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Toxicity, Mechanism, and Health Effect of Metals and Their Detoxification Strategies

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A special issue of Toxics (ISSN 2305-6304). This special issue belongs to the section "Metals and Radioactive Substances".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2022) | Viewed by 16544

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Vijay Kumar

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Guest Editor

Department of Biotechnology, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk 38541, Korea
Interests: toxicity; antioxidant compounds; metal accumulation; oxidative stress; pathophysiology of metal toxicity; genetic and nutritional influence of metal toxicity outcomes; metal induced neurotoxicity; metal induced cardiotoxicity; metal toxicity associated disease; detoxification strategies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Extensive use of metals in industry, agriculture, and chemicals and domestically causes environmental contaminations. Continuous exposure to metals results in the accumulation of metals in various body organs. These metals induce oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis, which leads to tissue and organ damage. Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species were generated via metal toxicity, which activates/suppresses different apoptotic and inflammatory pathways. Metal toxicity is associated with various diseases, including neurological disorder, cardiac disease, cancer, etc.

Chelation therapy is one of the best-suggested treatment strategies in the case of metal toxicity. Many chelating agents are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and some are under clinical trials. Many natural molecules/compounds were tested in vivo and in vitro and some compounds show beneficial outcomes.

This Special Issue aims to explore the following issues:

(1) The accumulation of metals in humans;

(2) Pathophysiology of metal toxicity;

(3) Metal toxicity associated disease;

(4) Detoxification strategies.

Prof. Dr. Vijay Kumar
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Toxics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Metal toxicity
Oxidative stress
Reactive oxygen species (ROS)
Heavy metal accumulation in Humans
Detoxification
Chelation therapy/Chelating agent
Metal associated diseases
Metal transporters
Metabolic syndrome

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 7223 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Coordination Properties of the Fungal Metabolite Harzianic Acid Toward Toxic Heavy Metals

by Gaetano De Tommaso, Maria Michela Salvatore, Rosario Nicoletti, Marina DellaGreca, Francesco Vinale, Alessia Staropoli, Francesco Salvatore, Matteo Lorito, Mauro Iuliano and Anna Andolfi

Toxics 2021, 9(2), 19; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/toxics9020019 - 20 Jan 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2108

Abstract

Some Trichoderma strains are known for their capacity to produce harzianic acid, a metabolite belonging to the tetramic acid derivatives. Harzianic acid has interesting biological properties, such as antimicrobial activities against phytopathogenic fungi and promotion of plant growth. It also possesses remarkable chemical properties, including the chelating properties toward essential transition metals, which might be related to the biological activities. Increasing knowledge on chelating properties might be relevant for understanding the various beneficial effects of harzianic acid in the interaction between the producer fungi and plants. In this work, the coordination capacity of harzianic acid was studied to evaluate the formation and stability of complexes formed with toxic heavy metals (i.e., Cd²⁺, Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, and Pb²⁺), which might have a crucial role in the tolerance of plants growing in metal-contaminated soils and in abiotic stress. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Toxicity, Mechanism, and Health Effect of Metals and Their Detoxification Strategies)

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Review

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23 pages, 349 KiB

Open AccessReview

Influence of Dietary Compounds on Arsenic Metabolism and Toxicity. Part II—Human Studies

by Monika Sijko and Lucyna Kozłowska

Toxics 2021, 9(10), 259; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/toxics9100259 - 11 Oct 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2278

Abstract

Exposure to various forms of arsenic (As), the source of which may be environmental as well as occupational exposure, is associated with many adverse health effects. Therefore, methods to reduce the adverse effects of As on the human body are being sought. Research in this area focuses, among other topics, on the dietary compounds that are involved in the metabolism of this element. Therefore, the aim of this review was to analyze the influence of methionine, betaine, choline, folic acid, vitamin B₂, B₆, B₁₂ and zinc on the efficiency of inorganic As (iAs) metabolism and the reduction in the severity of the whole spectrum of disorders related to As exposure. In this review, which included 62 original papers (human studies) we present the current knowledge in the area. In human studies, these compounds (methionine, choline, folic acid, vitamin B₂, B₆, B₁₂ and zinc) may increase iAs metabolism and reduce toxicity, whereas their deficiency may impair iAs metabolism and increase As toxicity. Taking into account the results of studies conducted in populations exposed to As, it is reasonable to carry out prophylactic activities. In particular nutritional education seems to be important and should be focused on informing people that an adequate intake of those dietary compounds potentially has a modulating effect on iAs metabolism, thus, reducing its adverse effects on the body. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Toxicity, Mechanism, and Health Effect of Metals and Their Detoxification Strategies)

38 pages, 623 KiB

Open AccessReview

Influence of Dietary Compounds on Arsenic Metabolism and Toxicity. Part I—Animal Model Studies

by Monika Sijko and Lucyna Kozłowska

Toxics 2021, 9(10), 258; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/toxics9100258 - 11 Oct 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2116

Abstract

Population and laboratory studies indicate that exposure to various forms of arsenic (As) is associated with many adverse health effects; therefore, methods are being sought out to reduce them. Numerous studies focus on the effects of nutrients on inorganic As (iAs) metabolism and toxicity, mainly in animal models. Therefore, the aim of this review was to analyze the influence of methionine, betaine, choline, folic acid, vitamin B₂, B₆, B₁₂ and zinc on the efficiency of iAs metabolism and the reduction of the severity of the whole spectrum of disorders related to iAs exposure. In this review, which includes 58 (in vivo and in vitro studies) original papers, we present the current knowledge in the area. In vitro and in vivo animal studies showed that methionine, choline, folic acid, vitamin B₂, B₁₂ and zinc reduced the adverse effects of exposure to iAs in the gastrointestinal, urinary, lymphatic, circulatory, nervous, and reproductive systems. On the other hand, it was observed that these compounds (methionine, choline, folic acid, vitamin B₂, B₁₂ and zinc) may increase iAs metabolism and reduce toxicity, whereas their deficiency or excess may impair iAs metabolism and increase iAs toxicity. Promising results of in vivo and in vitro on animal model studies show the possibility of using these nutrients in populations particularly exposed to As. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Toxicity, Mechanism, and Health Effect of Metals and Their Detoxification Strategies)

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30 pages, 1367 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

Cognitive Impairment Induced by Lead Exposure during Lifespan: Mechanisms of Lead Neurotoxicity

by Daniela Ramírez Ortega, Dinora F. González Esquivel, Tonali Blanco Ayala, Benjamín Pineda, Saul Gómez Manzo, Jaime Marcial Quino, Paul Carrillo Mora and Verónica Pérez de la Cruz

Toxics 2021, 9(2), 23; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/toxics9020023 - 28 Jan 2021

Cited by 71 | Viewed by 9209

Abstract

Lead (Pb) is considered a strong environmental toxin with human health repercussions. Due to its widespread use and the number of people potentially exposed to different sources of this heavy metal, Pb intoxication is recognized as a public health problem in many countries. Exposure to Pb can occur through ingestion, inhalation, dermal, and transplacental routes. The magnitude of its effects depends on several toxicity conditions: lead speciation, doses, time, and age of exposure, among others. It has been demonstrated that Pb exposure induces stronger effects during early life. The central nervous system is especially vulnerable to Pb toxicity; Pb exposure is linked to cognitive impairment, executive function alterations, abnormal social behavior, and fine motor control perturbations. This review aims to provide a general view of the cognitive consequences associated with Pb exposure during early life as well as during adulthood. Additionally, it describes the neurotoxic mechanisms associated with cognitive impairment induced by Pb, which include neurochemical, molecular, and morphological changes that jointly could have a synergic effect on the cognitive performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Toxicity, Mechanism, and Health Effect of Metals and Their Detoxification Strategies)

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