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Topic Review
Toxicity of House Plants to Pet Animals
Cases of ingestion of indoor poisonous plants are relatively common among animals and lead to both acute cases of poisoning and long-term exposure to harmful substances and chronic damage to the animal’s health. Plants produce a large number of secondary metabolites, which serve to protect the plant from attacks by insects, parasitic plants, fungi or, for example, during reproduction. However, these metabolites can be toxic if ingested by animals or humans. Toxicologically effective components found in plants are mainly alkaloids, glycosides, saponins, terpenes and others.
  • 839
  • 20 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Caenorhabditis elegans and Cytochromes P450
The soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) is one of the simplest organisms with a laboratory model status. C. elegans is a transparent worm of about 1 mm in length, found in temperate soil environments. C. elegans is an important model used for many aspects of biological research. It is a non-infectious and non-pathogenic organism that survives by feeding on microbes such as bacteria. C. elegans was the first multicellular organism to have its whole genome sequenced and is the only organism to have its connectome (neuronal “wiring diagram”) completed. It contains 82 P450 genes, including 6 pseudogenes, divided into 16 families (13, 14, 22, 23, 25, 29, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 42, 43, 44) and 26 subfamilies in accordance with the Nelson’s nomenclature.
  • 838
  • 10 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Toxic Effects of Poly-Fluoroalkyl Substances in Organisms
More than 7000 synthetic compounds known as per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are applied to food packaging and other materials to provide fat, fire, and/or water resistance properties. These compounds have exceptional environmental stability and persistence due to the strong C-F chemical bond, earning them the moniker “forever chemicals”. Emission of PFAS from industrial waste leads to water, air, and soil contamination. Due to this ubiquitous nature, combined with the fact that PFAS in humans are known to have carcinogenic and reprotoxic effects and to cause vaccine resistance and depression of the immunity system, PFAS may constitute a major threat to human health. For this reason, the attention of the scientific community and of control bodies is increasing and as a consequence legislation and the scientific literature on PFAS are constantly evolving.
  • 835
  • 19 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Effect of Metallic Trace Elements on Fish
Metallic trace elements toxicity has been associated with a wide range of morphological abnormalities in fish, both in natural aquatic ecosystems and controlled environments. The bioaccumulation of metallic trace elements can have devastating effects on several aspects of fish health, encompassing physiological, reproductive, behavioural, and developmental functions. 
  • 815
  • 07 Sep 2023
Topic Review
CTA in the Carcinogenic Potentiality Assessment of Nanomaterials
Cell transformation assays (CTAs) present a realistic screening platform for known and emerging nanomaterials (NMs) by examining their resemblance to the hallmark of malignancy, including high proliferation rates, loss of contact inhibition, the gain of anchorage-independent growth, cellular invasion, dysregulation of the cell cycle, apoptosis resistance, and ability to form tumors in experimental animals. Through the deliberate transformation of cells via chronic NM exposure, researchers can investigate the tumorigenic properties of NMs and the underlying mechanisms of cancer development. 
  • 805
  • 31 Jul 2023
Topic Review
TMDC Nanozymes: Application Perspective
Applications of TMDC NZs in different fields—starting from biosensing to different treatment fields like antibacterial, anti-inflammation activity and cancer therapy—are discussed in more details. 
  • 795
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
NLRP3 and Infections
Amyloid beta (Aβ)-induced abnormal neuroinflammation is recognized as a major pathological feature of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which results in memory impairment. Research exploring low-grade systemic inflammation and its impact on the development and progression of neurodegenerative disease has increased. A particular research focus has been whether systemic inflammation arises only as a secondary effect of disease, or it is also a cause of pathology. The inflammasomes, and more specifically the NLRP3 inflammasome, are crucial components of the innate immune system and are usually activated in response to infection or tissue damage. 
  • 787
  • 09 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Male Reproductive Toxicity of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) are a group of flame retardants used in a variety of artificial materials. Despite being phased out in most industrial countries, they remain in the environment and human tissues due to their persistence, lipophilicity, and bioaccumulation. Populational and experimental studies demonstrate the male reproductive toxicity of PBDEs including increased incidence of genital malformations (hypospadias and cryptorchidism), altered weight of testes and other reproductive tissues, altered testes histology and transcriptome, decreased sperm production and sperm quality, altered epigenetic regulation of developmental genes in spermatozoa, and altered secretion of reproductive hormones. A broad range of mechanistic hypotheses of PBDE reproductive toxicity has been suggested. Among these hypotheses, oxidative stress, the disruption of estrogenic signaling, and mitochondria disruption are affected by PBDE concentrations much higher than concentrations found in human tissues, making them unlikely links between exposures and adverse reproductive outcomes in the general population. Robust evidence suggests that at environmentally relevant doses, PBDEs and their metabolites may affect male reproductive health via mechanisms including AR antagonism and the disruption of a complex network of metabolic signaling.
  • 785
  • 24 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Utilization of Zebrafish Nano-/Microparticles Toxicity in Water
A large amount of nano-/microparticles (MNPs) are released into water, not only causing severe water pollution, but also negatively affecting organisms. Therefore, it is crucial to evaluate MNP toxicity and mechanisms in water. There is a significant degree of similarity between the genes, the central nervous system, the liver, the kidney, and the intestines of zebrafish and the human body.
  • 778
  • 28 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Solar Salterns and Pollution
Solar salterns and salt marshes are unique ecosystems with special physicochemical features and characteristic biota. There are very few studies focused on the impacts of pollution on these economic and ecological systems. Unfortunately, diversified pollution (metals, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, etc.) has been detected in these complex ecosystems. These hypersaline environments are under increasing threat due to anthropogenic pressures.
  • 773
  • 19 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Environmental Implications Associated with the Development of Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology involves materials at a scale ranging from 1 to 100 nm in one of its dimensions. It has brought advances in several areas such as electronics, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, agriculture, cosmetics, and food. Nanostructures have a higher surface-to-volume ratio compared to bulk materials aside from exhibiting enhanced catalytic, mechanical, optical, electrical, tribological, thermal, and other properties. For this reason, nanomaterials have been widely studied and applied for the production of different products such as textiles, food coloring, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. Furthermore, the interaction of nanomaterials with biological systems and the environment still needs to be clarified. Moreover, some issues such as toxicity, bioaccumulation, and physicochemical transformations are found to be dependent on several factors such as size, capping agent, and shape, making the comparisons even more complex. 
  • 764
  • 01 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Animal Toxin Historical Outlook from Paris Institut Pasteur
The term “toxin” is derived from the Greek word “toxon”, which refers to a bow, implying poisoned arrows, while “poison” is a broader term originating from the Latin “potionem” (meaning a drink). Initially, it denoted harmful liquid substances, and later, it encompassed any dangerous substances. The earliest civilizations were familiar with animal poisons, often using them in combination with plant toxins for hunting and fishing. They also recognized toxins for their potential therapeutic or psychoactive effects, capable of inciting fury, trances, love, and ecstasy.
  • 764
  • 07 Aug 2023
Topic Review
Novel Marine Secondary Metabolites Worthy
This necessitated the search for potent and efficacious substances from marine sources that will improve or replace existing ones in order to contain multi-drug-resistant neoplasms. This review compiled a total of 731 compounds/derivatives that belong to these classes: glycosides, alkaloids, saponins, lipids, terpenes, ribose, steroids, peptides, xanthones, ethers, lignins, coumarins, carbazoles, azaphilones, nucleosides, polyketides, and quinones (). These compounds/derivatives sourced from soft corals, bacteria, fungi, sponges, algae, sea cucumbers, seaweeds, mollusks, and sea urchins exhibited moderate to high cytotoxic activities against 121 mammalian cancer cell lines as described in 76 articles from January 2019–March 2020.
  • 743
  • 27 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Doxorubicin and Smooth Muscle Cell Contraction
The anthracycline doxorubicin (DOX) is one of the most efficacious chemotherapeutic drugs for the treatment of a wide array of cancers. However, DOX treatment has been associated with development of cardiotoxicity and eventually heart failure, which limits its clinical use. While DOX-induced cardiotoxicity has been extensively investigated (reviewed elsewhere), the toxic effects of DOX on the vasculature have been less considered. Epidemiological studies point towards accelerated vascular ageing in childhood cancer survivors, as evidenced by a higher incidence of atherosclerosis and hypertension. Moreover, several studies have demonstrated that DOX increases arterial stiffness in cancer patients, both during and after treatment.
  • 737
  • 14 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Exposure Assessment of Nanoplastics
Nanoplastics (NPs) are particles ranging in size between 1 and 1000 nm, and they are a form of environmental contaminant of great ecotoxicological concern. The detection of these contaminants in complex matrices is a real challenge. Developing suitable and reliable analytical methods for quantifying the environmental occurrences of NPs is pivotal. 
  • 737
  • 13 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Role of FOXO3a in the Liver
Forkhead box O (FOXO) transcription factors are members of the forkhead box (FOX) family that have a highly conserved forkhead DNA-binding domain (DBD). FOXO transcription factors have been discovered in several species, including the worm (daf-16), the fly (dFoxO), zebrafish, rodents, and humans. To date, four key elements of the mammalian FOXO subfamily have been found, including FOXO1, FOXO3a, FOXO4, and FOXO6. These proteins have a high level of profile similarity and vary mainly in their tissue-specific expression. FOXO3a has been investigated extensively as a special and crucial regulator of cellular homeostasis, lifespan, and stress response. FOXO3a is regarded as a crucial regulator of many essential cellular processes, including cell proliferation, apoptosis, autophagy, and ROS detoxification. FOXO3a’s subcellular distribution, protein–protein interactions, stability, and transcriptional selectivity may be influenced by ROS through post-translational modifications (PTMs) and epigenetic processes, as shown by accumulating data.
  • 719
  • 30 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Foodborne Botulism
Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) produced by Clostridia species are the most potent identified natural toxins. Classically, the toxic neurological syndrome is characterized by an (afebrile) acute symmetric descending flaccid paralysis. The most know typical clinical syndrome of botulism refers to the foodborne form. All different forms are characterized by the same symptoms, caused by toxin-induced neuromuscular paralysis.
  • 707
  • 02 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Rationale for ILE Use in Clinical Toxicology
Biodetoxification using intravenous lipid emulsion (ILE) in acute poisoning is of growing interest. As well as for local anesthetics, ILE is currently used to reverse toxicity caused by a broad-spectrum of lipophilic drugs. Both pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic mechanisms have been postulated to explain its possible benefits, mainly combining a scavenging effect called “lipid sink” and cardiotonic activity. 
  • 697
  • 09 May 2023
Topic Review
Fetotoxicity of Nanoparticles
Due to the small size, nanoparticles have the potential to cross the placental barrier and cause toxicity in the fetus.
  • 695
  • 25 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Environmental Epigenetics in Soil Ecosystems
One of the major emerging concerns within ecotoxicology is the effect of environmental pollutants on epigenetic changes, including DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNAs. Epigenetic mechanisms regulate gene expression, meaning that the alterations of epigenetic marks can induce long-term physiological effects that can even be inherited across generations. Many invertebrate species have been used as models in environmental epigenetics, with a special focus on DNA methylation changes caused by environmental perturbations (e.g., pollution). Among soil organisms, earthworms are considered the most relevant sentinel organisms for anthropogenic stress assessment and are widely used as standard models in ecotoxicological testing of soil toxicity.
  • 695
  • 04 Aug 2022
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