Effects of spironolactone on fish immune capacities
Abstract
Spironolactone, which could be shown in aquatic ecosystem, is a pharmaceutical product used to treat many different disorders, from high blood pressure to fluid retention. This molecule could alter the endocrine system, which is in charge of maintain of principal physiological functions such as growth, reproduction, behavior and/or defense capacities. So, the destabilization of endocrine function, by natural and synthetic estrogens and androgens, could modify organism health, especially by impact on immune function due to important bi-directional interactions between immune and endocrine system. Moreover, recent studies suggest that immune parameters may be used as biomarkers of contamination by endocrine disrupting contaminants. Nevertheless, the specificity of these immune markers must be verified due to many external/internal factors influencing the response. In fact, for example, fish seems to be more sensitive to pathogens during gametogenesis due to seasonal variation in plasma sex.