RESUMEN
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the steroidogenic effects of sertraline, a popular selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, on larval fathead minnow (FHM; Pimephales promelas) and adult FHM. Larvae were exposed to 0.1, 1, and 10 µg/L sertraline for 28 days and analyzed for differential mRNA expression of 11ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11ß-HSD), 20ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (20ß-HSD), aromatase (CYP19a), nuclear thyroid receptor alpha (TRα), and normalized to RP-L8. Adult FHM were exposed to 3 or 10 µg/L sertraline for 7 days and analyzed for differential expression of the same genes with the addition of thyroid receptor beta (TRß). Larval FHM exposed to 0.1 µg/L had a significant upregulation of both 20ß-HSD and TRα while adult FHM exposed to 10 µg/L had a significant upregulation of 11ß-HSD expression in brain tissue. The significance of these findings with respect to survival, growth and reproduction are currently unknown, but represent areas for future research.