Gáspár Bánfalvi (Ed.) Cellular Effects of Heavy Metals

Springer, 2011. — 348 p. — ISBN: 978-94-007-0427-5.Cellular lesions are related to macromolecular synthetic processes including the hierarchical flow of genetic information. Heavy metals generate oxidizing radicals through the Fenton and Haber-Weiss reactions leading to metal-induced carcinogenesis mediated primarily by the elevated levels of reactive oxygen species. Heavy metal-induced oxidative stress can lead to different types of cellular damages as a consequence of incomplete reduction of oxygen. Oxidative damage causes changes in DNA structure, the long term effects of which can lead to multiple mutations and malignant transformation. The detection of oxidative damages involves chromatographic, biochemical and immunochemical approaches. Early detection of cytotoxicity at structural and functional level of DNA combined with high sensitivity are the expected benefits of the approaches suggested in this book. The advantages of using cell cultures to measure the cellular toxicity of heavy metals are: controlled cell growth, known concentrations and time of exposure to metal ions.
The book summarizes the cellular effects of metals including in alphabetical order: Ag, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Ta, U, W, Zn with respect to their impact on microbial, plant, yeast, insect and mammalian cells. Cellular effects of heavy metals involve: accumulation, mutagenesis, chromosomal changes, gene expression, activation of signal transduction pathways, apoptosis, transporters, protein binding, folding and degradation. These cellular changes affect not only the fate of cells but also our everyday life. The special website provides vivid performance of cellular movements of individual cells, cell divison and how cellular etology is influenced by the presence of heavy metals.