Avaliação do potencial carcinogênico do oxalato de escitalopram em Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract

Introduction: The discovery of antidepressant drugs in the late 1950s led to important advances in understanding the mechanisms involved in depressive disorders, as well as possibilities for pharmacological treatment. Among the drugs most used to treat anxiety and other disorders is escitalopram oxalate, which is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. Drugs used in the long-term treatment of depression can cause damage to DNA due to the formation of free radicals. Thus, the objective of the present work was to evaluate the toxic and carcinogenic potential of escitalopram oxalate using the Test for the Detection of Epithelial Tumor Clones (ETT) in Drosophila melanogaster. Two strains of D. me-lanogaster wts (virgin females) and mwh (males) were used. The third stage larvae (72 + 4h) obtained from this crossing were treated with different concentrations of escitalopram oxalate (0.875, 1.75 or 3.5 mg/mL). Results and Discussion: There was no toxicity associated with any of the concentrations used, however there was a significant increase in the frequency of tumors in individuals treated with 1.75 and 3.5 mg/mL. The conversion of escitalopram oxalate to S-desmethylcitalopram and S-didesmethylcitalopram may be associated with DNA damage and an increase in the frequency of epithelial tumors. The adverse effects of escitalopram oxalate appear to be linked to the development of tumors in different organisms. Conclusion: In view of the above, and according to the experimental conditions used, it is suggested that more studies be carried out to better characterize the types of damage caused by these drugs to DNA and their relationship with the development of tumors