Cellular Responses to Heavy Metals: From Intestinal Uptake to Disease

Dear Colleagues,

Cadmium (Cd), like other heavy metals, is toxic to humans; however, exposure to various metal(oid)s, including Cd, occurs on a daily basis. Cd bioavailability is influenced by external factors such as age, smoking, alcohol consumption, diet, occupational exposure, environmental pollution, and microplastic ingestion, as well as internal factors including deficiencies in iron, calcium, and zinc, anemia, impaired lung function, low parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels, and liver diseases. Although the respiratory tract represents an important way in which Cd enters the body, the intestine is the site where the key “battle” for and against Cd absorption takes place. The consumption of different foodstuffs may interfere with Cd uptake; however, our current knowledge in this area remains limited.

Cd gradually accumulates in the body and contributes to the onset and progression of various disorders, including neurological, cardiovascular, and malignant diseases. Furthermore, Cd can induce intestinal dysbiosis and, through this axis, affect multiple organs such as bones, the immune system, the CVS, and the CNS. It can also directly damage tissues by generating reactive oxygen species (ROS), causing lipid peroxidation, and altering cellular metabolism.

In this context, for this Special Issue, investigators and experts in the field are invited to submit high-quality original research articles reporting novel findings on the intestinal uptake of different heavy metals and cellular mechanisms of heavy metal-induced toxicity (cadmium or metal mixtures), as well as comprehensive review articles summarizing the current state of knowledge and proposing updated, thought-provoking hypotheses. Although cadmium has been extensively studied, work on other metals as single exposures or in mixtures is also welcome.

Dr. Aleksandar Cirovic
Dr. Ana V. Ćirović
Dr. Alessandra Pacini
Dr. Jacopo Junio Valerio Branca
Guest Editors

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