The SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) are the most commonly prescribed antidepressants around the world. Whether is Prozac, Zoloft or Celexa, chances are that 1 in 4 Americans (or 1 in 10, depending on the study) will be making a decision during their lifetime to start an antidepressant course or not. And yet adherence to treatment is significantly low, as many people get off the SSRI due to their side effects, one of the main complains being sexual dysfunction in the form of low libido and pleasure.
Now a new study finds a mechanism for an even more worrisome effect of citalopram, (Celexa), an SSRI: the reduction of spermatogenesis. Prasad et al. (2015) used male zebrafish as a model and exposed them to citalopram in 3 different doses for 2- or 4-weeks period. They found out that the expression in the brain of the serotonin-related genes (trp2 and sert) and gonadotropin genes (lhb, sdhb, gnrh2, and gnrh3) were differently affected depending on the dose and durations of treatment. In the testes, the “long-term medium- and high-dose citalopram treatments displayed a drastic decrease in the developmental stages of spermatogenesis as well as in the matured sperm cell count” (p. 5). The authors also looked at how the neurons are organized and they found out that the serotonin fibers are associated with the fibers of the neurons that release gonadotropin-releasing hormone 3 (GnRH3) in preoptic area, a brain region in the hypothalamus heavily involved in sexual and parental behavior in both humans and fish.
Shortly put, in the brain, the citalopram affects gene expression profiles and fiber density of the serotonin neurons, which in turn decreases the production of GnRH3, which may account for the sexual dysfunctions that follow citalopram. In the testes, citalopram may act directly by binding to the local serotonin receptors and decrease spermatogenesis.
Reference: Prasad P, Ogawa S, & Parhar IS. (Oct 2015, Epub 8 Jul 2015). Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Citalopram Inhibits GnRH Synthesis and Spermatogenesis in the Male Zebrafish. Biololy of Reproduction. 93(4):102, 1-10. doi: 10.1095/biolreprod.115.129965. Article | FREE FULLTEXT PDF
By Neuronicus, 11 November 2015
The Science Portal 