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Review
. 2023 Mar 6;24(5):5045.
doi: 10.3390/ijms24055045.

Impacts of Environmental Pollution on Brain Tumorigenesis

Cristina Pagano  1 , Giovanna Navarra  1 , Laura Coppola  1 , Beatrice Savarese  1 , Giorgio Avilia  1 , Antonella Giarra  2 , Giovanni Pagano  2 , Alessandra Marano  2 , Marco Trifuoggi  2 , Maurizio Bifulco  1 , Chiara Laezza  3
Affiliations
Review

Impacts of Environmental Pollution on Brain Tumorigenesis

Cristina Pagano et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Pollutants consist of several components, known as direct or indirect mutagens, that can be associated with the risk of tumorigenesis. The increased incidence of brain tumors, observed more frequently in industrialized countries, has generated a deeper interest in examining different pollutants that could be found in food, air, or water supply. These compounds, due to their chemical nature, alter the activity of biological molecules naturally found in the body. The bioaccumulation leads to harmful effects for humans, increasing the risk of the onset of several pathologies, including cancer. Environmental components often combine with other risk factors, such as the individual genetic component, which increases the chance of developing cancer. The objective of this review is to discuss the impact of environmental carcinogens on modulating the risk of brain tumorigenesis, focusing our attention on certain categories of pollutants and their sources.

Keywords: brain tumor; environmental pollutants; environmental risk factor; heavy metals; toxics.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic representation of the action of different environmental pollutants on brain cancer. Endocrine disruptors; PCBs: polychlorinated biphenyls; PFAS: polyfluoroalkyl substances; PFOA: perfluorooctanoic acid; BPA: bisphenol A; THM: trihalomethanes; NO2: nitrogen dioxide; PAHs: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; PM2.5 µm: particulate matters; Heavy metal; Ionizing radiation; RF: radiofrequency radiation [36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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