book chapter
Exposure to neurotoxic metals such as arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium, nickel, aluminium, and manganese presents a major public health challenge because these elements can cross the blood-brain barrier. Once inside the brain, they disrupt normal cellular balance by generating reactive oxygen species, driving neuroinflammation, and triggering protein misfolding and aggregation. Addressing this damage requires multiple therapeutic interventions. Chelation therapy using agents such as EDTA remains central by forming complexes with metals to speed up excretion. Concurrently, antioxidants including vitamin C, N-acetylcysteine, and polyphenols help scavenge free radicals, reduce lipid peroxidation, and provide anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic protection. Newer developments include epigenetic modifications and nanoparticle delivery systems, such as polymer and metal nanoparticles, to enhance drug administration. Because metal-induced neurotoxicity involves complex, multifactorial biological pathways, no single intervention is fully effective on its own.
Toxic metals are widespread environmental hazards that can enter the brain and cause severe cellular damage. Understanding how chelation, antioxidants, and modern delivery technologies interact offers a foundation for developing comprehensive treatment protocols. Because these toxins disrupt multiple neurological pathways simultaneously, multi-target strategies are vital for mitigating long-term cognitive and neurological harm in affected populations.
The findings highlight potential opportunities for pharmaceutical and drug delivery developers focusing on combination therapies and advanced delivery vectors. Nanoparticle formulations, including polymeric and metal-based carriers, offer pathways to improve the delivery of chelators and antioxidants across the blood-brain barrier. However, the work represents conceptual and early-stage therapeutic reviews rather than direct product testing, meaning practical clinical applications remain distant from market deployment.
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Neurotoxic metals such as As, Pb, Hg, Cd, Ni, Al and Mn are of significant public health concern due to their ubuiquity and ability to cross the blood brain barrier. Metal interrupts neuronal homeostasis by generating reactive oxygen species, neuroinflammation and misfolding of protein and aggregation. This chapter looked into the current and emerging therapeutic methods used in combating these anomalies. Chelation therapy being the pivotal intervention, using agents like EDTA could facilitate metal complex formation and rapid excretion. Antioxidants such as vitamin C, N-acetylcysteine and polyphenols helps to increase endogenous antioxidant, scavenge free radicals and mitigate lipid peroxidation, hence combating metal-induced neurotoxicity. Most of the antioxidant also doubles as anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic agent. Emerging strategies are the use of epigenetic modification and use of nanoparticles such as polymers and metal nanoparticles. This enables better drug delivery. In conclusion, no single therapy works best for the multifactorial pathology elicited by metal-induced neurotoxicity
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DOI: 10.4018/979-8-2600-1403-5.ch015
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