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Beyond rodents: A systematic review of antidepressant-like effects in <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> as an alternative model in psychopharmacology

delete2026-07-31
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PRE
AI
F
Fabiola Boz Eckert
F
Fabiani Fernanda Triches
J
Johnny Erick Martins Costa
P
Patrick Remus Suman
D
Daniela de Toni
C
Cilene Lino de Oliveira
DOI:10.1177/02611929261468339delete
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Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
<jats:p> The development of antidepressants has traditionally relied on vertebrate models. <jats:italic toggle="yes">Drosophila melanogaster</jats:italic> offers a promising alternative approach, yet evidence of antidepressant-like effects is fragmented. The aim of this systematic review was to analyse the literature on the effects of antidepressants on <jats:italic toggle="yes">D. melanogaster</jats:italic> behaviours. A comprehensive search of a number of bibliographic databases (i.e. <jats:italic toggle="yes">PubMed</jats:italic> , <jats:italic toggle="yes">Web of Science</jats:italic> , <jats:italic toggle="yes">Scopus</jats:italic> and <jats:italic toggle="yes">EMBASE</jats:italic> ) was followed by a further screening of the retrieved articles (i.e. inclusion of studies on any <jats:italic toggle="yes">D. melanogaster</jats:italic> strain, sex, age, dose or outcome, tested in any behavioural assay; exclusion of reviews, studies on co-treatments and/or on non-prototypical antidepressants, and studies lacking control groups). This resulted in the final selection of 12 articles, comprising 146 studies. Most studies involved adult flies ( <jats:italic toggle="yes">k</jats:italic> = 131), males ( <jats:italic toggle="yes">k</jats:italic> = 56), fluoxetine treatment ( <jats:italic toggle="yes">k</jats:italic> = 109) and courtship outcomes ( <jats:italic toggle="yes">k</jats:italic> = 85). Some studies involved larvae ( <jats:italic toggle="yes">k</jats:italic> = 15), females ( <jats:italic toggle="yes">k</jats:italic> = 39), treatment with other antidepressants (citalopram, <jats:italic toggle="yes">k</jats:italic> = 12; desipramine, <jats:italic toggle="yes">k</jats:italic> = 6; amitriptyline, <jats:italic toggle="yes">k</jats:italic> = 2; imipramine, <jats:italic toggle="yes">k</jats:italic> = 2) and other outcomes (locomotion, <jats:italic toggle="yes">k</jats:italic> = 11; sucrose preference, <jats:italic toggle="yes">k</jats:italic> = 5; light preference, <jats:italic toggle="yes">k</jats:italic> = 2; aggression, <jats:italic toggle="yes">k</jats:italic> = 2; climbing, <jats:italic toggle="yes">k</jats:italic> = 1). Studies on larvae had, on average, larger sample sizes than studies on adult flies, resulting in more conclusive effect sizes. The effect sizes indicated that most studies presented inconclusive effects. However, sucrose preference, courtship and light preference were outcomes with conclusive findings, depending on the conditions (sex, treatment, stress), and thus these may represent more reliable indicators of antidepressant effects. However, the lack of consistency among studies precluded drawing any definitive conclusions on reliable indicators. In addition, incomplete reporting precluded an accurate risk-of-bias assessment. These findings highlight the need for standardisation and transparent reporting, in order to establish flies as a reproducible, ethically acceptable alternative to vertebrates in antidepressant research. </jats:p>

Journal

A
ATLA-ALTERNATIVES TO LABORATORY ANIMALS
IF:
3
Papers:
14
Citations:
0

Organization

F
federal university of rio de janeiro
Scholars:
1.3K
Papers: 551
Citations: 0
F
federal university of santa catarina
Scholars:
1.4K
Papers: 483
Citations: 0