Environmental Toxicants in Human Health: Oxidative Stress, Metabolism and Toxicity

A special issue of Toxics (ISSN 2305-6304). This special issue belongs to the section "Human Toxicology and Epidemiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 June 2026 | Viewed by 964

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Integrated Health Sciences, University at Albany, Albany, NY 12222, USA
Interests: the microbiome-gut–brain axis; neuroimmunology; immunotoxicology

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Guest Editor
Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
Interests: immunobiology of stress; inflammation; metallothionein; autoimmune and chronic inflammatory disease; surface plasmon microarrays; antibody therapeutics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The focus of the Special Issue is on direct toxicant effects on immune cells leading to pathology due to loss of immunohomeostasis from disbalance of immune effector and regulatory immune cells, in addition to the indirect effects of toxicants causing dysbiosis and/or cell damage on non-immune cells causing loss of immunohomeostasis. Loss of immune homeostasis may lead to excessive inflammation and oxidative stress as well as autoantibodies and autoreactive cytolytic T cells, but less responsiveness to cancers and senescent cells.

The Special Issue will also cover developmental and aging aspects of toxicants on immunity including involvement of ion fluxes, protein translation and aggravation, and intracellular and extracellular modulations. Multi-omic technologies useful for systemic modulations will be included such as single-cell proteomics and transcriptomics.

Dr. David A. Lawrence
Dr. Michael Lynes
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • environmental toxicants
  • immune cells
  • inflammation
  • oxidative stress
  • developmental and aging
  • autoimmunity

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

13 pages, 1198 KB  
Article
Brevetoxin PbTx2 Modulates Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Response in an In Vitro Human Immune Cell Line
by Ambbar Aballay-González, Claudia Melo, Alejandra Rivera, Miquel Martorell, Viviana Ulloa, Juan José Gallardo-Rodriguez and Allisson Astuya-Villalón
Toxics 2026, 14(3), 238; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics14030238 - 10 Mar 2026
Viewed by 714
Abstract
Brevetoxins (PbTx) exert detrimental effects on marine organisms and humans, mainly through alterations in immune cell function. This study evaluated the immunotoxic potential of sublethal concentrations of PbTx-2 using the THP-1 human monocyte cell line as an in vitro model. Cell viability assessed [...] Read more.
Brevetoxins (PbTx) exert detrimental effects on marine organisms and humans, mainly through alterations in immune cell function. This study evaluated the immunotoxic potential of sublethal concentrations of PbTx-2 using the THP-1 human monocyte cell line as an in vitro model. Cell viability assessed by the MTT assay revealed an IC50 of 8.99 µM at 24 h, while exposures to 2.8 and 5.6 µM for 4 and 8 h did not affect viability. Immune and oxidative responses were examined through antioxidant activity and transcript expression by qPCR. PbTx-2 exposure altered the expression of catalase, glutathione reductase, interleukin IL-8, IL-1β, and TNF-α. Although reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels remained unchanged, catalase activity and Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase activity decreased after 8 h. These results indicate that PbTx-2 modulates redox and inflammatory pathways in THP-1 cells, even under non-cytotoxic conditions. The observed sublethal effects suggest potential immunomodulatory consequences of brevetoxin exposure. More studies are needed to determine whether chronic low-level exposure to brevetoxins could contribute to immune dysfunction or inflammatory pathologies in humans and marine mammals. Full article
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