Could maternal exposure to the antidepressants fluoxetine and St. John's Wort induce long-term reproductive effects on male rats?

Based on the limited number of studies that have investigated the adverse effects of maternal treatment with antidepressants on the development of male descendents, this study was carried out in rat in order to evaluate if maternal exposure to fluoxetine (FLX) or St. John's Wort (SJW) could disrupt the development of male offspring. The dams were treated daily, by gavage, with 7.5 mg/kg of FLX or 100 mg/kg SJW during pregnancy and lactation. The reproductive and behavior parameters were analyzed in male pups. Results showed decreases in the weight of the full seminal vesicle and in the number of spermatozoa. Moreover, FLX-exposed pups presented reduced seminiferous epithelium height and diameter of seminiferous tubules. The present study shows that maternal exposure to FLX, but not SJW could interfere on reproductive parameters in adult male rats.

► Maternal exposure to Fluoxetine affected reproductive parameters on male pups.
► Fluoxetine reduced spermatogenesis.
► No adverse effects were found in male pups maternally exposed to St. John's Wort.