Publications by authors named "Monica Torres-Ruiz"
Article Synopsis
- Bisphenol A (BPA) is a synthetic chemical linked to harmful health effects like metabolic and reproductive issues, leading to its classification as toxic in the EU and resulting in bans or restrictions on its use.
- Industries have started using alternatives like bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol F (BPF), which are also toxic and currently being regulated, while other less-known BPA substitutes are emerging.
- This review highlights the hazards of various BPA alternatives, focusing on their toxicological data related to endocrine disruption, immunotoxicity, and other health risks, with goals to identify knowledge gaps and improve chemical risk assessment methods under the European Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals (PARC) project.
The increased detection of the recreational drug 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in aquatic ecosystems, has raised concern worldwide about its possible negative impacts on wildlife. MDMA is produced as racemate but its enantioselective effects on non-target organisms are poorly understood. Therefore, this study aimed to provide a comprehensive study of the toxicity of MDMA and its enantiomers in the early life stages of zebrafish (Danio rerio).
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- In Europe, rodent studies are the main method used to assess neurotoxicity, but they are expensive and raise ethical concerns, leading many to seek alternatives.
- There is a growing public demand for safer chemicals, as many on the market haven't been thoroughly tested for neurotoxic effects, prompting research into New Approach Methods (NAMs) to replace animal testing.
- The European Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals (PARC) is working on NAMs to evaluate neurotoxicity, aiming to create faster and cheaper testing methods that can help regulatory agencies and industries improve safety assessments.
Exposure to mercury and its organic form methylmercury (MeHg), is of great concern for the developing nervous system. Despite available literature on MeHg neurotoxicity, there is still uncertainty about its mechanisms of action and the doses that trigger developmental effects. Our study combines two alternative methodologies, the human neural stem cells (NSC) and the zebrafish (ZF) embryo, to address the neurotoxic effects of early exposure to nanomolar concentrations of MeHg.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGlobal plastic production has increased exponentially in recent decades, and a significant part of it persists in the environment, where it degrades into microplastics and nanoplastics (MPs and NPs). These can enter in humans by ingestion, inhalation, and dermal routes, and there is scientific evidence that they are able to reach the systemic circulation and penetrate and accumulate in various tissues and organs. Neurodevelopmental toxicity of NPs is one of the most worrying effects, as they can cross the blood-brain barrier.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTelecommunications industries are rapidly deploying the fifth generation (5G) spectrum and there is public concern about the safety and health impacts of this type of Radio Frequency Radiation (RFR), in part because of the lack of comparable scientific evidence. In this study we have used a validated commercially available setting producing a uniform field to expose zebrafish embryos (ZFe) to unmodulated 700 and 3500 MHz frequencies. We have combined a battery of toxicity, developmental and behavioral assays to further explore potential RFR effects.
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- * The study investigates the impact of 30 nm polystyrene nanoplastics on human neural stem cells over 4 days at different concentrations.
- * Results indicate that exposure to these nanoplastics can cause oxidative stress, DNA damage, and inflammation, potentially leading to tissue damage and neurodevelopmental issues.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the impact of polystyrene (PS) nanoplastics on the larvae of Chironomus riparius, focusing on DNA damage and gene expression related to various stress responses after 24-hour exposure to environmentally relevant doses of PS NPs.
- Results indicated a significant genotoxic effect, evidenced by increased DNA strand breaks and decreased expression of genes responsible for DNA repair and other crucial biological processes like cellular stress, development, and oxygen transport.
- The findings suggest that PS NPs may disrupt the endocrine system and inhibit critical physiological functions in these aquatic organisms, highlighting potential ecological risks stemming from plastic pollution in water bodies.
Current test strategies to identify thyroid hormone (TH) system disruptors are inadequate for conducting robust chemical risk assessment required for regulation. The tests rely heavily on histopathological changes in rodent thyroid glands or measuring changes in systemic TH levels, but they lack specific new approach methodologies (NAMs) that can adequately detect TH-mediated effects. Such alternative test methods are needed to infer a causal relationship between molecular initiating events and adverse outcomes such as perturbed brain development.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNanoplastics (NP) are present in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Humans can be exposed to them through contaminated water, food, air, or personal care products. Mechanisms of NP toxicity are largely unknown and the Zebrafish embryo poses an ideal model to investigate them due to its high homology with humans.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlastics pose a health hazard to living beings and the environment. Plastic degradation produces nano-sized plastic particles (NPs) that end up in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, including oceans, rivers, and lakes. Their presence in air, drinking water, sediments, food, and personal care products leads to a variety of exposure routes for living beings, including humans.
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- - Nanoplastics (NP) pose a significant risk to human health, and understanding their toxicity is crucial, especially using zebrafish (ZF) as a model for studying these effects on embryo development.
- - The study found that while NP size and concentration don't directly impact responses like mortality or heart rate, smaller NPs can penetrate vital organs, whereas larger ones tend to accumulate in less critical areas like the gut and skin.
- - Genetic analysis revealed complex effects: some immunity genes were activated, while others related to the central nervous system and vision were suppressed; overall, the findings suggest a need for improved experimental designs in future NP toxicity studies for better comparability.