryos were monitored and photographed through a Nikon SMZ-U microscope at 1.5x and 2x magnification for up to four days from transferring the embryo to the agar. The lower dose of fluoxetine had an observable effect in all three variables studied. The higher dose of fluoxetine had a more profound effect on embryo development in all of the physical categories studied, and exposed embryos exhibited abnormal torsion of the body. Both experimental groups fell short of the control average values for the experimental variables for the duration of the experiment. The chicken embryos that were exposed to the 10 µM dilution had 13.59% fewer somites, on average, than the control group throughout the experiment. The chicken embryos that were exposed to the 0.1 µM dilution had 7.54% fewer somites, on average, than the control group throughout the experiment. The chicken embryos exposed to the 10 µM dilution had 63% percent less survival, on average, compared to the control group throughout the experiment. These results suggest fluoxetine does affect the development of chicken embryos in terms of embryonic length, somitogenesis, and survival rate.

Competition history

• AJAS 2020 Category not listed

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