Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
6.4
4.1
Journals
Toxics
Special Issues
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Hazards and Challenges
share announcement

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Hazards and Challenges

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 27 March 2026 | Viewed by 1017

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yiting Luo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Business, Hunan First Normal University, Changsha 410114, China
Interests: disposal and recycling of environmental wastes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Rongkui Su

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Ecology and Environment, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China
Interests: environmental functional materials; reduce pollution; carbon emissions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Xiancheng Ma

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Mechanical and Intelligent Manufacturing, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China
Interests: biomass materials; carbon capture

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are a group of chemical substances that persist in the environment, bioaccumulate through the food chain, and have toxic effects on human health and the environment. Despite international efforts to eliminate or restrict the use of POPs, they continue to pose significant challenges due to their long-range transport, persistence, and ability to bioaccumulate. This Special Issue aims to explore the latest research on POPs, including their sources, fate in the environment, human health impacts, and strategies for their management and mitigation.

This Special Issue invites original research articles, comprehensive reviews, and perspectives that explore the application, impact, and challenges of POPs. Contributions are invited on topics including but not limited to the following:

  • Sources and Pathways of POPs in the Environment
  • Environmental Fate and Transport of POPs
  • Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification of POPs
  • Human Health Impacts of POPs
  • Ecological Risks of POPs
  • Detection and Monitoring Technologies for POPs
  • Mitigation Strategies for POPs
  • Economic and Social Impacts of POPs Regulations
  • Emerging POPs and Future Trends
  • Case Studies on POPs Management and Mitigation

Dr. Yiting Luo
Dr. Rongkui Su
Dr. Xiancheng Ma
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Toxics 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 2600 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

  • persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
  • bioaccumulation
  • biomagnification
  • human health impacts
  • ecological risks
  • detection technologies
  • mitigation strategies
  • stockholm Convention
  • endocrine disruption
  • long-range transport

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

13 pages, 852 KB  
Article
Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor-Mediated Disruption of Intestinal Epithelial Barrier Integrity by Dioxin Isomers
by Hideki Kakutani and Teruyuki Nakao
Toxics 2025, 13(11), 993; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13110993 - 18 Nov 2025
Viewed by 722
Abstract
The intestinal epithelium constitutes a critical barrier that protects the host from luminal toxins. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including dioxins and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls, are ubiquitous aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) ligands. However, their effects on intestinal barrier integrity remain poorly understood. We examined [...] Read more.
The intestinal epithelium constitutes a critical barrier that protects the host from luminal toxins. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including dioxins and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls, are ubiquitous aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) ligands. However, their effects on intestinal barrier integrity remain poorly understood. We examined representative POPs in vitro (using human Caco-2 monolayers) and in vivo (using a mouse jejunal loop model). Measurements of transepithelial electrical resistance, fluorescein isothiocyanate–dextran permeability, and cytotoxicity revealed that 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) impaired barrier function at non-cytotoxic concentrations. This effect was accompanied by increased ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase activity and subsequently reversed by the AhR antagonist CH223191, indicating AhR dependence. Mechanistically, TCDD suppressed claudin-1, claudin-4, and zonula occludens-1 expression while upregulating the transcription factor Slug, consistent with junctional remodeling. In vivo, TCDD enhanced systemic dextran leakage and reduced claudin-4 expression in jejunal epithelia. These findings identify intestinal barrier disruption as a sensitive toxicological endpoint of POP exposure and provide mechanistic insight into the link between environmental pollutants and gastrointestinal dysfunction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Hazards and Challenges)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-1
Back to TopTop