Molecular Insights Into the Toxicology of Heavy Metals
A Special Issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067) belonging to the section "Molecular Toxicology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 440
Editor
Interests: chronic kidney injury; environmental exposure; heavy metal toxicology
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Heavy metal exposure remains a significant global health concern due to its widespread environmental distribution and long-term biological toxicity. Metals such as arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead can disrupt cellular homeostasis through multiple molecular mechanisms, including oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, epigenetic regulation, and immune dysregulation. Increasing evidence suggests that the gut microbiome plays a critical role in modulating host responses to heavy metal exposure. Microbial metabolism can influence metal bioavailability, detoxification, and host metabolic pathways, thereby affecting toxicity outcomes.
Recent studies have also highlighted the importance of mitochondrial signaling and host–microbiome interactions in mediating the cellular and systemic effects of heavy metals. Understanding these mechanisms may provide new insights into disease susceptibility and potential therapeutic strategies.
This Special Issue aims to highlight recent advances in the molecular mechanisms underlying heavy metal toxicology, including microbiome-mediated toxicity, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, immune regulation, and novel strategies for prevention and intervention.
Dr. Di Ran
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- heavy metal toxicology
- environmental exposure
- gut microbiome
- mitochondrial dysfunction
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