Per conception exposure to environmental pollutants including heavy metals and the roles of cellular reactive oxygen species, oxidative stress in developmental toxicity: nutrition can modulate the toxic effect

Developmental toxicity caused by exposure to various environmental pollutants has become a major health concern. Human-made chemicals, including heavy metals, as well as unhealthy lifestyle behaviors are major factors that adversely affect prenatal development and increase susceptibility of off spring to diseases. There is evidence to suggest that the developmental toxicological mechanisms of chemicals and lifestyle factors involve the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cellular oxidative damage. Overproduction of ROS induces oxidative stress, a state where increased ROS generation overwhelms antioxidant protection and subsequently leads to oxidative damage of cellular macromolecules. Data on the involvement of oxidative stress in the mechanism of developmental toxicity following exposure to environmental pollutants are reviewed in an attempt to provide an updated basis for future studies on the toxic effect of such pollutants, particularly the notion of increased risk for developmental toxicity due to combined and cumulative exposure to various environmental pollutants.