6533b871fe1ef96bd12d1ae7
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Heavy Metals and Human Health: Possible Exposure Pathways and the Competition for Protein Binding Sites
Karolina ChilickaDanuta WitkowskaJoanna Słowiksubject
Protein FoldingDNA damagePharmaceutical ScienceOrganic chemistryPlasma protein bindingReviewCosmeticsAnalytical ChemistryBioremediationQD241-441bioremediationDetoxificationMetals HeavyDrug DiscoveryHumansPhysical and Theoretical Chemistryheavy metalschemistry.chemical_classificationBinding SitesbiologyChemistryEnvironmental ExposureinteractionsEnzyme assayproteinsAmino acidEnzymesEnzymeBiodegradation EnvironmentalBiochemistryChemistry (miscellaneous)Foodexposurebiology.proteinMolecular MedicineProtein foldingEnvironmental PollutantsDNA DamageProtein Bindingdescription
Heavy metals enter the human body through the gastrointestinal tract, skin, or via inhalation. Toxic metals have proven to be a major threat to human health, mostly because of their ability to cause membrane and DNA damage, and to perturb protein function and enzyme activity. These metals disturb native proteins’ functions by binding to free thiols or other functional groups, catalyzing the oxidation of amino acid side chains, perturbing protein folding, and/or displacing essential metal ions in enzymes. The review shows the physiological and biochemical effects of selected toxic metals interactions with proteins and enzymes. As environmental contamination by heavy metals is one of the most significant global problems, some detoxification strategies are also mentioned.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-10-01 | Molecules |