Variation in the bioavailability and biological responses to drugs in fish

• Grant number: 18/10790-2
• Support type: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): September 01, 2018
• Effective date (End): March 01, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Physiology of Recent Groups
• Principal Investigator: Renata Guimarães Moreira Whitton
• Grantee: João Paulo Silva Pinheiro
• Supervisor abroad: Charles Rupert Tyler
• Home Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Local de pesquisa : University of Exeter, Exeter, England
• Associated to the scholarship: 16/08770-8 - Evaluation of the semen quality, mutagenicity and genotoxicity in Astyanax altiparanae (Teleostei, Characidae) exposed to aluminum in different water temperatures, BP.DR

Abstract

Improved understanding of the bioavailability of drugs in fish and their associated biological effects are needed to better assess the potential threat they may pose to wildlife. This project will undertake studies with selected drugs (antidepressants and non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) to establish how environmental conditions (water chemistry, specifically calcium concentrations) affects their uptake and associated biological responses in fish. The work will be conducted with zebrafish Danio rerio as the experimental model. The project will also apply a highly novel experimental approach, centred on the use of a transgenic zebrafish with a genetically-encoded pan neuronal Ca2+ sensor and cutting edge imaging, to establish how water chemistry affects the uptake of antidepressant drugs into the brain and identify the neural circuits affected by these exposures. As time allows for, the project will also apply appropriate bioassays to target specific behaviours, and assess how the water chemistry (calcium concentrations) modulated the behaviour effects and thresholds for these effects for antidepressants. The project will provide extensive training in leading experimental research methods and imaging technologies.