Environmental Pollution and Animal Health: Toxicity and Metabolism

A special issue of Metabolites (ISSN 2218-1989). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Metabolomics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 7361

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Interests: environmental pollution; toxicology; molecular mechanism; signal pathway; energy metabolism
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
College of Life Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150038, China
Interests: environmental pollution; toxicology; molecular mechanism; intestinal microbiome; oxidative stress

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Guest Editor
College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150038, China
Interests: pesticides; ecotoxicity; microbial contaminants; mutritional and metabolic diseases; toxipathy

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Guest Editor
College of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu 610041, China
Interests: environmental pollution; microorganism; apoptosis; autophagy; omics analysis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Environmental pollution caused by human activities has brought potential threats to human and animal health, which has attracted worldwide attention. It is one of the most active research fields today. Metabolites not only involve intermediate and final metabolites in metabolism but also participate in the mechanism of animal poisoning caused by environmental pollutants.

This Special Issue focuses on the metabolic mechanism of animal poisoning caused by excess environmental pollutants via soliciting manuscripts (such as original research and review), highlighting toxicity,  molecular signaling pathways, and important metabolic targets. We hope that the information generated from this Special Issue will reflect the latest progress in the research on metabolites-related mechanisms in animal poisoning caused by environmental pollution, as well as provide some novel and in-depth findings on metabolomics.

Prof. Dr. Xiaohua Teng
Dr. Zhiying Miao
Dr. Zhiruo Miao
Dr. Dechun Chen
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 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. Metabolites 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 2700 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

  • environmental pollution
  • animal
  • toxicity
  • molecular mechanism
  • cell metabolism

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 3413 KiB  
Article
Abnormal Phenylalanine Metabolism of Procapra przewalskii in Chronic Selenosis in Selenium-Enriched Habitats
by Hong Ren, Ping Zhou and Xiaoyun Shen
Metabolites 2023, 13(9), 982; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo13090982 - 30 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 743
Abstract
Selenium (Se)-enriched habitats have led to chronic selenosis, seriously affecting the health and survival of Procapra przewalskii (P. przewalskii). Our targets were to explore the molecular mechanisms of chronic selenosis and to look for a new way to protect endangered [...] Read more.
Selenium (Se)-enriched habitats have led to chronic selenosis, seriously affecting the health and survival of Procapra przewalskii (P. przewalskii). Our targets were to explore the molecular mechanisms of chronic selenosis and to look for a new way to protect endangered species. The mineral contents of soils, grass, blood, and muscle were analyzed. The biochemical indices, antioxidant capability, and immune function were also investigated. The analyses of proteomics and metabolomics were also carried out. The results showed that the Se contents in the muscle and blood of P. przewalskii, and the soil and grass in the Se-enriched habitats were significantly higher than those in healthy pastures. The P. przewalskii in the Se-enriched habitats showed symptoms of anemia, decreased antioxidant capability, and low immune function. A total of 44 differential proteins and 36 differential metabolites were screened by analyzing their proteomics and metabolomics. These differential proteins and metabolites were involved in glycolysis pathway, amino acid biosynthesis, carbon metabolism, phenylalanine metabolism, and energy metabolism. In particular, phenylalanine metabolism was the common pathway of proteomics and metabolomics, which was an important finding in studying the mechanism of chronic selenosis in animals. This study will help us to further understand the mechanism of chronic selenosis in P. przewalskii, and it provides a scientific basis for the protection of endangered species in Se-enriched habitats. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Pollution and Animal Health: Toxicity and Metabolism)
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12 pages, 1122 KiB  
Article
Impact of Heavy Metal Exposure on Mytilus galloprovincialis Spermatozoa: A Metabolomic Investigation
by Gennaro Lettieri, Carmela Marinaro, Rosaria Notariale, Pasquale Perrone, Martina Lombardi, Alessio Trotta, Jacopo Troisi and Marina Piscopo
Metabolites 2023, 13(8), 943; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo13080943 - 13 Aug 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1404
Abstract
Metabolomics is a method that provides an overview of the physiological and cellular state of a specific organism or tissue. This method is particularly useful for studying the influence the environment can have on organisms, especially those used as bio-indicators, e.g., Mytilus galloprovincialis [...] Read more.
Metabolomics is a method that provides an overview of the physiological and cellular state of a specific organism or tissue. This method is particularly useful for studying the influence the environment can have on organisms, especially those used as bio-indicators, e.g., Mytilus galloprovincialis. Nevertheless, a scarcity of data on the complete metabolic baseline of mussel tissues still exists, but more importantly, the effect of mussel exposure to certain heavy metals on spermatozoa is unknown, also considering that, in recent years, the reproductive system has proved to be very sensitive to the effects of environmental pollutants. In order to fill this knowledge gap, the similarities and differences in the metabolic profile of spermatozoa of mussels exposed to metallic chlorides of copper, nickel, and cadmium, and to the mixture to these metals, were studied using a metabolomics approach based on GC–MS analysis, and their physiological role was discussed. A total of 237 endogenous metabolites were identified in the spermatozoa of these mussel. The data underwent preprocessing steps and were analyzed using statistical methods such as PLS-DA. The results showed effective class separation and identified key metabolites through the VIP scores. Heatmaps and cluster analysis further evaluated the metabolites. The metabolite-set enrichment analysis revealed complex interactions within metabolic pathways and metabolites, especially involving glucose and central carbon metabolism and oxidative stress metabolism. Overall, the results of this study are useful to better understand how some pollutants can affect the specific physiological functions of the spermatozoa of this mussel, as well as for further GC–MS-based metabolomic health and safety studies of marine bivalves. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Pollution and Animal Health: Toxicity and Metabolism)
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14 pages, 4334 KiB  
Article
Effect of Noise and Music on Neurotransmitters in the Amygdala: The Role Auditory Stimuli Play in Emotion Regulation
by Haoyang Nian, Susu Ding, Yanru Feng, Honggui Liu, Jianhong Li, Xiang Li, Runxiang Zhang and Jun Bao
Metabolites 2023, 13(8), 928; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo13080928 - 08 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2132
Abstract
Stress caused by noise is becoming widespread globally. Noise may lead to deafness, endocrine disorders, neurological diseases, and a decline in mental health. The mechanism behind noise-induced neurodevelopmental abnormalities is unclear, but apoptosis and pro-inflammatory signals may play an important role. In this [...] Read more.
Stress caused by noise is becoming widespread globally. Noise may lead to deafness, endocrine disorders, neurological diseases, and a decline in mental health. The mechanism behind noise-induced neurodevelopmental abnormalities is unclear, but apoptosis and pro-inflammatory signals may play an important role. In this study, weaned piglets were used as a model to explore noise-induced neurodevelopmental abnormalities. We hypothesized that long-term noise exposure would induce anxiety and cause acute stress, exhibited by alterations in neurotransmission in the amygdala. A total of 72 hybrid piglets (Large White × Duroc × Min Pig) were randomly divided into three groups, including noise (exposed to mechanical noise, 80–85 dB), control (blank, exposed to natural background sound, <40 dB), and music (positive control, exposed to Mozart K.448, 60–70 dB) groups. The piglets were exposed to 6 h of auditory noise daily (10:00–16:00) for 28 days. Compared with the control group, piglets exposed to noise showed more aggressive behavior. The expression of Caspase3, Caspase9, Bax, NF-κB (p56), TLR4, MYD88, I κ B α, IL-1 β, TNF-α, and IL-12RB2 was significantly upregulated in the amygdala, while the expression of Nrf2, HO-1, CAT, and SOD was downregulated in piglets in the noise group. Cell death occurred, and numerous inflammatory cells accumulated in the amygdala of piglets in the noise group. Targeted metabolomics showed that the content of inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA was higher in the amygdala of piglets in the noise group. Compared with the noise group, piglets in the music group displayed more positive emotion-related behaviors. Compared with the noise group, the expression of genes related to apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative damage was lower in the music group. Cells of the amygdala in the music group were also of normal morphology. Our results show that noise-induced stress causes apoptosis and neuroinflammation in the amygdala and induces anxiety during the early neonatal neural development of piglets. In contrast, to some extent, music alleviates noise-induced anxiety. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Pollution and Animal Health: Toxicity and Metabolism)
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14 pages, 3369 KiB  
Article
Preliminary Exploration of Metabolic Mechanisms in Copper-Exposed Sepia esculenta Based on Transcriptome Analysis
by Zan Li, Lisheng Jiang, Tao Xu, Xiaokai Bao, Weijun Wang, Yanwei Feng, Jianmin Yang and Jingjun Ma
Metabolites 2023, 13(4), 471; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo13040471 - 25 Mar 2023
Viewed by 970
Abstract
As a common and high-concentration heavy metal in the ocean, Cu can induce metal toxicity and significantly affect the metabolic function of marine organisms. Sepia esculenta is an important economic cephalopod found along the east coast of China, the growth, movement, and reproduction [...] Read more.
As a common and high-concentration heavy metal in the ocean, Cu can induce metal toxicity and significantly affect the metabolic function of marine organisms. Sepia esculenta is an important economic cephalopod found along the east coast of China, the growth, movement, and reproduction of which are all affected by heavy metals. Hitherto, the specific metabolic mechanism of heavy-metal exposure in S. esculenta is still unclear. In this study, we identified 1131 DEGs through transcriptome analysis of larval S. esculenta within 24 h of Cu exposure. GO and KEGG functional enrichment analysis results indicated that Cu exposure may affect purine metabolism, protein digestion and absorption, cholesterol metabolism, and other metabolic processes in S. esculenta larvae. It is worth noting that in this study we explore metabolic mechanism of Cu-exposed S. esculenta larvae through the comprehensive analysis of protein–protein interaction network and KEGG enrichment analysis for the first time and find 20 identified key and hub genes such as CYP7A1, CYP3A11, and ABCA1. Based on their expression, we preliminarily speculate that Cu exposure may inhibit multiple metabolic processes and induce metabolic disorders. Our results lay a foundation for further understanding the metabolic mechanism of S. esculenta against heavy metals and provide theoretical help for S. esculenta artificial breeding. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Pollution and Animal Health: Toxicity and Metabolism)
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16 pages, 2607 KiB  
Article
Exposure to Particulate Matter in the Broiler House Causes Dyslipidemia and Exacerbates It by Damaging Lung Tissue in Broilers
by Dan Shen, Qi Guo, Kai Huang, Weijia Mao, Kai Wang, Wenjie Zeng, Yansen Li, Zhendong Guo, Kentaro Nagaoka and Chunmei Li
Metabolites 2023, 13(3), 363; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo13030363 - 28 Feb 2023
Viewed by 1625
Abstract
The high concentration of particulate matter (PM) in broiler houses seriously endangers the biological safety of broilers and causes low growth performance, deserving more attention. This study aimed to investigate the effects of PM collected from a broiler house on the lung and [...] Read more.
The high concentration of particulate matter (PM) in broiler houses seriously endangers the biological safety of broilers and causes low growth performance, deserving more attention. This study aimed to investigate the effects of PM collected from a broiler house on the lung and systemic inflammatory responses and liver lipid anabolic process in broilers. Broilers were systemically exposed to fresh air (control) and 4 mg·m−3 and 8 mg·m−3 total suspended particles (TSP). Lung, liver, and serum were sampled after 7 (E7) and 14 (E14) days of PM exposure and 7 days after self-recovery (R 7). Corresponding kits were used to assay the inflammatory cytokines and serum biochemical indicators. The expression levels of genes related to lipid metabolism were detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay. The results showed a significant decrease in the average daily gain in broilers for 7 days of PM exposure (p < 0.05) and clear lung and liver inflammations in PM groups. In addition, upregulation of lung interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-8 and serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglyceride (TG) occurred after 7 days of PM exposure (p < 0.05), and upregulation of lung serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and cholesterol (CHOL) occurred after 14 days of PM exposure (p < 0.05). A decrease in serum total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-px) levels was found after 14 days of PM exposure (p < 0.05), and the GSH-px level was maintained until 7 days after cessation of exposure (p < 0.05). Seven days after cessation of exposure, the expression levels of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA synthase 2 (Hmgcs2) and fatty acid synthase (Fas) genes significantly increased (p < 0.05) and decreased (p < 0.05), respectively. These results demonstrate that exposure to PM in broiler houses can induce systemic inflammation and dyslipidemia through local pulmonary inflammation and also exert toxic effects on the liver by disturbing the expression of genes involved in the hepatic lipid anabolic process. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Pollution and Animal Health: Toxicity and Metabolism)
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