Among pharmaceutical contaminants of emerging concern, antidepressants have received increased scrutiny for their widespread occurrence in coastal environments and potential for harm in marine biota. Sertraline, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), is one such compound where there remains a significant gap in understanding of its effects despite its frequent detection in coastal waters. Sertraline has been studied in various “cocktail” scenarios with other contaminants, but little knowledge exists on the extent of its isolated influence in non-target organisms. This study employed a multi-biomarker approach to ascertain the range of impacts sertraline has in Mytilus galloprovincialis, a filter-feeding marine sentinel species, after exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations (0.2, 20, 200, and 500 ng/L) for 14 days. The results revealed that SERT exposure mainly affected the immune and cholinergic systems, with significant responses detected at the highest concentrations. Significant changes were also observed in antioxidant defences, lipid peroxidation products, and neutral lipid accumulation, suggesting that this antidepressant may influence oxidative stress responses and metabolism. These findings demonstrate that environmentally relevant concentrations of sertraline can induce significant sub-lethal effects in mussels and highlight the need for further investigation into the implications of sertraline exposure in marine ecosystems and biota.
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