Special Issue "Developmental Exposure to Environmental Contaminants"

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2021.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Kimberly Keil Stietz
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Comparitive Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
Interests: polychlorinated biphenyls; developmental neurotoxicology; impact of environmental contaminants on lower urinary tract development; structure and function
Dr. Tracie Baker
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
Interests: developmental and reproductive toxicology; emerging contaminants; epigenetic inheritance; adult onset and transgenerational disease; endocrine disrupting chemicals
Dr. Jessica Plavicki
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
Interests: developmental neurotoxicology; cardiovascular toxicology; per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances; AHR biology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Development provides an especially sensitive window whereby environmental contaminants can have significant and lasting effects on the morphology and function of many organs and systems. The importance of understanding developmental effects of environmental contaminants extends not only to developmental stages, but also to encompass the hypotheses of the developmental or fetal origins of adult disease. Such effects of environmental contaminants during development extend to health outcomes that can persist in adulthood, first become apparent in adulthood, or manifest in adulthood but only after a second hit/stressor. The diverse nature of possible environmental contaminants, ranging from persistent organic pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) to emerging contaminants of concern such as Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), along with the diverse range of health implications including autism, diabetes, cancer, infertility, and lower urinary tract function make understanding developmental effects of environmental contaminants an ever growing and important field of study.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue which aims to explore a variety of topics in line with the aims and scope of Toxics. Specifically, topics related to the developmental effects of environmental contaminants and/or their metabolites on the molecular, cellular, tissue, organ, organ system or organism, including mechanisms of toxicity, metabolism, risk assessment and management, as well as multiple stressor impacts in the context of aging or disease progression following developmental exposures.

 In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include, but is not limited to the following: developmental effects of environmental exposures using in vitro, ex vivo, or in vivo models, and fetal origins of adult disease models. This Special Issue may include developmental effects of emerging contaminants of concern, mixtures, metals, pesticides/herbicides, persistent organic pollutants, or particulate matter, to name a few.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Kimberly Keil Stietz
Dr. Tracie Baker
Dr. Jessica Plavicki
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 papers will be 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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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 1600 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

  • fetal origins of adult disease
  • developmental toxicity
  • contaminants of emerging concern
  • PCBs
  • PFAS
  • persistent organic pollutants
  • metals
  • mixtures
  • pesticides

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Communication
Early Low-Level Arsenic Exposure Impacts Post-Synaptic Hippocampal Function in Juvenile Mice
Toxics 2021, 9(9), 206; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics9090206 (registering DOI) - 31 Aug 2021
Abstract
Arsenic is a well-established carcinogen known to increase mortality, but its effects on the central nervous system are less well understood. Epidemiological studies suggest that early life exposure is associated with learning deficits and behavioral changes. Studies in arsenic-exposed rodents have begun to [...] Read more.
Arsenic is a well-established carcinogen known to increase mortality, but its effects on the central nervous system are less well understood. Epidemiological studies suggest that early life exposure is associated with learning deficits and behavioral changes. Studies in arsenic-exposed rodents have begun to shed light on potential mechanistic underpinnings, including changes in synaptic transmission and plasticity. However, previous studies relied on extended exposure into adulthood, and little is known about the effect of arsenic exposure in early development. Here, we studied the effects of early developmental arsenic exposure in juvenile mice on synaptic transmission and plasticity in the hippocampus. C57BL/6J females were exposed to arsenic (0, 50 ppb, 36 ppm) via drinking water two weeks prior to mating, with continued exposure throughout gestation and parturition. Electrophysiological recordings were then performed on juvenile offspring prior to weaning. In this paradigm, the offspring are exposed to arsenic indirectly, via the mother. We found that high (36 ppm) and relatively low (50 ppb) arsenic exposure both decreased basal synaptic transmission. A compensatory increase in pre-synaptic vesicular release was only observed in the high-exposure group. These results suggest that indirect, ecologically relevant arsenic exposure in early development impacts hippocampal synaptic transmission and plasticity that could underlie learning deficits reported in epidemiological studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Developmental Exposure to Environmental Contaminants)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop