Neurotoxicity from Exposure to Environmental Pollutants

A special issue of Toxics (ISSN 2305-6304). This special issue belongs to the section "Neurotoxicity".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2026) | Viewed by 2876

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, MOE Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health (Incubating), School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
Interests: fluoride; polybrominated biphenyl ethers; persistent organic pollutant; emerging contaminants; developmental neurotoxicity; mitochondrial dysfunction; neurodegenerative diseases; molecular mechanisms; intervention strategies

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Guest Editor Assistant
Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, MOE Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health (Incubating), School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
Interests: lead; neurotoxicity; persistent organic pollutant; emerging contaminants; molecular mechanisms; computational toxicology; CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Neurotoxicity resulting from exposure to environmental pollutants presents a growing public health concern, as many chemicals used in industry, agriculture, and consumer products have the potential to impair nervous system function. Advances in mechanistic research reveal how various pollutants—such as heavy metals, pesticides, air particulates, endocrine disruptors, and emerging contaminants—interact with neural tissues, disrupting cellular processes, synaptic transmission, and neurodevelopment. Understanding these complex interactions requires integrative approaches that encompass chemical, biological, physical, and social determinants of health. Developing predictive models is essential for estimating neurotoxic risks across diverse populations and exposure scenarios. Such models leverage computational tools, including machine learning, systems biology, and data integration techniques, to handle vast and heterogeneous data streams. Enhancing data-sharing platforms, standardizing protocols, and developing user-friendly visualization tools foster collaboration and enable more accurate risk characterization. Transdisciplinary efforts are shifting the focus from reactive toxicity testing to proactive exposure monitoring and early intervention strategies.

In this Special Issue, we highlight innovative methodologies to elucidate neurotoxic mechanisms, improve exposure assessment accuracy, and support policy decisions aimed at reducing neurotoxic risks from environmental pollutants, ultimately protecting neurological health across the lifespan. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Mechanisms of neurotoxicity;
  • Exposure assessment and precision monitoring technologies;
  • Cross-scale predictive modeling and computational toxicology;
  • Health risk assessment and policy support tools;
  • Prevention strategies and transdisciplinary solutions.

Prof. Dr. Shun Zhang
Guest Editor

Dr. Fang Ye
Guest Editor Assistant

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Keywords

  • neurotoxicity mechanisms
  • environmental pollutants
  • emerging contaminants
  • exposure assessment
  • computational toxicology
  • predictive modeling
  • risk characterization
  • early intervention strategies
  • transdisciplinary approaches

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 2613 KB  
Article
Paternal Glufosinate Ammonium Exposure Leads to Memory Dysfunction in Offspring Mice
by Zhilu Pei, Dayu Hu, Jie Sun and Weiyue Hu
Toxics 2026, 14(5), 396; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics14050396 - 6 May 2026
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Abstract
Background: Glufosinate ammonium (GLA) is a widely used herbicide, yet potential neurodevelopmental risks related to paternal exposure before conception remain insufficiently defined. Methods: In this study, adult male C57BL/6J mice received GLA at 0.2 mg/kg·day for 10 consecutive weeks and were then mated [...] Read more.
Background: Glufosinate ammonium (GLA) is a widely used herbicide, yet potential neurodevelopmental risks related to paternal exposure before conception remain insufficiently defined. Methods: In this study, adult male C57BL/6J mice received GLA at 0.2 mg/kg·day for 10 consecutive weeks and were then mated with unexposed females to generate F1 offspring. Offspring growth was monitored, and neurobehavior was assessed at 5 weeks of age. Results: In behavioral tests, female offspring showed reduced social novelty preference in the three-chamber test and impaired spatial learning and memory in the Morris water maze test, while open field, elevated plus maze, and rotarod performance were not altered. Male offspring showed no clear group differences in these memory-related endpoints. Golgi staining revealed reduced dendritic complexity and spine density in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. Glial markers were elevated, and neuronal marker changes showed region-dependent shifts. TUNEL staining indicated increased apoptosis during embryonic development and persistent apoptotic signals in the juvenile prefrontal cortex, accompanied by cytokine imbalance with increased IL-1β and decreased IL-10 in the hippocampus. Conclusion: These results suggest that paternal preconception GLA exposure is associated with selective memory-related behavioral deficits in juvenile offspring and with convergent glial, inflammatory, and apoptosis-related brain changes. These findings support the consideration of paternal exposure in developmental risk assessment frameworks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neurotoxicity from Exposure to Environmental Pollutants)
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19 pages, 3316 KB  
Article
Integrated Profiling of DEHP-Induced Hippocampal Neurotoxicity in Adult Female Rats Based on Transcriptomic and Neurobiological Analyses
by Jing Bai, Jiayu Li, Lei Tang, Wuxiang Sun, Fujia Gao, Xin Zhang, Rui Bian and Ruimin Wang
Toxics 2026, 14(1), 79; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics14010079 - 14 Jan 2026
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Abstract
Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) is a widely used plasticizer with recognized sex-dependent neurotoxicity. However, research on adult neurotoxicity is scarce, especially in females. In this study, adult female rats were exposed to a high-dose experimental model of DEHP (500 mg/kg/day) for 28 days to [...] Read more.
Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) is a widely used plasticizer with recognized sex-dependent neurotoxicity. However, research on adult neurotoxicity is scarce, especially in females. In this study, adult female rats were exposed to a high-dose experimental model of DEHP (500 mg/kg/day) for 28 days to systematically evaluate hippocampal neurotoxicity. We found that DEHP exposure significantly impaired spatial learning and memory. Transcriptomics revealed enrichment in oxidative stress, complement activation, and neurodegenerative pathways. Specifically, cellular and molecular analyses showed that DEHP induced mitochondrial structural defects and elevated markers of oxidative damage (8-OHdG and 3-NT). While the upregulation of mitochondrial and antioxidant proteins (COX4I1, SOD2, and NQO1) indicated an attempted compensatory response, it remained inadequate to restore redox homeostasis. Under this neurotoxic microenvironment, DEHP triggered early neurogenesis, marked by the upregulation of SOX2 and DCX; however, NeuN levels remained unchanged, suggesting that this compensatory effort failed to expand the mature neuronal population. Ultimately, these pathological processes culminated in neurodegeneration, as evidenced by reduced synaptic proteins, suppressed Olig1/2 expression, and increased tau phosphorylation. Collectively, this study provides a comprehensive neurotoxic profile of DEHP in adult female rats, filling a research gap in this field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neurotoxicity from Exposure to Environmental Pollutants)
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20 pages, 5672 KB  
Article
Bioinformatic Evidence Suggesting a Dopaminergic-Related Molecular Association Between GenX Exposure and Major Depressive Disorder
by Xiangyuan Huang, Yanyun Wang, Yuqing Zheng, Weiguang Wang and Ying Lu
Toxics 2025, 13(12), 1046; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13121046 - 2 Dec 2025
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Abstract
With the increasing global burden of major depressive disorder (MDD), identifying modifiable environmental risk factors has become a critical priority. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), characterized by environmental persistence and bioaccumulation, have been linked to elevated mental health risks. However, the potential neurotoxicity [...] Read more.
With the increasing global burden of major depressive disorder (MDD), identifying modifiable environmental risk factors has become a critical priority. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), characterized by environmental persistence and bioaccumulation, have been linked to elevated mental health risks. However, the potential neurotoxicity of GenX—a novel PFAS developed to replace perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)—and its molecular association with MDD remain unclear. In this study, peripheral blood serum transcriptomic data from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) were integrated with multidimensional bioinformatics analyses to elucidate molecular mechanisms connecting GenX exposure with MDD. Four hub genes (UCP2, AKR1B1, TP53, and F5) were identified, showing strong combined diagnostic performance (AUC = 0.925). Functional enrichment and immune infiltration analyses revealed their involvement in energy metabolism, oxidative stress, and immune-coagulation regulation. Molecular docking and dynamics simulations further confirmed stable interactions between GenX and these proteins, providing structural support for their mechanistic roles. Although classical dopaminergic markers (TH, SLC6A3, DRD1–5) were not detected in the serum-derived transcriptomes, the identified hub genes may still affect dopaminergic function indirectly by modulating metabolic, oxidative stress, and inflammatory/coagulation pathways, thereby influencing MDD susceptibility. This study provides the first integrated transcriptomic and structural evidence linking GenX to psychiatric risk, proposing a novel “GenX-dopamine-MDD” framework for understanding pollutant-mediated neuropsychiatric mechanisms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neurotoxicity from Exposure to Environmental Pollutants)
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