Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety最新文献

{"title":"Histopathological analysis of mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis after foodborne exposure to three sizes of polystyrene nanoplastics: Relevance of confounding factors","authors":"Tania Ramírez ,&nbsp;Nagore González-Soto ,&nbsp;Tamer Hafez ,&nbsp;Marisa Sárria Pereira de Passos ,&nbsp;Eider Bilbao ,&nbsp;Amaia Orbea ,&nbsp;Douglas Gilliland ,&nbsp;Miguel-Ángel Serra-Beltrán ,&nbsp;Miren P. Cajaraville","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.119976","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.119976","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Given the widespread occurrence of polystyrene (PS) micro- and nanoplastics in the marine environment, it is important to determine their potential adverse effects on representative sentinel marine species as mussels. Foodborne exposure is more environmentally realistic than waterborne exposure in mussels, but it has received less attention. The aim of this work was to assess the histopathological effects of foodborne exposure to PS nanoplastics (NPs) of different sizes on marine mussels, focusing on inflammatory reactions involving hemocytes, since microplastics (MPs) and NPs have been reported to produce inflammatory responses. Mussels <em>Mytilus galloprovincialis</em> were dietarily exposed through algae <em>Isochrysis galbana</em> to PS NPs of 50, 200 and 1000 nm at nominal low (LD) (10^3 NPs/mL) and high concentrations (HD) (10^8 NPs/mL for 50 and 200 nm NPs and10^6 NPs/mL for 1000 nm NPs). Exposures took place for seven days in duplicate and two independent experiments were carried out per NP (E1 and E4 for 50 nm, E2 and E5 for 200 nm and E3 and E6 for 1000 nm PS NPs). All experiments were developed during three weeks in September-October (E1-E2, E3-E4 and E5-E6) to minimize the influence of confounding factors on studied parameters. High prevalences of hemocytic infiltration, fibrosis and atrophy and necrosis of the digestive tubule epithelium (DE) were detected in the marine mussels’ digestive glands. In the gonad, prevalences of the different alterations were generally lower than in the digestive gland. Overall, the GLMM showed that stage of gametogenic development and the presence of parasites were significant confounding factors that influenced atrophy and necrosis of DE, oocyte atresia and hemocytic infiltration in the connective tissue of the gonad. Thus, it does not appear that these responses can be used as biomarkers of NP exposure in mussels, at least at the nominal concentrations tested and in a short-term exposure, since other factors such as reproductive stage and parasitosis affect these responses too. It remains to be determined whether longer term exposures could result in more severe histopathological alterations, independent of the physiological condition of mussels. Further work is required on environmentally realistic NPs that might pose additional risks compared to pristine ones.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":303,"journal":{"name":"Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety","volume":"313 ","pages":"Article 119976"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147451928","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Microplastic biodegradation and environmental safety: From microbial mechanisms to engineered systems and circular bio-based implementation","authors":"Haixin Jiao ,&nbsp;Rania Al-Tohamy ,&nbsp;Min Xiong ,&nbsp;Michael Schagerl ,&nbsp;Thomas Reinthaler ,&nbsp;Majid Al-Zahrani ,&nbsp;Jianzhong Sun ,&nbsp;Sameh S. Ali","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.120016","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.120016","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Microplastics, defined as synthetic polymer particles smaller than 5 mm, have become pervasive environmental contaminants across aquatic, terrestrial, and atmospheric systems. Their chemical stability, hydrophobicity, and resistance to natural attenuation limit the effectiveness of conventional physical and chemical removal technologies. Microbial and enzymatic approaches have therefore emerged as promising strategies for microplastic transformation and controlled degradation, although complete mineralization is not consistently achieved. Degradation outcomes vary widely depending on polymer structure, environmental conditions, and microbial community dynamics, and incomplete depolymerization may generate intermediate products with distinct ecological implications. This review provides a mechanistically integrated analysis of microplastic biodegradation, explicitly distinguishing surface modification, depolymerization, biotransformation, and complete mineralization. Abiotic preconditioning processes, enzyme–polymer interactions, kinetic constraints in real environmental matrices, and the functional roles of single strains, microbial consortia, and genetically engineered systems are examined. Particular attention is given to environmental safety considerations, including degradation byproducts, additive release, horizontal gene transfer risks, and biosafety containment strategies. The feasibility of integrating microbial degradation into circular bio-based recycling frameworks is critically assessed through translational strategies, pilot-scale considerations, and life cycle perspectives. Although advances in enzyme engineering and synthetic biology have significantly improved depolymerization efficiency under controlled conditions, scalability, regulatory compliance, and ecosystem-level risk assessment remain central challenges. Bridging mechanistic insight with environmental realism and regulatory preparedness is essential to ensure that biodegradation strategies reduce environmental burden without redistributing ecological risk.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":303,"journal":{"name":"Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety","volume":"313 ","pages":"Article 120016"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147451340","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Role of humic acid in modulating the combined toxicity of polylactic acid microplastics and diflubenzuron: Impacts on mitochondrial genotoxicity in Daphnia magna","authors":"Gunay Karimova ,&nbsp;Hanseong Kim ,&nbsp;Kimleng Keang ,&nbsp;Rovshan Abbasov ,&nbsp;Jinho Jung ,&nbsp;Joorim Na","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.120020","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.120020","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The proliferation of biodegradable plastics like polylactic acid (PLA) necessitates a deeper understanding of their ecotoxicological impacts, particularly their interactions with co-existing pollutants in aquatic ecosystems. This study investigates the combined toxicity of PLA microplastics (MPs), the insecticide diflubenzuron (DFB), and the influence of natural organic matter (NOM) on the freshwater cladoceran <em>Daphnia magna</em>. Acute 48-hour exposures were conducted to assess mortality, while sublethal impacts were evaluated by measuring oxidative stress biomarkers (reactive oxygen species, malondialdehyde), mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number, and cellular ATP levels. The interaction between PLA MPs and humic acid (HA) led to the formation of bridge-like structures. The presence of HA generally alleviated the enhanced acute toxicity resulting from the combined exposure to PLA MPs and DFB. At sublethal concentrations, the combination of high DFB (50 ng L⁻¹), HA (5 mg L⁻¹), and PLA MPs (1 mg L⁻¹) resulted in a reduction in mtDNA copy number, which in turn triggered enhanced ATP content as a compensatory mechanism at the cellular and molecular levels. These findings indicate that NOM, acting as an environmental modifier, significantly influences the toxicity of biodegradable MPs and pesticides at various biological levels, emphasizing the need to integrate such natural factors into the risk assessment frameworks for these emerging contaminants.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":303,"journal":{"name":"Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety","volume":"313 ","pages":"Article 120020"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147462392","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Manganese thresholds govern antagonism–synergy switching in tetracycline phytotoxicity in Lemna minor","authors":"Junfang Tu ,&nbsp;Yue Tong ,&nbsp;Yilong Xi","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.119930","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.119930","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Tetracycline antibiotics frequently co-occur with manganese (Mn) in freshwater environments, yet how Mn background gradients reshape mixture phytotoxicity remains insufficiently resolved. The objective of this study was to systematically investigate how varying Mn background levels modulate the phytotoxicity and interaction patterns of tetracycline antibiotics. Using <em>Lemna minor</em> as a model species, we employed full-factorial Mn × tetracycline concentration matrices (tetracycline, TC; oxytetracycline, OTC; and chlortetracycline, CTC) to quantify Mn-dependent modulation of tetracycline toxicity and identified operational Mn regimes supported by breakpoint robustness analysis. Growth-rate responses delineated a low-Mn window (0.10–0.40 mg·L⁻¹), a transition interval (0.40–1.60 mg·L⁻¹), and a high-Mn domain (≥1.60 mg·L⁻¹). Under low Mn conditions, Mn generally promoted antagonistic interactions, with inhibition weaker than expected, a pattern consistently observed across growth, pigment, and antioxidant endpoints. In contrast, under high Mn conditions, synergistic interactions emerged at specific Mn × antibiotic combinations, characterized by stronger-than-expected inhibition, forming spatially heterogeneous interaction “islands” on the response surfaces. These regime-dependent patterns were concordant between integrated multi-endpoint ΔBliss interaction landscapes, which quantify deviations from Bliss independence, and potency-surface validation using δZIP, a zero-interaction potency (ZIP)–based deviation metric, based on chlorophyll a. Overall, the results support a threshold-based, operational reporting framework linking Mn regimes to mixture interaction landscapes and indicate that mixture outcomes cannot be inferred from antibiotic dose alone when background metal levels vary, underscoring the need to explicitly incorporate metal gradients in mixture risk assessment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":303,"journal":{"name":"Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety","volume":"312 ","pages":"Article 119930"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147300533","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating machine learning models for predicting pesticide toxicity to honey bees","authors":"Jakub Adamczyk ,&nbsp;Jakub Poziemski ,&nbsp;Pawel Siedlecki","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.119869","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.119869","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Small molecules play a critical role in the biomedical, environmental, and agrochemical domains, each with distinct physicochemical requirements and success criteria. Although biomedical research benefits from extensive datasets and established benchmarks, agrochemical data remain scarce, particularly with respect to species-specific toxicity. This work focuses on ApisTox, the most comprehensive dataset of experimentally validated chemical toxicity to the honey bee (<em>Apis mellifera</em>), an ecologically vital pollinator. The primary goal of this study was to determine the suitability of diverse machine learning approaches for modeling such toxicity, including molecular fingerprints, graph kernels, and graph neural networks, as well as pretrained models. Comparative analysis with medicinal datasets from the MoleculeNet benchmark reveals that ApisTox represents a distinct chemical space. Performance degradation on non-medicinal datasets, such as ApisTox, demonstrates their limited generalizability of current state-of-the-art algorithms trained solely on biomedical data. Our study highlights the need for more diverse datasets and for targeted model development geared towards the agrochemical domain.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":303,"journal":{"name":"Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety","volume":"312 ","pages":"Article 119869"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147281322","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of deposition of Cr, Ba, Ni, Zn, and Cu on biomarker fatty acids as indirect indicators of peroxidation in Cepaea nemoralis (Helicidae) in situ and in vivo (in laboratory conditions)","authors":"Aleksandra Garbacz ,&nbsp;Weronika Kursa ,&nbsp;Danuta Kowalczyk-Pecka","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.119932","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.119932","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The study determined the effect of selected environmental variables (Cr, Ni, Ba, Zn and Cu) on the potential peroxidation of biomarker fatty acids (FAs) in snails <em>Cepaea nemoralis</em>, both in <em>in situ</em> and <em>in vivo</em> (in laboratory conditions). The following panel of biomarker FAs was used: C16:0; C18:0; C23:0; C18:1 n-9; C20:1 n-9; C18:2 n-6; C18:3 n-3; C20:2 n-6; C20:4 n-6; C20:5 n-3; C22:4 n-6; and C22:5 n-3. Field studies included samples obtained from a location potentially affected by anthropogenic sediment, containing a deposit of waste rock, and from a location without this influence. Waste rock, which is mining waste produced during extraction of bituminous coal, was treated as a potential source of metals. The study tested whether metals deposited in an anthropogenically contaminated environment whose main element is a waste rock deposit can be transferred to the body of land snails. In laboratory conditions, Cr³ ⁺, Ni²⁺, Zn²⁺ and Cu²⁺ ions were administered to snails separately, per os, using a pipette, in a volume of 10 µl per snail, in the form of independent solutions of prepared salts (CrCl₃x6H₂O; NiSO₄x6H₂O; ZnCl₂; CuSO₄). Separate experimental groups were created for each metal, in which three metal concentrations were used: 0.0005 mg Met/ml redistilled water; 0.00075 mg Met/ml redistilled water; and 0.001 mg Met/ml redistilled water. Due to the high toxicity of soluble barium compounds, poorly soluble BaSO₄ was used as the source of this element, which in solid form, in an amount proportional to the other metals, was added to the agar constituting the base of the medium. Regardless of exposure to individual metals, three additional experimental groups were also created in which snails were supplemented with a mixture of the tested metal ions, administered together in equal proportions, corresponding to the three concentrations used. The results indicate that metals affect the physiological response in snails associated with changes in the composition of biomarker FAs, peroxidation (PI) and unsaturation (UI) indices, including potential lipid peroxidation. It is possible to identify a group of FAs which can be useful biomarkers of exposure of snails (Gastropoda, Pulmonata) to these variables, in both natural and laboratory conditions. The search for this type of biomarkers in invertebrates is important in ecotoxicology even in the case of subthreshold levels of environmental pollutants. When using snails as a source of biomarkers <em>in situ</em>, after determining the levels of the pollutants in their natural habitat, in order to determine the synergy or antagonism of these pollutants with elements of the environmental background, for example climate and soil factors, it is worth carrying out comparative testing in a laboratory using supplementation with the same substances in controlled conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":303,"journal":{"name":"Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety","volume":"312 ","pages":"Article 119932"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147300556","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Methyl-4-hydroxybenzoate induces osteoporosis via the AKT1/LC3B/Beclin1 autophagy signaling pathway: Integrating network toxicology and experimental validation","authors":"Furui Fu ,&nbsp;Wenhao Wang ,&nbsp;Yunqi Li ,&nbsp;Senjie Shi ,&nbsp;Jin Huang ,&nbsp;Tianpeng Liu ,&nbsp;Yi Shen ,&nbsp;Mengting Yuan ,&nbsp;Chuanglong Xu ,&nbsp;Hongyu Wang ,&nbsp;Haitao Zhang ,&nbsp;Xiang Gao ,&nbsp;Dezhi Tang","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.119913","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.119913","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>As public awareness of environmental issues grows and research on ecological pollutants advances, mounting evidence indicates that Methyl-4-hydroxybenzoate (MEP) is associated with the development of various diseases. This study aims to uncover the key genes and underlying molecular mechanisms by which MEP influences osteoporosis (OP).</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This study integrates network toxicology, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulation approaches. Potential targets of the environmental contaminant were identified using the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD). In contrast, osteoporosis-related targets were retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), GeneCards, and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) databases. The intersection between MEP and OP targets was subsequently analyzed using PPI networks and functional enrichment analyses to identify core targets and pathways. For experimental validation, Sprague-Dawley rats were administered MEP via gavage for three months. Bone tissues were then collected for Micro-CT analysis and Hematoxylin and eosin (H&amp;E) staining to evaluate the impact of MEP on bone mass. Further mechanistic investigations were conducted using immunofluorescence staining, western blotting (WB), and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Bioinformatics analysis identified 379 overlapping genes between MEP and OP, with 31 core genes (e.g., AKT1, HSP90AA1) implicated in cell cycle regulation, oxidative stress, and DNA damage. Molecular docking confirmed stable binding of MEP to AKT1 (- 4.39 kcal/mol), Beclin1 (- 18.77 kcal/mol), and LC3B (- 3.55 kcal/mol). Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the MEP-Beclin1 complex stabilized after 85 ns (RMSD ≈ 2.2 Å), with persistent hydrogen bond interactions. In vivo experiments confirmed that MEP disrupts bone microstructure in a dose-dependent manner. Both micro-computed tomography (Micro-CT) and H&amp;E staining revealed trabecular fractures and enlarged bone marrow cavities. Immunofluorescence analysis demonstrated significantly reduced LC3B puncta (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.0001). Further validation by WB and RT-qPCR showed significantly upregulated expression of the autophagy-related protein AKT1 (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.01), whereas downregulated expression of autophagy-related proteins (LC3B, Beclin1) and osteogenic markers (RUNX2, BMP2) (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.01).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Collectively, this study demonstrates that the environmental pollutant methylparaben (MEP) induces OP by suppressing AKT1-mediated autophagy signaling. Our findings provide novel mechanistic insights into how ecological contaminants may trigger OP pathogenesis, thereby establishing a theoretical foundation for the development of preventive and therapeutic strategies against pollutant-associated bone disorders.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":303,"journal":{"name":"Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety","volume":"312 ","pages":"Article 119913"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147300168","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Metabolomics‑driven, data‑augmented machine learning for predicting toxicity of microplastic mixtures","authors":"Beilei Yuan ,&nbsp;Chengzhi Liu ,&nbsp;Shuang Chen ,&nbsp;Jiangliang Chu ,&nbsp;Yifan Yang ,&nbsp;Yong Pan ,&nbsp;Huazhong Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.119944","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.119944","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Microplastics (MPs) occur as heterogeneous mixtures in real‑world environments, making one‑by‑one toxicity testing impractical. This study aims to use predictive models to quickly and effectively evaluate the toxicity of MPs. We explored three model frameworks: a quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) model based on physicochemical descriptors; a quantitative bioactivity relationship (QBAR) model with biodescriptors screened by metabolomics data; and a quantitative structure-bioactivity relationship (QSBAR) model combining both physicochemical and biodescriptors. Under a simplex centroid design, six machine learning algorithms were trained using data augmentation strategies to predict the cytotoxicity of microplastic mixtures. The results showed that the QBAR-based eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGB-qbar) model performed best (R²_tra = 0.9322, R²_test = 0.8923), outperforming the QSAR and the QSBAR frameworks. The three descriptor importance methods consistently identified key biological descriptors helpful for toxicity prediction. Moreover, metabolomics analysis indicated that mixed exposure to MPs may mediate toxic responses by reprogramming cellular energy metabolism pathways. The metabolomics-driven and data-augmented machine learning approach proposed in this study can efficiently predict toxicity and provide mechanistic clues in small sample and complex mixture scenarios, providing a feasible path for environmental exposure risk assessment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":303,"journal":{"name":"Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety","volume":"312 ","pages":"Article 119944"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147300137","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Role of the aluminium in situ bioaccumulation in the evolutive state of carotid atheromatous plaques","authors":"Manuela Montanaro ,&nbsp;Francesca Servadei ,&nbsp;Valeria Palumbo ,&nbsp;Renata Sisto ,&nbsp;Stefano Casciardi ,&nbsp;Fabio Massimo Oddi ,&nbsp;Valentina Rovella ,&nbsp;Alessandro Mauriello ,&nbsp;Manuel Scimeca","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.119933","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.119933","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Aluminium (Al), a widespread environmental contaminant, has been implicated in various human pathologies, yet its role in atherogenesis remains unexplored. In this study, we investigate Al bioaccumulation in human carotid atheromatous plaques and its possible association with plaque instability. Using ICP-MS, scanning and transmission electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/TEM-EDX), we assessed the presence and localization of Al in 50 carotid endarterectomy specimens. Aluminium was detected in all of cases, with no preferential localization or significant association with plaque instability. Multivariate analyses demonstrated that Al presence did not influence the effect of major cardiovascular risk factors on plaque vulnerability. These findings suggest that Al bioaccumulation in the vascular wall is a diffuse and passive process, independent of acute thrombotic transformation. While not predictive of instability, Al may contribute to plaque growth or reflect cumulative environmental exposure.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":303,"journal":{"name":"Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety","volume":"312 ","pages":"Article 119933"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147300106","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Gestational PFHxS exposure at environmentally relevant levels is associated with adult hepatic steatosis and PERK/SREBP1 pathway activation","authors":"Junyu Jiang ,&nbsp;Muran He ,&nbsp;Bo Li ,&nbsp;Yanyan Xiong ,&nbsp;Haotian Shi ,&nbsp;Yichao Huang ,&nbsp;Dexiang Xu ,&nbsp;Jun Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.119970","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.119970","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), an increasingly detected environmental pollutant, poses potential metabolic health risks, yet its developmental toxicity at environmentally relevant doses remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated the long-term effects of PFHxS exposure on the hepatic development using a mouse model with oral administration of 0.03 and 0.3 μg/kg/day throughout pregnancy. Our findings demonstrated that gestational PFHxS exposure induced persistent hepatic oxidative stress and was associated with the activation of the endoplasmic reticulum stress response (PERK/eIF2α/ATF4 pathway) in adults. These molecular alterations were accompanied by the upregulation of sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBP1) and the transcriptional activation of key lipogenic enzymes (ACC, FASN, SCD1), culminating in hepatic lipid accumulation, inflammation, and fibrosis. Notably, these pathological changes exhibited sex-specific characteristics. These findings revealed, for the first time, that gestational PFHxS exposure at environmental levels may contribute to adult hepatic steatosis, potentially through mechanisms involving PERK/SREBP1-mediated lipogenesis. This study provided critical insights into the emerging health risks of replacement PFAS compounds.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":303,"journal":{"name":"Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety","volume":"312 ","pages":"Article 119970"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147353148","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}