Characterization of heavy metals on health complications: Potential trigger as a risk of metabolic disorders

Abstract

Heavy metals usually originate from anthropogenic and natural elements. They are often environmentally hazardous nanoparticles among air pollutants of various sizes. At present, contamination and pollution related to heavy metals have drastically increased due to human activity, the socioeconomic burden of waste management platforms, and the lack of conservative environmental advocacy, such as unethical disposal in sewage and unfiltered industrial effluents. Heavy metals are toxic and non-degradable. They pile up in the environment and contribute to an environmental and ecological platform that causes health risks to human life. The pattern of heavy metal toxicity varies. It relies on the routes of exposure and forms of interruptions to target organs and to intracellular homeostasis, leading to modification of macromolecules, including proteins, enzymes, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), and lipids. Tissue damage associated with health complications occurs due to the formation of free radicals and the malfunction of antioxidant systems. Exposure to heavy metals in various chemical-physical aspects affects the connectivity and regulation of the human body's immune, endocrine, hormonal, and neural organs. The propensity of metals to bind to nucleic acids and proteins in tissues could alter macromolecular and cellular function and lead to adverse physiological changes. Heavy metals create disturbances in liver, kidney, and lung function and cause blood impairments. Moreover, heavy metals contribute to multifactorial sequelae inside the body that produce muscular, neurological, and physical disorders, even if the exposome's efficacy is a small amount. Long-term presence can trigger several other diseases, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and stroke. For example, constant exposure to chromium leads to gastrointestinal symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea accompanied by blood. This thesis will examine several lines of evidence that support heavy metal toxicity including oxidative stress following infiltration into the nervous system and resulting in mental disorders and intertwined gene networks between neural circuits and metabolic symptoms. Heavy metals cause poisoning to the human body. The body is designed to maintain homeostasis in response to environmental stress due to heavy metal penetration of brain circuits, which can cause the risk of metabolic diseases when oxidative stress unwinds a neuronal network and alters it through the endocrine system. Heavy metal contamination occurs in a cyclic order, which encompasses human demand originating from industrialization, urbanization, and globalization, affecting the atmosphere, water, soil, foods and ultimately reaching the human body.