Cytotoxic, Mutagenic and Carcinogenic Potential of Heavy Metals Related to Human Environment [Hardcover]

Environmental pollution is one of the main problems to confront humanity, with the heavy metals occupying a leading role among the most pernicious pollutants. The metals cause cancer and other sicknesses. Their cytotoxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic potentials are not fully understood, and any thorough investigation demands the combined efforts of scientists drawn from many different disciplines. But the effects of heavy metals are not all negative: some, like cis-DDP, and some ruthenium and tin complexes, have antitumour activity.
The idea underlying the present work is therefore to present a multidisciplinary perspective on heavy metals in the environment, affording a better understanding of their action on human organisms and health, aiming to make them less polluting and more environmentally friendly.Metal Carcinogenesis.- Zinc Finger-DNA Interaction: Effect of Metal Replacement, free Radical Generation and DNA Damage and its Relevance to Carcinogenesis.- Pathways in the Chromium(VI)-Mediated Formation of DNA Lesions: A Review.- Approaches to the Biological Monitoring of Chromium(VI) Exposed Individuals.- The Mechanisms of Metal Carcinogenicity Chromium(VI)-induced Genotoxicity: Direct and Indirect Pathways.- The Oxidative Damage Hypothesis of Metal-Induced Genotoxicity and Carcinogenesis.- Effects of Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc and Iron on Nickel Carcinogenesis: Inhibition Versus Enhancement.- Modelling the Metal Binding Sites in Core Histones: Interactions of Carcinogenic Ni(11) with the -CAIH-Motif of Histone H3.- Perinatal Effects of Metals and Cancer in Offspring.- Metallothioneins.- Spectroscopic Properties of Ag(l), Cd(ll), Cu(l), Hg(ll) and Zn(ll) Metallothioneins.- Diversity of Cluster Structures in Mammalian Metallothionein: Interplay Between Metal Ions and Polypeptide Chain.- Metallothionein in Cytotoxicity and Genotoxicity of Metals.- Biological Role of Aluminium.- Aluminium(lll) Speciation and Biological Efflãg