Determination of fluoxetine in Dermestes maculatus (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) by a spectrophotometric method

Higlights•Detection and quantification of fluoxetine from entomological samples•A spectrophotometric method was used for the first time for the detection and quantification of fluoxetine in beetles.•This work is the first to study the presence and quantification of fluoxetine in beetles.

The aims of this study were to detect and quantify fluoxetine, an antidepressant, from entomological samples. Larvae, pupae and adults of Dermestes maculatus (Coleoptera, Dermestidae) were reared on pig muscle previously treated with fluoxetine. The concentration selected, 2000 mg/kg, emulates a fluoxetine overdose lethal to humans and laboratory animals. Thirty larvae on the fourth and fifth stages, 50 adults and several exuviae were analyzed for fluoxetine content. Detection of fluoxetine was performed by UV spectrophotometry at 270 and 277 nm. All developmental stages of D. maculatus and exuviae were positive for fluoxetine. We also quantified the drug and no significant differences were found either between the days or the stages in the general model, but at 277 nm a tendency of the concentration to decrease with time was observed. Concentrations of fluoxetine at 277 nm were almost equal or greater than those at 270 nm. This is the first study to detect and quantify fluoxetine from entomological samples and, in particular, from D. maculatus beetles.