Heavy Metal-Contaminated Soils and Gastric Cancer Risk: Molecular Insights and the Relevance of a One Health Perspective

Reytor-González, Claudia; Leyva Ricardo, Sonia Emilia; Sánchez Suárez, Yasniel; Burboa Charis, Vianey Ariadna; Jiménez-Flores, Emilia; Cevallos-Fernández, Emilia; Campuzano-Donoso, Martín; Simancas-Racines, Daniel

doi:10.3390/ijms262311526

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Heavy Metal-Contaminated Soils and Gastric Cancer Risk: Molecular Insights and the Relevance of a One Health Perspective

by

Claudia Reytor-González

^1,*,†

,

Sonia Emilia Leyva Ricardo

^2,†,

Yasniel Sánchez Suárez

³

,

Vianey Ariadna Burboa Charis

⁴,

Emilia Jiménez-Flores

⁵

,

Emilia Cevallos-Fernández

⁶

,

Martín Campuzano-Donoso

⁷

and

Daniel Simancas-Racines

^8,*

¹

Escuela de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Santo Domingo 230203, Ecuador

²

Facultad de Ciencias de la Ingeniería e Industrias, Universidad UTE, Santo Domingo 230208, Ecuador

³

Centro de Estudios Futuro, Proyecto de Desarrollo Local RUTA FUTURO, Universidad de Matanzas, Matanzas 40100, Cuba

⁴

Departamento de Biotecnología y Ciencias Alimentarias, Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora, Obregon 85000, Sonora, Mexico

⁵

Centro de Investigación en Salud Pública y Epidemiología Clínica (CISPEC), Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud Eugenio Espejo, Universidad UTE, Quito 170129, Ecuador

⁶

Centro de Investigación de Alimentos (CIAL), Facultad de Ciencias de la Ingeniería e Industrias, Universidad UTE, Quito 170129, Ecuador

⁷

Independent Researcher, Quito 170102, Ecuador

⁸

Facultad de Salud y Bienestar, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito 170143, Ecuador

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors equally contributed to this work as co-first.

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(23), 11526; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262311526

Submission received: 27 October 2025 / Revised: 24 November 2025 / Accepted: 26 November 2025 / Published: 27 November 2025

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Biology of Cancer—Implications for Diagnosis and Treatment: 3rd Edition)

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Abstract

Heavy metal contamination in agricultural soils has emerged as a critical environmental and public health issue associated with increased gastric cancer incidence worldwide. Among the most concerning pollutants are cadmium, arsenic, and lead, which persist in the environment and enter the human body primarily through the soil–plant–food chain. This review integrates environmental, molecular, and epidemiological evidence to explain how these metals alter gastric mucosal biology and promote carcinogenesis. Mechanistically, cadmium, arsenic, and lead trigger oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, DNA damage, and epigenetic reprogramming, resulting in genomic instability, resistance to programmed cell death, and the transformation of epithelial cells into invasive phenotypes. These molecular disruptions interact with Helicobacter pylori infection, microbial imbalance, chronic inflammation, and hypoxia-driven remodeling of the gastric stroma, all of which enhance angiogenesis and tumor progression. Advanced experimental platforms, such as gastric organoids, immune co-cultures, and humanized animal models, are improving the understanding of these complex interactions. Adopting a One Health perspective reveals the continuity between environmental contamination, agricultural production, and human disease, underscoring the importance of integrative monitoring systems that combine soil and crop analysis with molecular biomarkers in exposed populations. Strengthening this interdisciplinary approach is essential to design preventive strategies, guide remediation policies, and protect human, animals, and environmental health.

Keywords: heavy metals; gastric cancer; cadmium; arsenic; lead; environmental contamination; One Health

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MDPI and ACS Style

Reytor-González, C.; Leyva Ricardo, S.E.; Sánchez Suárez, Y.; Burboa Charis, V.A.; Jiménez-Flores, E.; Cevallos-Fernández, E.; Campuzano-Donoso, M.; Simancas-Racines, D. Heavy Metal-Contaminated Soils and Gastric Cancer Risk: Molecular Insights and the Relevance of a One Health Perspective. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26, 11526. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262311526

AMA Style

Reytor-González C, Leyva Ricardo SE, Sánchez Suárez Y, Burboa Charis VA, Jiménez-Flores E, Cevallos-Fernández E, Campuzano-Donoso M, Simancas-Racines D. Heavy Metal-Contaminated Soils and Gastric Cancer Risk: Molecular Insights and the Relevance of a One Health Perspective. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2025; 26(23):11526. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262311526

Chicago/Turabian Style

Reytor-González, Claudia, Sonia Emilia Leyva Ricardo, Yasniel Sánchez Suárez, Vianey Ariadna Burboa Charis, Emilia Jiménez-Flores, Emilia Cevallos-Fernández, Martín Campuzano-Donoso, and Daniel Simancas-Racines. 2025. "Heavy Metal-Contaminated Soils and Gastric Cancer Risk: Molecular Insights and the Relevance of a One Health Perspective" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 26, no. 23: 11526. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262311526

APA Style

Reytor-González, C., Leyva Ricardo, S. E., Sánchez Suárez, Y., Burboa Charis, V. A., Jiménez-Flores, E., Cevallos-Fernández, E., Campuzano-Donoso, M., & Simancas-Racines, D. (2025). Heavy Metal-Contaminated Soils and Gastric Cancer Risk: Molecular Insights and the Relevance of a One Health Perspective. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 26(23), 11526. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262311526

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Heavy Metal-Contaminated Soils and Gastric Cancer Risk: Molecular Insights and the Relevance of a One Health Perspective

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