Metalloids and Organo-Metalloids in Biology

Dear Colleagues,

Metalloids are trace elements possessing shared properties between metals and non-metals. Metalloids include boron (B), silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), arsenic (As), antimony (Sb), and tellurium (Te). Members of metalloids are essential and beneficial, as well as highly toxic to several species. Boron is an essential element for the normal growth of most living organisms, such as microbes, plants, and animals. In this regard, considerable efforts have been made to elucidate the role of B in the biological systems as compared to any other metalloids. Similarly, Si is the second most abundant element on the earth's crust, and has been proven to have beneficial effects for plants as well as animals. In plants, Si has been proposed as a fertilizer, considering its prophylactic effects, particularly observed under stress conditions. More than thousands of reports showed improved resilience in plants with Si supplementation under stress conditions. Meanwhile, in animals, Si is being used to prevent bone diseases. Silicon supplementation has been found to be helpful to maintain bone health and recommended as a tonic to avoid bone fractures in elderly people. Besides having plenty of reports, very little is known about the precise role of Si in cellular processes. In plants, Si and As share a common path to be taken up by the roots, which imposes a significant risk to the entire food chain. This is because As is highly toxic and carcinogenic. The area affected by As contamination is continuously growing in different parts of the world. Equally, the rest of the metalloids have also had a significant role in biological systems. These metalloids form several different metallo-organic compounds with distinct properties and functions. In this regard, it is a prerequisite to understand the detailed role of different metalloids, their transport, sequestration, deposition, and speciation in the living systems. This Special Issue of Biomolecules will highlight the present understanding and knowledge gaps in the role of metalloids and metallo-organic compounds in the biological systems.

Dr. Rupesh Deshmukh
Dr. Javaid Akhter Bhat
Dr. Durgesh Kumar Tripathi
Dr. Humira Sonah
Guest Editors

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• metalloid
• transporters
• phytoliths
• toxicities
• health benefits
• organic compounds