Heavy Metal Exposure and Toxicity

A bioengineered model of human placental exposure to environmental metals during pregnancy

This paper develops a bioengineered model of the human placenta to study metal exposure during pregnancy and identifies protective roles of efflux transporters and potential metabolic biomarkers.

The microbial soy metabolite S-equol mitigates cadmium neurotoxicity in mice

This study shows that S-equol, a microbial metabolite, reduces cadmium-induced neurotoxicity in mice by restoring neural gene expression and is associated with lower levels in humans carrying the apolipoprotein E4 allele.

A novel pipeline for the validation of manganese chelators for the treatment of manganese overload

This paper develops a pipeline to identify and evaluate novel manganese chelators using zebrafish and mouse models, finding that H3PyC3A and Me3PyC3A show improved manganese mobilization and reduced accumulation.

Akkermansia muciniphila prevents cadmium-induced cognitive impairment through gut microbiome mediated mechanisms

This study shows that Akkermansia muciniphila prevents cadmium-induced cognitive impairment in mice through gut microbiome and metabolite mechanisms, not by reducing brain cadmium levels.

Human-Relevant Lead Exposure During Differentiation Alters the Transcriptomic Profile of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes

This study shows that lead exposure during human iPSC-derived cardiomyocyte differentiation alters gene expression and pathway dysregulation, with persistent transcriptional changes even after exposure stops.

Perinatal exposure to individual and a metal mixture induces persistent and sex-specific alterations to the cardiac transcriptome of offspring

This study shows perinatal exposure to heavy metals and their mixtures alters cardiac gene expression, cellular composition, and immune signaling in a sex-specific manner in mice.

Effects of manganese dioxide on macrophages under different exposure schemes

This study investigates the effects of manganese dioxide on macrophages under repeated exposure, finding mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and inflammation.

Mitochondrially Transcribed dsRNA Mediates Manganese-induced Neuroinflammation

This paper identifies a novel mechanism by which manganese disrupts mitochondrial transcriptome processing, leading to dsRNA accumulation and neuroinflammation through MDA5 activation.

Copper-transporting ATPase ATP7B and the lysosomal exocytosis pathway synergise to detoxify cadmium

This study shows that ATP7B and lysosomal exocytosis work together to detoxify cadmium by sequestering it in lysosomes, with ATP7B playing a key role in this process.

Lead (Pb) exposure results in cell type specific changes in the mouse retina and optic nerve.

This study shows Pb exposure reduces retinal ganglion cell density and oligodendrocyte precursor cell density in mouse optic nerve, with structural myelin changes.

Dopamine controls the Sensitivity to Manganese induced Dopaminergic neurotoxicity in Caenorhabditis elegans

This study shows dopamine levels modulate susceptibility to manganese-induced dopaminergic neurotoxicity in C. elegans, with both endogenous and exogenous dopamine affecting neurodegeneration and behavioral outcomes.

Synchrotron XRF imaging reveals manganese accumulation in the Golgi and post-synapses of neurons and enhanced uptake in astrocytes

This study uses synchrotron XRF imaging to show manganese accumulates in the Golgi and postsynapses of neurons and astrocytes, with astrocytes taking up more manganese and reducing neuronal uptake.

Type 2 diabetes amplifies environmental Pb toxicity and intergenerational risk

This study shows that type 2 diabetes increases susceptibility to lead toxicity, leading to organ damage and intergenerational health risks.

Perinatal Exposure to Metal Mixtures Disrupts Neuronal Function and Behavior

Perinatal exposure of mice to a Pb, As, Cd and Cr(VI) mixture at EPA levels impaired recognition memory, raised anxiety-like behavior, and altered mPFC neuron function.

Is Manganese the Root Cause of Human Mental Disorders?

The paper investigates whether manganese exposure contributes to mental disorders by analyzing its effects on airborne and gut microbiomes.

Strain and sex effects on blood accumulation of lead, chromium, and cadmium in strains from the Collaborative Cross mouse population

The paper examines strain and sex effects on blood levels of lead, chromium, and cadmium in Collaborative Cross mice after acute exposure, finding strain-dependent trends for lead but different patterns for chromium and cadmium.

Metal speciation in blood plasma

This study predicts metal speciation in blood plasma, incorporating proteins, peptides, and small molecules, and shows its dependence on pH and chelator concentration.

Perinatal Lead (Pb) Exposure Increases Mouse Embryonic Weight and Alters Neuronal Gene Expression

This study shows that perinatal lead exposure increases mouse embryonic weight and alters gene expression in neuronal and sexually dimorphic pathways.

Modelling the tumor metallome in vitro reveals manganese as a unique tumor-promoting element

The paper investigates how manganese affects tumor cell migration and proliferation in vitro by modulating the metallome and analyzing metal interactions with the glycocalyx.

Chronic Cadmium Exposures and Hyperglycemia Additively Drive Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Hepatic Cells: Key Implications for MASLD Etiopathogenesis

This study shows chronic cadmium exposure combined with hyperglycemia worsens mitochondrial dysfunction in liver cells, suggesting a role in MASLD development.

Cadmium-induced gut dysbiosis precedes the onset of hippocampus-dependent learning and memory deficits in mice

This study shows Cd exposure causes gut dysbiosis before cognitive deficits in mice, with altered gut microbiota linked to hippocampus-dependent memory impairments.

Lead (Pb) exposure alters neural cell fate in the developing human brain

This study shows that prenatal lead exposure biases neural cell fate in human brain development by increasing neurons and reducing astrocytes through epigenetic changes.

Testing for heavy metals in drinking water collected from Dog Aging Project participants

This study tests for heavy metals in drinking water from dogs in the Dog Aging Project, finding detectable levels of multiple metals and potential health associations.

Unprecedented lead tolerance in an urban lizard

This study finds Cuban brown anole lizards in New Orleans have extremely high blood lead levels but no performance decline, suggesting high lead tolerance and identifying potential cellular mechanisms.

Arsenic Toxicity in the Drosophila Brain at Single Cell Resolution

This study examines arsenic toxicity in Drosophila brains using single-nuclei RNA sequencing, revealing sex-specific transcriptional responses and linking findings to human neurogenetic networks.

The Ins and Outs of Manganese: ZIP14 facilitates the efflux of excess manganese from the brain.

This study shows ZIP14 facilitates manganese efflux from the brain by relocalizing to the basolateral membrane in BBB endothelial cells, and its deletion causes Mn accumulation.

Environmentally Relevant Lead Exposure Impacts Gene Expression in SH-SY5Y Cells Throughout Neuronal Differentiation

This study examines how environmentally relevant lead exposure affects gene expression in SH-SY5Y cells during neuronal differentiation, finding stage-specific and persistent changes in gene expression and pathway enrichment.

Heavy Metal Exposure Disrupts Electrotactic Behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans

This study shows heavy metals disrupt electrotactic behavior in C. elegans, with varying toxicity levels, and highlights electrotaxis as a tool for assessing neurobehavioral toxicity.

Arsenic impairs Drosophila neural stem cell mitotic progression and sleep behavior in a tauopathy model

This study shows arsenic exposure impairs Drosophila neural stem cell mitosis and adult sleep behavior, linking it to neurotoxicity and tauopathy.

Network toxicology, AlphaFold 3 and molecular docking for analysing the toxicity of heavy metal ions and their organic complexes in environmental pollutants: A case of Cobalt(II) ion & Bis-(2,4-pentanedionato)cobalt(II)

This study uses network toxicology, AlphaFold 3, and molecular docking to analyze the toxicity of Co(II) and BPCo(II), revealing their impact on signaling pathways and neurodegenerative diseases.