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Topic Review
Functional Effects of TGF-β3
Transforming growth factor-beta 3 (TGF-β3) is a ubiquitously expressed multifunctional cytokine involved in a range of physiological and pathological conditions, including embryogenesis, cell cycle regulation, immunoregulation, and fibrogenesis. 
  • 691
  • 10 May 2023
Topic Review
Liver Toxicity Induced by Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a group of flame retardants used in plastics, textiles, polyurethane foam, and other materials.  The liver is an essential organ for metabolic detoxification and is sensitive to environmental toxicants. Hence, the liver is susceptible to injury when exposed to xenobiotics. For instance, significant liver weight increase and cell swelling, coupled with an elevated expression of cytochrome P450 (CYP1A2, CYP3A1, and CYP2B1) enzymes and genes and hepatocytic fatty degeneration, have been reported in PBDEs.
  • 669
  • 22 Sep 2023
Topic Review
Toll-like Receptor 4 Inflammatory Perspective on Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiotoxicity
Doxorubicin (Dox) is one of the most frequently used chemotherapeutic drugs in a variety of cancers, but Dox-induced cardiotoxicity diminishes its therapeutic efficacy. The underlying mechanisms of Dox-induced cardiotoxicity are still not fully understood. More significantly, there are no established therapeutic guidelines for Dox-induced cardiotoxicity. To date, Dox-induced cardiac inflammation is widely considered as one of the underlying mechanisms involved in Dox-induced cardiotoxicity. The Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling pathway plays a key role in Dox-induced cardiac inflammation, and growing evidence reports that TLR4-induced cardiac inflammation is strongly linked to Dox-induced cardiotoxicity.
  • 663
  • 25 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Toxic Effects of Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids
Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are naturally occurring secondary metabolites of plants. More than 660 types of PAs have been identified from an estimated 6000 plants, and approximately 120 of these PAs are hepatotoxic. As a result of PAs being found in spices, herbal teas, honey, and milk, PAs are considered contaminants in foods, posing a potential risk to human health.
  • 661
  • 27 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Nephrotoxic Effects of Paraoxon
Paraoxone as an organophosphorus compound has nephrotoxic properties for mammalian kidneys. In experiments on rats, even a single intoxication with paraoxone leads to the development of changes in the biochemical parameters of blood and urine, and causes structural changes in the renal tubules and ultrastructural changes in the glomerular basal membrane.
  • 646
  • 26 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Blueberry Supplementation and Skin Health
Environmental stressors such as air pollutants, ozone, and ultraviolet light (UV) radiation are among the most noxious outdoor stressors affecting human skin and leading to premature skin aging. To prevent the extrinsic aging, the skin is equipped with an effective defensive system. However, cutaneous defense mechanisms can be overwhelmed through chronic exposure to environmental pollutants. Some studies have suggested that the topical usage of natural compounds, such as blueberries, could be a good strategy to prevent skin damage from the environment. Indeed, blueberries contain bioactive compounds found to induce an active skin response against the environmental noxious effects.
  • 632
  • 04 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Cancer and Pollution
Cancer is one of the longest-known human diseases, known at least from ancient Egyptian papyri. Even though the causal association between cancer and occupational exposure to pollutants can be inferred from the works of Paracelsus, only in the early 20th century onward, when the nature and role of DNA was unravelled, could oncobiologists and toxicologists join efforts to endeavour understanding mechanism and risk. Nowadays it is known that chemically-induced cancers of environmental origin (excluding tobacco smoking) can represent about 10% or more of the total number of incidences, globally. The paradigmatic case of asbestos in the second half of the 20th century was arguably the first incident to increase the awareness for environmental carcinogens in a global scale. However, it resulted in a long and painstaking ban process that altogether highlights the challenges of safeguarding human and environmental health.
  • 630
  • 12 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Lead, Barium, Nickel and Cardiovascular Health
Lead (Pb) is a natural part of our environment. In urban areas, lead is predominantly found in housepaint but is also found in the air due to the burning of gasoline with lead additives. Barium (Ba) is ubiquitous in nature in a water-insoluble state as either barium sulfate or barium carbonate. Common exposures include ingestion of barium-containing materials and barium-contaminated water. Human exposure to nickel (Ni) occurs primarily via contamination of drinking water and food; nickel is highly mobile in soil and is, therefore, able to readily contaminate water and food supplies. Environmental pollution from nickel can also occur secondary to industrial processes, fuel burning, and inappropriate disposal of waste products.
  • 621
  • 15 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Anticancer Effects of Bee Venom and Its Components
Among the various natural compounds used in alternative and Oriental medicine, toxins isolated from different organisms have had their application for many years, and Apis mellifera venom has been studied the most extensively. Numerous studies dealing with the positive assets of bee venom (BV) indicated its beneficial properties. The usage of bee products to prevent the occurrence of diseases and for their treatment is often referred to as apitherapy and is based mainly on the experience of the traditional system of medical practice in diverse ethnic communities. Today, a large number of studies are focused on the antitumor effects of BV, which are mainly attributed to its basic polypeptide melittin (MEL). 
  • 613
  • 12 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Modern Research on Heavy Metal Toxicity
This entry analyzes the causes and consequences of apoptosis and oxidative stress that occur in mitochondria and cells exposed to the toxic effects of different valent heavy metals (Ag+, Tl+, Hg2+, Cd2+, Pb2+, Al3+, Ga3+, In3+, As3+, Sb3+, Cr6+, and U6+). Experiments with different cells and mitochondria showed that the heavy metals under review induced apoptosis characterized by caspase-3 and -9 activation, Bax and Bcl-2 expression, and mitogen-activated protein kinases. 
  • 605
  • 11 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Cholinergic Mechanisms of Organophosphate Toxicity
Organophosphorus compounds (OPs) have applications in agriculture (e.g., pesticides), industry (e.g., flame retardants), and chemical warfare (nerve agents). The main target of OPs is AChE, the enzyme that breaks down ACh into acetic acid and choline, terminating synaptic signal transmission mediated by ACh in neuromuscular junctions, in the autonomic (mainly parasympathetic) nervous system, and in the brain. The OP binds to and phosphorylates a nucleophilic serine at the catalytic site of the enzyme, thus preventing the hydrolysis of ACh and resulting in excessive elevation of ACh in cholinergic synapses. Insects, whose central nervous system utilizes ACh as the major excitatory neurotransmitter, are killed instantly by OPs, primarily due to hyperstimulation of nicotinic cholinergic receptors, which are the most abundant in their central nervous system.
  • 586
  • 25 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Impact of Carcinogenic Chromium on the Stress Response
Chromium (Cr) industries (metallurgical, chemical and refractory) employ several million workers worldwide. These workers may suffer from a variety of adverse health effects produced by airborne dusts, mists and fumes containing Cr in the hexavalent oxidation state, Cr(VI). Of major importance, occupational exposure to Cr(VI) compounds has been firmly associated with the development of lung cancer. Counterintuitively, Cr(VI) is largely unreactive towards most biomolecules, including nucleic acids and proteins. Yet, once inside cells, Cr(VI) undergoes reduction producing several species that react extensively with biomolecules. The diversity and chemical versatility of these species add great complexity to the study of the molecular mechanisms underlying Cr(VI) toxicity and carcinogenicity, which remain poorly understood. One such mechanism may involve the cellular stress response (also known as heat shock response), an intricate cellular system that combats proteotoxic stress, which is increasingly viewed as playing a critical role in carcinogenesis. Several studies, while not constituting a direct proof of a link between the cellular stress response and Cr(VI)-induced carcinogenesis, have shown the ability of Cr(VI) to modulate the expression of several components of this response under biologically relevant conditions.
  • 576
  • 24 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Regeneration and Recovery after Acetaminophen Hepatotoxicity
Acetaminophen (APAP) is one of the most used over-the-counter analgesics and is considered very safe at therapeutic doses. However, APAP overdose results in acute liver injury involving hepatocyte cell death and centrilobular necrosis, which in severe cases leads to acute liver failure (ALF).
  • 575
  • 30 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Effects of Biologically Active Compounds of Animal Origin
Envenomation by animal venoms remains a serious medical and social problem, especially in tropical countries. On the other hand, animal venoms are widely used as a source of biologically active compounds for the development of novel drugs. Numerous derivatives of animal venoms are already used in clinical practice. Current research data point to the possibility of using animal venoms and their components in the development of various potential therapeutic agents; however, before their possible clinical use the route of injection, molecular target, echanism of action, exact dosage, possible side effects and other fundamental parameters should be her investigated.
  • 562
  • 30 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Reciprocal Effects of Metal Mixtures on Phytoplankton
Phytoplankton are a key part of marine and freshwater ecosystems as primary producers of the food web. They are exceptional in their role in heavy metals bioremediation. Algae and cyanobacteria when exposed to metals in mixture, show altered responses as compared to the single metal exposure. Algal parameters such as growth, chlorophyll content, photosynthesis, metal uptake and metabolism, or lipid profile are commonly determined to find out the level of stress in algal cells resulting from heavy metals. Phytoplankton have several pathways of metal entry, detoxification and tolerance. It is essential to estimate reciprocal toxicity of metals as in real-time, metals are released in the environment in bulk (reciprocal effects). Phytoplankton can be a powerful tool in such risk assessments. 
  • 554
  • 22 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Genes Documented to Interact with Mn
Manganese (Mn) exposure has evolved from acute, high-level exposure causing manganism to low, chronic lifetime exposure. In this latter scenario, the target areas extend beyond the globus pallidus (as seen with manganism) to the entire basal ganglia, including the substantia nigra pars compacta. This change of exposure paradigm has prompted numerous epidemiological investigations of the occurrence of Parkinson’s disease (PD), or parkinsonism, due to the long-term impact of Mn. In parallel, experimental research has focused on the underlying pathogenic mechanisms of Mn and its interactions with genetic susceptibility.
  • 531
  • 10 Aug 2023
Topic Review
Biotests in Cyanobacterial Toxicity Assessment
Cyanobacterial toxins, also known as cyanotoxins, represent a significant hazard to human, animal, and environmental well-being. This research aims to present a comprehensive overview of the challenges associated with detecting and characterizing cyanotoxins through the utilization of various biotests. By exploring the utility of alternative aquatic model organisms and in vitro tests employing cultured cells, the importance of adopting a multi-level approach when investigating cyanotoxicity was highlioghted. 
  • 528
  • 23 May 2023
Topic Review
Unintentional Intoxications of Nonhuman Primates: Miscellaneous
Wild and captive nonhuman primates (NHP) are exposed and potentially vulnerable to many natural and man-made toxic threats. Nevertheless, wild NHP are capable of coping with these threats using strategies, namely avoidance, dilution, gastrointestinal degradation, or detoxification, which require genetic potential, learning from parents and conspecifics in their social group, or prior experience through random food sampling and experimentation. Captive NHP are also at high risk for intoxications when they are often housed in an outdoor enclosure in a vivarium or zoo that is in or close to a large urban and industrial city. These NHP are potentially exposed to urban-industrial air pollution due to industrial and vehicle exhausts, waste incineration, and the domestic and industrial use of petroleum-based products, cleaners, pesticides, and paints, amongst others.
  • 518
  • 26 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Fish and Seafood Safety
Toxic metals that are released into aquatic environments from natural and anthropogenic sources are absorbed by aquatic organisms and may threaten the health of both aquatic organisms and humans. Despite this, there have been limited studies on the metal concentrations in fish and humans in Central Asia. 
  • 518
  • 02 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Impact of Smoking on the Antioxidant System
Smoking is recognized as a significant risk factor for numerous disorders, including cardiovascular diseases, respiratory conditions, and various forms of cancer. While the exact pathogenic mechanisms continue to be explored, the induction of oxidative stress via the production of excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) is widely accepted as a primary molecular event that predisposes individuals to these smoking-related ailments. Oxidative stress represents a physiological condition characterized by an imbalance between oxidative and antioxidative potentials.
  • 514
  • 19 Sep 2023
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