Environmental Pollutant and Stem Cells: A Unique Tool to Decipher the Biological and Functional Effects on Human Health

Dear Colleagues,

Environmental pollution causes harm to human health. Human activities generate air pollution with extremely small particles and liquid droplets. Every day, a large number of pollutants are released into the environment, mainly as a result of a range of industries from plastics to food-contact coatings, and of agricultural establishments, which is due to their ubiquity, making it difficult to avoid exposure and posing a major health risk. These pollutants include both metals, such as lead, and also endocrine disruptors chemicals which can interfere with and mimic the action of natural hormones causing adverse effects on the normal functioning of the body to the point of promoting various pathological pictures, including carcinogenesis. An estimated 70–90% of all cancers are linked to exposure to environmental risk factors. Several studies suggest that environmental pollutants may cause damage to stem cells or affect their properties. Tissue stem cells may be direct targets of pollutants that can result in genetic alterations as a consequence of adult or during developmental and/or transient exposure. This allows stem cells to be framed as a fundamental tool for understanding and studying the mechanisms underlying various pathological and physiological processes in which environmental pollutants affecting human health may be involved.

Prof. Dr. Alexander Zarbock
Prof. Dr. Oriana Trubiani
Prof. Dr. Tomáš Stopka
Prof. Dr. Bernat Soria
Collection Editors

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