Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
7.8
5.6
Journals
IJMS
Special Issues
Molecular Research in Environmental Toxicology
ijms-logo
Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for IJMS Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Molecular Research in Environmental Toxicology

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Toxicology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2024 | Viewed by 5053

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Ken-ichiro Inoue

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Nursing, University of Shizuoka, Shizuoka 422-8526, Japan
Interests: chemicals; PM2.5; allergy; respiratory medicine; PAH
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

At this time, environmental toxicology faces a new research stage; the adverse impacts of airborne particulate matter, such as PM2.5, diesel exhaust particles, and Asian sand dust (maybe including engineered nanomaterials/particles), cause injury to organs, including the skin, liver, lung, neuron, kidney, gastrointestinal, and reproductive systems. Additionally, environmental chemicals, such as endocrine disruptors and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, serve as facilitators for the endocrine and reproductive systems. Furthermore, recent studies have shown that these pollutants promote/exacerbate pre-existing disorders, such as cardiovascular diseases, metabolic disorders, including obesity, allergies, autoimmune disorders, infectious diseases, and respiratory diseases.  However, studies (phenomena) are now required to seek/investigate the underlying mechanisms, in particular, at the molecular level. Research concerning DNA methylation, signal transduction, post-transcriptional facilitation, omics analyses, and extracellular vesicles, in terms of their toxicity, should shed light on this topical field and lead development in “molecular toxicology”.

Dr. Ken-ichiro Inoue
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. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. 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

  • particulate matters
  • molecular toxicology
  • DNA methylation
  • omics

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

20 pages, 8642 KiB  
Article
Cheminformatics and Machine Learning Approaches to Assess Aquatic Toxicity Profiles of Fullerene Derivatives
by Natalja Fjodorova, Marjana Novič, Katja Venko, Bakhtiyor Rasulev, Melek Türker Saçan, Gulcin Tugcu, Safiye Sağ Erdem, Alla P. Toropova and Andrey A. Toropov
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(18), 14160; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241814160 - 15 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1243
Abstract
Fullerene derivatives (FDs) are widely used in nanomaterials production, the pharmaceutical industry and biomedicine. In the present study, we focused on the potential toxic effects of FDs on the aquatic environment. First, we analyzed the binding affinity of 169 FDs to 10 human [...] Read more.
Fullerene derivatives (FDs) are widely used in nanomaterials production, the pharmaceutical industry and biomedicine. In the present study, we focused on the potential toxic effects of FDs on the aquatic environment. First, we analyzed the binding affinity of 169 FDs to 10 human proteins (1D6U, 1E3K, 1GOS, 1GS4, 1H82, 1OG5, 1UOM, 2F9Q, 2J0D, 3ERT) obtained from the Protein Data Bank (PDB) and showing high similarity to proteins from aquatic species. Then, the binding activity of 169 FDs to the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE)—as a known target of toxins in fathead minnows and Daphnia magna, causing the inhibition of AChE—was analyzed. Finally, the structural aquatic toxicity alerts obtained from ToxAlert were used to confirm the possible mechanism of action. Machine learning and cheminformatics tools were used to analyze the data. Counter-propagation artificial neural network (CPANN) models were used to determine key binding properties of FDs to proteins associated with aquatic toxicity. Predicting the binding affinity of unknown FDs using quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) models eliminates the need for complex and time-consuming calculations. The results of the study show which structural features of FDs have the greatest impact on aquatic organisms and help prioritize FDs and make manufacturing decisions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Research in Environmental Toxicology)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 3632 KiB  
Article
Differential Pattern of Cell Death and ROS Production in Human Airway Epithelial Cells Exposed to Quinones Combined with Heated-PM2.5 and/or Asian Sand Dust
by Akiko Honda, Ken-ichiro Inoue, Makoto Higashihara, Takamichi Ichinose, Kayo Ueda and Hirohisa Takano
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(13), 10544; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241310544 - 23 Jun 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 818
Abstract
The combined toxicological effects of airborne particulate matter (PM), such as PM2.5, and Asian sand dust (ASD), with surrounding chemicals, particularly quinones, on human airway epithelial cells remain underexplored. In this study, we established an in vitro combination exposure model using 1,2-naphthoquinones (NQ) [...] Read more.
The combined toxicological effects of airborne particulate matter (PM), such as PM2.5, and Asian sand dust (ASD), with surrounding chemicals, particularly quinones, on human airway epithelial cells remain underexplored. In this study, we established an in vitro combination exposure model using 1,2-naphthoquinones (NQ) and 9,10-phenanthroquinones (PQ) along with heated PM (h-PM2.5 and h-ASD) to investigate their potential synergistic effects. The impacts of quinones and heated PM on tetrazolium dye (WST-1) reduction, cell death, and cytokine and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production were examined. Results revealed that exposure to 9,10-PQ with h-PM2.5 and/or h-ASD dose-dependently increased WST-1 reduction at 1 μM compared to the corresponding control while markedly decreasing it at 10 μM. Higher early apoptotic, late apoptotic, or necrotic cell numbers were detected in 9,10-PQ + h-PM2.5 exposure than in 9,10-PQ + h-ASD or 9,10-PQ + h-PM2.5 + h-ASD. Additionally, 1,2-NQ + h-PM2.5 exposure also resulted in an increase in cell death compared to 1,2-NQ + h-ASD and 1,2-NQ + h-PM2.5 + h-ASD. Quinones with or without h-PM2.5, h-ASD, or h-PM2.5 + h-ASD significantly increased ROS production, especially with h-PM2.5. Our findings suggest that quinones, at relatively low concentrations, induce cell death synergistically in the presence of h-PM2.5 rather than h-ASD and h-PM2.5 + h-ASD, partially through the induction of apoptosis with increased ROS generation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Research in Environmental Toxicology)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 3291 KiB  
Article
Fusarium Mycotoxins Zearalenone and Deoxynivalenol Reduce Hepatocyte Innate Immune Response after the Listeria monocytogenes Infection by Inhibiting the TLR2/NFκB Signaling Pathway
by Nannan Feng, Fang Zhong, Guodong Cai, Wanglong Zheng, Hui Zou, Jianhong Gu, Yan Yuan, Guoqiang Zhu, Zongping Liu and Jianchun Bian
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(11), 9664; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24119664 - 02 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1128
Abstract
Zearalenone (ZEA) and deoxynivalenol (DON) are two common mycotoxins produced by the genus Fusarium and have potential immunotoxic effects that may lead to a weak immune response against bacterial infections. Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes), a food-borne pathogenic microorganism ubiquitous in the [...] Read more.
Zearalenone (ZEA) and deoxynivalenol (DON) are two common mycotoxins produced by the genus Fusarium and have potential immunotoxic effects that may lead to a weak immune response against bacterial infections. Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes), a food-borne pathogenic microorganism ubiquitous in the environment, actively multiplies in the liver, where hepatocytes are capable of resistance through mediated innate immune responses. At present, it is not clear if ZEA and DON affect hepatocyte immune responses to L. monocytogenes infection or the mechanisms involved. Therefore, in this study, in vivo and in vitro models were used to investigate the effects of ZEA and DON on the innate immune responses of hepatocytes and related molecules after L. monocytogenes infection. In vivo studies revealed that ZEA and DON inhibited the toll-like receptors 2 (TLR2)/nuclear factor kappa-B (NFκB) pathway in the liver tissue of L. monocytogenes-infected mice, downregulating the expression levels of Nitric oxide (NO), in the liver and repressing the immune response. In addition, ZEA and DON inhibited Lipoteichoic acid (LTA)-induced expression of TLR2 and myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) in Buffalo Rat Liver (BRL 3A) cells in vitro, downregulating the TLR2/NFκB signaling pathway and resulting in the decreased expression levels of NO, causing immunosuppressive effects. In summary, ZEA and DON can negatively regulate NO levels through TLR2/NFκB, inhibiting the innate immune responses of the liver, and aggravate L. monocytogenes infections in mouse livers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Research in Environmental Toxicology)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

18 pages, 1000 KiB  
Review
State of the Art of Genomic Technology in Toxicology: A Review
by Rogelio Recio-Vega, Rolando Adair Facio-Campos, Sandra Isabel Hernández-González and Edgar Olivas-Calderón
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(11), 9618; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24119618 - 01 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1273
Abstract
The rapid growth of genomics techniques has revolutionized and impacted, greatly and positively, the knowledge of toxicology, ushering it into a “new era”: the era of genomic technology (GT). This great advance permits us to analyze the whole genome, to know the gene [...] Read more.
The rapid growth of genomics techniques has revolutionized and impacted, greatly and positively, the knowledge of toxicology, ushering it into a “new era”: the era of genomic technology (GT). This great advance permits us to analyze the whole genome, to know the gene response to toxicants and environmental stressors, and to determine the specific profiles of gene expression, among many other approaches. The aim of this work was to compile and narrate the recent research on GT during the last 2 years (2020–2022). A literature search was managed using the PubMed and Medscape interfaces on the Medline database. Relevant articles published in peer-reviewed journals were retrieved and their main results and conclusions are mentioned briefly. It is quite important to form a multidisciplinary taskforce on GT with the aim of designing and implementing a comprehensive, collaborative, and a strategic work plan, prioritizing and assessing the most relevant diseases, so as to decrease human morbimortality due to exposure to environmental chemicals and stressors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Research in Environmental Toxicology)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4
Back to TopTop