Metabolic Responses to Environmental Challenges: Insights into Cellular Mechanism and Protective Strategy

A special issue of Metabolites (ISSN 2218-1989). This special issue belongs to the section "Microbiology and Ecological Metabolomics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 October 2024) | Viewed by 957

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Interests: environmental pollution; toxicology; molecular mechanism; signal pathway; energy metabolism
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, College of Medicine, Yanbian University, Yanji 133002, China
Interests: stem cells; molecular mechanism; signal pathway; myocardial infarction; gin-seng’s active ingredients; pharmacological effects and mechanisms
Institute of Agricultural Quality Standards and Testing Technology, Xinjiang Acad-emy of Agricultural Sciences, Urumqi 830000, China
Interests: ecotoxicology; environmental safety; metabolomics

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Guest Editor
School of Agriculture, Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China
Interests: environmental toxicology; metabolic mechanism; molecular mechanism; metabolomics; bioinformatics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This special issue aims to delve into metabolic responses of organisms to environmental challenges, exploring underlying cellular mechanisms and protective strategies. Understanding how organisms adapt to environmental stress at cellular level is crucial for developing new therapeutic approaches, improving environmental quality, and safeguarding ecosystems.

As the impacts of environmental pollutants, chemicals, and climate change on organisms become increasingly evident, understanding how organisms adjust metabolic pathways, activate antioxidant defense systems, and alter gene expression profiles is crucial. Furthermore, studying the utilization of natural compounds, nutrients, and other protective strategies by organisms can provide important insights for the development of novel environmental protection technologies and biomedical applications.

This special issue welcomes original research papers, reviews, and short communications on the following topics, but not limited to:

  • The impact of environmental pollutants on cellular metabolism
  • The effects of heavy metals and toxins on cellular function and corresponding mechanisms
  • The regulation of oxidative stress and antioxidant defense systems
  • The role of inflammation in environmental stress
  • The effects of environmental pressure on mitochondrial function and energy metabolism
  • The role of natural compounds and protective strategies in mitigating environmental stress

Prof. Dr. Xiaohua Teng
Dr. Hong Lan
Dr. Lu Kang
Dr. Zan Li
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • environmental challenge
  • metabolic response
  • cellular mechanism
  • protective strategy
  • environmental adaptability
  • oxidative stress
  • environmental pollution
  • antioxidant defense
  • natural compounds
  • ecosystem protection

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 1822 KiB  
Article
Effects of Mixtures of Emerging Pollutants and Drugs on Modulation of Biomarkers Related to Toxicity, Oxidative Stress, and Cancer
by Simona Manuguerra, Fabrizia Carli, Egeria Scoditti, Andrea Santulli, Amalia Gastaldelli and Concetta Maria Messina
Metabolites 2024, 14(10), 559; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo14100559 - 17 Oct 2024
Viewed by 738
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Over time, the scientific community has developed a growing interest in the effects of mixtures of different compounds, for which there is currently no established evidence or knowledge, in relation to certain categories of xenobiotics. It is well known that exposure to [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Over time, the scientific community has developed a growing interest in the effects of mixtures of different compounds, for which there is currently no established evidence or knowledge, in relation to certain categories of xenobiotics. It is well known that exposure to pollutants causes oxidative stress, resulting in the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can affect signaling pathways that regulate the cell cycle, apoptosis, energy balance, and cellular metabolism. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of sub-lethal concentrations of mixtures of emerging pollutants and pharmaceuticals on the modulation of biomarkers related to toxicity, oxidative stress, and cancer. Methods: In this study, the hepatoma cell line HepG2 was exposed to increasing concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ether 47 (BDE-47), cadmium chloride (CdCl2), and carbamazepine (CBZ), both individually and in mixtures, for 72 h to assess cytotoxicity using the MTT assay. The subsequent step, following the identification of the sub-lethal concentration, was to investigate the effects of exposure at the gene expression level, through the evaluation of molecular markers related to cell cycle and apoptosis (p53), oxidative stress (NRF2), conjugation and detoxification of xenobiotics (CYP2C9 and GST), DNA damage (RAD51 and γH2AFX), and SUMOylation processes (SUMO1 and UBC9) in order to identify any potential alterations in pathways that are normally activated at the cellular level. Results: The results showed that contaminants tend to affect the enzymatic detoxification and antioxidant system, influencing DNA repair defense mechanisms involved in resistance to oxidative stress. The combined effect of the compounds at sub-lethal doses results in a greater activation of these pathways compared to exposure to each compound alone, thereby exacerbating their cytotoxicity. Conclusions: The biomarkers analyzed could contribute to the definition of early warning markers useful for environmental monitoring, while simultaneously providing insight into the toxicity and hazard levels of these substances in the environment and associated health risks. Full article
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