title: Assessment of the effects of the carbamazepine on the endogenous endocrine system of Daphnia magna.
abstract: In the present study, the endocrine activity of the antiepileptic pharmaceutical carbamazepine (CBZ) in the crustacean Daphnia magna was assessed. To assess the hormonal activity of the drug, we exposed maternal daphnids and embryos to environmental relevant concentrations of CBZ (ranging from 10 to 200 μg/L) and to mixtures of CBZ with fenoxycarb (FEN; 1 μg/L). Chronic exposure to CBZ significantly decreased the reproductive output and the number of molts of D. magna at 200 μg/L. This compound induced the production of male offspring (12 ± 1.7 %), in a non-concentration-dependent manner, acting as a weak juvenile hormone analog. Results showed that this substance, at tested concentrations, did not antagonize the juvenoid action of FEN. Further, CBZ has shown to be toxic to daphnid embryos through maternal exposure interfering with their normal gastrulation and organogenesis stages but not producing direct embryo toxicity. These findings suggest that CBZ could act as an endocrine disruptor in D. magna as it decreases the reproductive output, interferes with sex determination, and causes development abnormality in offspring. Therefore, CBZ could directly affect the population sustainability.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Toxicología, Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Extremadura, Badajoz, 06071, Spain. aoropesa@unex.es.
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Oropesa
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Tecnologias e Ciências Aplicadas, Escola Superior Agrária de Beja, Beja, 7801-295, Portugal.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Floro
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Tecnologias e Ciências Aplicadas, Escola Superior Agrária de Beja, Beja, 7801-295, Portugal.|CIMA-Centro de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental, CIMA, FCT, Universidade do Algarve, Faro, 8005-139, Portugal.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Palma
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002220:Carbamazepine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003621:Daphnia / Q000187:drug effects*; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004703:Endocrine System / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D018978:Molting / Q000187:drug effects; D048448:Phenylcarbamates / Q000494:pharmacology; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D052244:Endocrine Disruptors; D048448:Phenylcarbamates; D002220:Carbamazepine; C052034:fenoxycarb
keywords: Carbamazepine; Daphnia magna; Endocrine disruption; Juvenoid activity; Morphological abnormalities