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Metabolites
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Metabolomics Insights into Environmental Pollution: Unraveling Metabolic Responses to Contaminants
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Metabolomics Insights into Environmental Pollution: Unraveling Metabolic Responses to Contaminants

A special issue of Metabolites (ISSN 2218-1989). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Metabolomics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 4523

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Dechun Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu 610041, China
Interests: metabolomics; environmental contaminants; biomarkers; toxicity mecha-nisms; metabolic alterations; ecological health; human health; cellular metabolism; organismal metabolism; pollution mitigation strategies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Special Issue "Metabolomics Insights into Environmental Pollution Unraveling Metabolic Responses to Contaminants" is a cutting-edge collection of research focused on the intersection of environmental pollution and metabolomics. The rationale behind this Issue is to delve into the metabolic responses triggered by environmental contaminants, offering a comprehensive view of their impact on human and ecological health.

Focus: The Issue zeros in on the identification of biomarkers for contaminant exposure and the elucidation of toxicity mechanisms. It aims to uncover the metabolic fingerprints left by pollutants, which can serve as indicators of environmental stress and potential health risks.

Scope: Spanning from cellular to organismal levels, the scope of this Issue is broad, encompassing various biological matrices and pollution. It encourages interdisciplinary research that can provide a holistic understanding of how different organisms respond metabolically to pollution.

Purpose: The ultimate goal is to foster innovative strategies in pollution detection, remediation, and therapeutic interventions. By bringing together contributions from diverse fields such as toxicology, environmental science, molecular biology, and public health, the Issue aspires to be a catalyst for developing effective mitigation strategies and enhancing our environment's health.

This Special Issue serves as a beacon for researchers, providing a dedicated platform to showcase their work and collaborate on significant issues related to environmental pollution and its metabolic ramifications. It offers an opportunity to publish in a targeted, timely, and insightful collection that will be well received by the scientific community.

Dr. Dechun Chen
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Metabolites is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • metabolomics
  • environmental contaminants
  • biomarkers
  • toxicity mechanisms
  • metabolic alterations
  • ecological health
  • human health
  • cellular metabolism
  • organismal metabolism
  • pollution mitigation strategies

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 1386 KB  
Article
Prolonged Deltamethrin Exposure Induces Dose-Dependent Glycerol Overproduction and Efficient Deltamethrin Removal by Saccharomyces cerevisiae
by Mustafa Yavuz, Hakime Gül Yavuz, Recep Anil Kaya, Orhan Eren, Ceyhun Bereketoglu and Beste Turanli
Metabolites 2026, 16(5), 305; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo16050305 - 29 Apr 2026
Viewed by 345
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Pest management strategies rely on insecticides such as deltamethrin (DM), a commonly applied type II pyrethroid. As a natural component of food-associated microflora, Saccharomyces cerevisiae inevitably encounters DM residues in crops used for fermentation processes, including dough leavening and winemaking. [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Pest management strategies rely on insecticides such as deltamethrin (DM), a commonly applied type II pyrethroid. As a natural component of food-associated microflora, Saccharomyces cerevisiae inevitably encounters DM residues in crops used for fermentation processes, including dough leavening and winemaking. However, the prolonged effect of DM exposure on yeast fermentation performance and its capacity to remove DM remained unclear. Methods: In this study, S. cerevisiae was continuously exposed to a non-lethal concentration (10 mg/L) and a low-inhibition toxic concentration (30 mg/L) of DM for 30 days. Results: Yeast exhibited high removal capacity, removing 98.05 ± 1.2% and 98.28 ± 0.4% of DM at 10 mg/L and 30 mg/L, respectively. Prolonged exposure to DM at both concentrations did not significantly affect biomass formation, glucose consumption, ethanol production, or acetic acid levels. In contrast, glycerol production increased markedly, reaching 1.1 g/L and 1.5 g/L in cultures exposed to 10 mg/L and 30 mg/L DM, respectively. Consistent with these changes, the expression levels of GPD1 and GPD2, which encode rate-limiting enzymes in glycerol biosynthesis, were upregulated in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusions: Given the fact that Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a workhorse for the biotechnological industry and has a wide range of applications, including in the food industry, elevated glycerol production in yeast under DM exposure is noteworthy in terms of yeast-based applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metabolomics Insights into Environmental Pollution: Unraveling Metabolic Responses to Contaminants)
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15 pages, 452 KB  
Article
Sixty Years After a Coal Mine Disaster: Serum Metabolomic Profiles in Older Adults with Long-Term Sequelae of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning: A Cross-Sectional Study
by Eriko Baba, Hiroo Matsuse, Ryuki Hashida, Norika Matsukuma, Yuji Maki, Masayuki Omoto, Yoshio Takano, Makiko Motooka and Hiromichi Motooka
Metabolites 2026, 16(2), 126; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo16020126 - 12 Feb 2026
Viewed by 631
Abstract
Background: Survivors with chronic sequelae of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning after the 1963 Miike–Mikawa coal mine disaster can exhibit persistent higher brain dysfunction in late life. We examined whether serum metabolic alterations remained detectable ~60 years later and assessed serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor [...] Read more.
Background: Survivors with chronic sequelae of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning after the 1963 Miike–Mikawa coal mine disaster can exhibit persistent higher brain dysfunction in late life. We examined whether serum metabolic alterations remained detectable ~60 years later and assessed serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Methods: In this cross-sectional case–control study, outpatients with chronic CO-poisoning sequelae (CO; n = 14) and former miners without CO exposure (CON; n = 16), all aged ≥ 75 years, underwent targeted serum metabolomics (1183 metabolites) and clinical assessments. Between-group differences were evaluated using Welch’s t-test, and age-matched propensity-score matching (1:1) served as a sensitivity analysis. BDNF was additionally compared using a linear regression/ analysis of covariancemodel adjusting for age and Mini–Mental State Examination (MMSE). Results: Relative to controls, the CO group showed higher valine, alanine, and betaine and lower 3-hydroxybutyric acid, inosine, and hypoxanthine; these contrasts persisted with concordant direction after matching. Serum BDNF was lower in the CO group (unadjusted trend) and was significantly reduced after age/MMSE adjustment (p = 0.0252). Exploratory correlations between clinical measures and selected metabolites/BDNF were attenuated after accounting for group. Conclusions: Six decades after exposure, chronic CO sequelae were associated with a reproducible serum profile combining amino-acid elevations with relative suppression of ketone-body and purine-related metabolites, suggesting enduring alterations in systemic substrate handling and bioenergetics. If replicated in larger cohorts, such signatures—potentially alongside BDNF—should be regarded as hypothesis-generating; biomarker development would require external validation, longitudinal tracking, and assessment of intervention responsiveness before any clinical use is considered. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metabolomics Insights into Environmental Pollution: Unraveling Metabolic Responses to Contaminants)
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23 pages, 7907 KB  
Article
Exploring the Mechanism of Luteolin in Protecting Chickens from Ammonia Poisoning Based on Proteomic Technology
by Yu Jin, Azi Shama, Haojinming Tang, Ting Zhao, Xinyu Zhang, Falong Yang and Dechun Chen
Metabolites 2025, 15(5), 326; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo15050326 - 14 May 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1187
Abstract
Background: Ammonia (NH3), a harmful gas, reduces livestock productivity, threatens their health, and causes economic losses. Luteolin (Lut), an anti-inflammatory flavonoid, may counteract these effects. Methods: Our study explored luteolin’s protective mechanisms on chicken splenic lymphocytes under ammonia stress using a [...] Read more.
Background: Ammonia (NH3), a harmful gas, reduces livestock productivity, threatens their health, and causes economic losses. Luteolin (Lut), an anti-inflammatory flavonoid, may counteract these effects. Methods: Our study explored luteolin’s protective mechanisms on chicken splenic lymphocytes under ammonia stress using a simulation model and four-dimensional fast data-independent acquisition (4D-FastDIA) proteomics. We identified 316 proteins, with 69 related to ammonia’s negative effects and 247 to Lut’s protection. Thirty differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were common to both groups, with 27 showing counter-regulation with Lut. Results: Gene Ontology (GO) analysis showed DEPs enriched in molecular responses to interferons and the negative regulation of immune responses, mainly located extracellularly. Molecular function analysis revealed DEPs in antigen binding and synthase activity. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis linked DEPs to pathways like estrogen signaling, NOD-like receptor signaling, cytokine–cytokine receptor interaction, and JAK-STAT signaling. The quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) results indicated that the mRNA levels of Interferon Alpha and Beta Receptor subunit 2 (IFNAR2) and Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 1 (STAT1) were trending downward. This observation was in strong agreement with the downregulation noted in the proteomics analysis. Conclusions: Lut’s protective role against ammonia’s adverse effects on chicken splenic lymphocytes is linked to the modulation of key signaling pathways, offering insights for further research on treating ammonia exposure with Lut. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metabolomics Insights into Environmental Pollution: Unraveling Metabolic Responses to Contaminants)
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22 pages, 3314 KB  
Article
Metabolomics’ Change Under β-Cypermethrin Stress and Detoxification Role of CYP5011A1 in Tetrahymena thermophila
by Wenyong Zhang, Wenliang Lei, Tao Bo, Jing Xu and Wei Wang
Metabolites 2025, 15(3), 143; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo15030143 - 20 Feb 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1389
Abstract
Background: β-cypermethrin (β-CYP) exhibits high toxicity to aquatic organisms and poses significant risks to aquatic ecosystems. Tetrahymena thermophila, a protozoa widely distributed in aquatic environments, can tolerate high concentrations of β-cypermethrin. However, the comprehensive detoxification mechanisms remain poorly understood in Tetrahymena. [...] Read more.
Background: β-cypermethrin (β-CYP) exhibits high toxicity to aquatic organisms and poses significant risks to aquatic ecosystems. Tetrahymena thermophila, a protozoa widely distributed in aquatic environments, can tolerate high concentrations of β-cypermethrin. However, the comprehensive detoxification mechanisms remain poorly understood in Tetrahymena. Methods: Untargeted metabolomics was used to explore the detoxification mechanisms of T. thermophila under β-CYP stress. Results: Trehalose, maltose, glycerol, and D-myo-inositol were upregulated under β-CYP exposure in Tetrahymena. Furthermore, the expression level of CYP5011A1 was upregulated under β-CYP treatment. CYP5011A1 knockout mutants resulted in a decreasing proliferation rate of T. thermophila under β-CYP stress. The valine–leucine and isoleucine biosynthesis and glycine–serine and threonine metabolism were significantly affected, with significantly changed amino acids including serine, isoleucine, and valine. Conclusions: These findings confirmed that T. thermophila develops β-CYP tolerance by carbohydrate metabolism reprogramming and Cyp5011A1 improves cellular adaptations by influencing amino acid metabolisms. Understanding these mechanisms can inform practices aimed at reducing the adverse effects of agricultural chemicals on microbial and environmental health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metabolomics Insights into Environmental Pollution: Unraveling Metabolic Responses to Contaminants)
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