About this Research Topic
Global environmental pollution is a growing phenomenon impacting million people everywhere, making the threat to human health reach unprecedent levels. Several of these pollutants, including heavy metals and some pesticides, can cross the blood-brain barrier and reach the central nervous system (CNS), negatively impacting neural tissue and function. Once in the CNS, pollutants disrupt numerous cellular and molecular events affecting redox system, neurotransmitter and glucose metabolism, calcium signaling and cytokine production/release among others, eventually leading to motor, visual, cognitive and mood disorders, as well as contributing to neurodegenerative diseases. Among the CNS cells, glial cells, especially astrocytes and microglia, arguably represent the first line of defense against pollutants-induced neurotoxicity. These cells maintain CNS homeostasis and perform critical physiological functions such as neurogenesis, angiogenesis, and the regulation of synaptic formation, maturation, plasticity and integrity. As remarkably heterogeneous cells, a diversity of glial functions can become compromised in response to pollutant-induced intoxication, which may vary according to context and strongly influence neurological outcomes and behavior.
Our Research Topic aims to bring together cutting-edge knowledge on environmental pollution-induced neurotoxicity, which seems to be intimately associated with glial cells behavior. This problem currently affects million people worldwide, representing a challenge to health systems and an economic burden in a global scale. Thus, unraveling glial roles in pollutant-induced intoxication could clarify the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying neurotoxicity and guide targeted therapeutic strategies to mitigate the problem around the world.
In this Research Topic, we welcome submission of Original Research, Review, Methods and Perspective papers covering the following sub-topics, but not limited to:
• In vivo and /or in vitro studies reporting glial cell roles in heavy metals, pesticides and other pollutants intoxication
• Cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying glial cell responses to xenobiotics neurotoxicity
• Neuroprotective roles of glial cells under xenobiotics neurotoxicity
• Deleterious roles of glial cells under xenobiotics neurotoxicity (i.e., related to loss of functions or gain of maladaptive ones)
• Epidemiological studies using glia-related markers in exposed populations
• Use of glia-related markers in diagnosis of intoxication
• Systematic reviews on glia and pollution
Our Research Topic aims to bring together cutting-edge knowledge on environmental pollution-induced neurotoxicity, which seems to be intimately associated with glial cells behavior. This problem currently affects million people worldwide, representing a challenge to health systems and an economic burden in a global scale. Thus, unraveling glial roles in pollutant-induced intoxication could clarify the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying neurotoxicity and guide targeted therapeutic strategies to mitigate the problem around the world.
In this Research Topic, we welcome submission of Original Research, Review, Methods and Perspective papers covering the following sub-topics, but not limited to:
• In vivo and /or in vitro studies reporting glial cell roles in heavy metals, pesticides and other pollutants intoxication
• Cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying glial cell responses to xenobiotics neurotoxicity
• Neuroprotective roles of glial cells under xenobiotics neurotoxicity
• Deleterious roles of glial cells under xenobiotics neurotoxicity (i.e., related to loss of functions or gain of maladaptive ones)
• Epidemiological studies using glia-related markers in exposed populations
• Use of glia-related markers in diagnosis of intoxication
• Systematic reviews on glia and pollution
Keywords: pollution, glia, intoxication, heavy metals, pesticides, xenobiotics, neurotoxicity
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
