Effects of maternal exposure to antidepressant fluoxetine on humoral immunity in rat pups

Fluoxetine is a common drug for the treatment of depression. However, their effects on the development of the offspring are still poorly understood, especially in relation to the humoral immune response. In this study, we evaluated the antibody production of rat pups from female rats administered with fluoxetine during pregnancy and lactation. Pups of both control and fluoxetine groups were first weaned and after divided into 4 subgroups: male control; female control; male fluoxetine and female fluoxetine. The animals were administered subcutaneously with 50 mu L of PBS solution containing 50 mu g of chicken immunoglobulin Y (IgY) and 500 mu g aluminium hydroxide on post-natal day 26 and 40. Blood collection was performed 7 days after each administration. The titres of IgM, IgG1 and IgG2a antibodies were determined by ELISA. Results were submitted to analysis of variance and the differences between averages were compared by Bonferroni post hoc test, P <0.05. The results showed increased production of IgG1 and IgG2a (anti-IgY) antibodies in animals exposed to fluoxetine. In relation to gender, an increase in the production of antibodies (IgG1) was seen only in females. The data obtained indicates that maternal exposure to fluoxetine can modulate the antibodies production in offspring.