Efeitos do citalopram sobre a expressão gênica em Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract

The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most commonly used psychotropic drugs for the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders. Evidence indicates that they have several biological effects besides action on serotonin. Using Next Generation Sequencing of RNA (RNA-seq), we investigated the effects of different doses of citalopram on gene expression in Drosophila melanogaster. The differentially expressed genes, the probable metabolic pathways in which they participate, and the interaction networks were evaluated by bioinformatic tools. Alterations in genes of important pathways related to inflammatory response, apoptosis, autophagy, neurodevelopment and neurodegeneration were observed. The effect of citalopram was anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, contributing to mechanisms linked to the reduction of neurodegeneration, differentiation and maintenance of neural tissue.