Environmental Toxicology and Animal Health: 2nd Edition

A special issue of Journal of Xenobiotics (ISSN 2039-4713). This special issue belongs to the section "Ecotoxicology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 1335

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Guest Editor
Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Matosinhos, Portugal
Interests: ecology; water quality; aquatic ecotoxicology; environmental risk assessment; biological responses; bioassays; biomarkers
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The effects of emerging contaminants, including pharmaceutical, personal care, and household cleaning products, agricultural residues, flame retardants, microplastics, and nanomaterials on biota, are a matter of growing attention for environmental risk assessment. Animals are continuously exposed to this set of contaminants, mainly through dermal, respiratory, or oral routes of exposure, inducing variable deleterious effects in the most varied metabolic pathways and biological functions. On the other hand, these sub-individual changes can affect the levels of the organism, population, and communities. Despite the great success in developing analytical tools for detecting and investigating their toxic mechanisms, some remain unclear, along with those related to “emerging contaminants”. Moreover, chemicals' single and combined toxicity has yet to be studied, especially under chronic exposure (realistic conditions). The Special Issue is devoted to acquiring new information on the impact of conventional and emerging pollutants in the ecosystem. It encourages the submission of manuscripts that explore themes such as (but not limited to) the toxic mechanisms implicated in environmental chemical-induced toxicity in animals and fish. In this context, studies dealing with the ecotoxicological assessment involving model organisms, physiological and biomolecular mechanisms, and novel biomonitoring indices are particularly welcome.

Dr. Sara Raquel Boaventura Rodrigues
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • emerging contaminants
  • ecotoxicological assessment
  • environmental health
  • bioassays
  • individual and sub-individual responses
  • physiology
  • biomarkers
  • wildlife
  • non-target organisms

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1670 KiB  
Article
Interaction of Heavy Metals (Cadmium and Selenium) in an Experimental Study on Goldfish: Hematobiochemical Changes and Oxidative Stress
by Yasaman Aghaei Hashtjin, Mahdieh Raeeszadeh and Ali Parsa Khanghah
J. Xenobiot. 2025, 15(2), 57; https://doi.org/10.3390/jox15020057 - 16 Apr 2025
Viewed by 271
Abstract
Background: Heavy metal interactions within aquatic ecosystems significantly affect fish physiology. This study evaluated the protective role of selenium against cadmium-induced hematological, biochemical, and electrophoretic alterations in goldfish. Methods: A total of 120 goldfish individuals were divided into four groups: control, cadmium chloride-treated [...] Read more.
Background: Heavy metal interactions within aquatic ecosystems significantly affect fish physiology. This study evaluated the protective role of selenium against cadmium-induced hematological, biochemical, and electrophoretic alterations in goldfish. Methods: A total of 120 goldfish individuals were divided into four groups: control, cadmium chloride-treated (2.8 mg/L), sodium selenite-treated (2 mg/L), and a combined cadmium and selenium-treated group. After 14 days, blood samples were collected and analyzed for hematological parameters, biochemical markers, and serum protein electrophoresis. Results: Cadmium exposure led to significant reductions in red blood cell (RBC) and white blood cell (WBC) counts, hemoglobin (Hb), and hematocrit (HCT) (p < 0.001). Selenium supplementation alleviated these declines and improved overall hematological function. Additionally, cadmium exposure decreased albumin and total protein levels while elevating aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, indicating liver damage. Selenium co-treatment reduced cadmium accumulation and mitigated liver toxicity. Elevated urea and creatinine levels in cadmium-exposed fish were also significantly lowered in the combined treatment group (p < 0.0001). Furthermore, selenium supplementation enhanced antioxidant defense mechanisms by increasing catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity while reducing malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, effectively counteracting cadmium-induced oxidative stress. Conclusion: Sodium selenite at a dose of 2 mg/L effectively mitigated the toxic effects of cadmium chloride on hematological, biochemical, and oxidative stress markers in goldfish, demonstrating its protective potential against heavy metal toxicity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Toxicology and Animal Health: 2nd Edition)
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16 pages, 14338 KiB  
Article
Toxic Effects of Bis(4-hydroxyphenyl) Methane (BPF) on the Development and Reproduction of Chironomus tentans
by Chenglin Zhang, Zhen Wang, Huilin Liang, Shuai Sun, Weilong Xing, Bing Zhang, Feng Ge and Lei Wang
J. Xenobiot. 2025, 15(2), 41; https://doi.org/10.3390/jox15020041 - 9 Mar 2025
Viewed by 703
Abstract
Bis(4-hydroxyphenyl) methane (BPF), as a bisphenolic compound, has toxic effects on organisms such as endocrine disruption and immobilization of growth and development. This study evaluated the effect concentrations of BPF on Chironomus tentans and investigated the impact of BPF exposure at various sub-lethal [...] Read more.
Bis(4-hydroxyphenyl) methane (BPF), as a bisphenolic compound, has toxic effects on organisms such as endocrine disruption and immobilization of growth and development. This study evaluated the effect concentrations of BPF on Chironomus tentans and investigated the impact of BPF exposure at various sub-lethal concentrations on the growth, development, and reproductive capacity of different instars of C. tentans. The results demonstrated that exposure at concentrations of 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, and 4.0 mg·L−1 delayed pupation, inhibited the development of imaginal discs, and caused an initial rise followed by a decline in the expression levels of genes related to larval development (ecr, usp, e74). Additionally, exposure at concentrations of 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 mg·L−1 led to fluctuations in the expression levels of genes related to adult development and reproduction (ecr, kr-h1, foxo, inr, pdk, akt, and vg) in both female and male adults, with varying degrees of effect. Furthermore, BPF exposure inhibited male fertility, causing significant damage to the gonadal tissues, though it did not affect the final hatching of eggs. These findings indicate that BPF exhibits developmental and reproductive toxicity in C. tentans, with 2.0 mg·L−1 identified as the lowest effective concentration at which BPF affects pupation in midges. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Toxicology and Animal Health: 2nd Edition)
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