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Research Article Volume 9 Issue 1
Fluoxetine and cancer risk: insights from drosophila melanogaster epithelial cell assay
Beatris de Souza Sales, Alexandre Azenha Alves de Rezende
Received: July 28, 2026 | Published: August 26, 2026
Citation: Sales BS, Rezende AAA. Fluoxetine and cancer risk: insights from drosophila melanogaster epithelial cell assay. Open Access J Sci. 2026;9(1):406-411. DOI: 10.15406/oajs.2026.09.00324
Abstract
Depression is a growing public health issue, and fluoxetine is the most widely prescribed antidepressant. Despite its extensive use, data regarding its high-dose genotoxicity remains scarce and divergent. This study evaluated the toxicity and carcinogenic potential of different fluoxetine concentrations in epithelial cells of Drosophila melanogaster. The methodology utilized a survival assay with third-instar larvae under chronic treatment with fluoxetine (0.125 to 2 mg/mL). Carcinogenicity was assessed through the Epithelial Tumor Detection Test, using trans-heterozygous progeny for the warts tumor suppressor gene (mwh+/+wts). Data were statistically evaluated using the Chi-square Test. Toxicity results demonstrated that survival is inversely proportional to concentration, as only the 2 mg/mL dose significantly reduced survival (40%) compared to the negative control (85%). In the tumor assay, concentrations up to 1 mg/mL showed no significant differences from the control, indicating a lack of carcinogenicity at low doses. However, the 2 mg/mL concentration caused a statistically significant increase in tumor induction, yielding 80 tumors across 41 flies. In conclusion, fluoxetine exhibits a strictly dose-dependent toxicogenic profile. The carcinogenic effect at 2 mg/mL probably does not result from direct DNA interaction but might be related to severe oxidative stress triggered by mitochondrial dysfunction and intracellular calcium dysregulation, which overwhelm cellular repair systems and induce apoptosis which is supported by previous literature.
Keywords: SSRIs, genomic instability, depression
©2026 Sales, et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and build upon your work non-commercially.