J Appl Biomed 23:144-151, 2025 | DOI: 10.32725/jab.2025.011

Influence of the antidiabetic drug metformin on the aquatic crustacean Daphnia magna

Martina Poncarová1, ©árka Klementová1 *, Michal ©orf2
1 University of South Bohemia in Èeské Budìjovice, Faculty of Science, Èeské Budìjovice, Czech Republic
2 Mendel University in Brno, Faculty of Agrisciences, Brno, Czech Republic

Background: The antidiabetic drug metformin has been repeatedly detected in surface waters worldwide. This study investigates the effects of the environmentally relevant concentration of metformin on a non-target aquatic organism - a freshwater crustacean, Daphnia magna, with an emphasis on the stress response of daphnids and the long-term effects on their consecutive generations.

Methods: The chronic toxicity test and the consecutive generations test were inspired by the OECD method. The total antioxidant capacity (Trolox equivalent - TEAC), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and catalase (CAT) activity were related to the protein content in the tested daphnids.

Results: Elevated antioxidant activities were revealed in daphnids exposed to metformin in comparison to the control group (1.9 × for TEAC, 1.7 × for SOD; 1.3 × for CAT). Furthermore, diminished body sizes and malformations in the digestive system, spine and carapace were detected in newborn juveniles in the second and third generations exposed to metformin.

Conclusion: Long-term exposure to metformin in environmentally relevant concentrations led to a significant detrimental reaction in aquatic crustaceans.

Keywords: Daphnia; Effect on consecutive generations; Metformin
Conflicts of interest:

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this article.

Received: April 7, 2025; Revised: July 3, 2025; Accepted: August 11, 2025; Prepublished online: August 21, 2025; Published: September 30, 2025  Show citation

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Poncarová M, Klementová ©, ©orf M. Influence of the antidiabetic drug metformin on the aquatic crustacean Daphnia magna. J Appl Biomed. 2025;23(3):144-151. doi: 10.32725/jab.2025.011. PubMed PMID: 41026949.
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