WikiBiomeThe human microbiome encyclopediaRanked matches across titles, topics, categories, and article introductions.
Mitochondrial dysfunction refers to the impairment of mitochondrial energy production, redox balance, and signaling functions. Mitochondria are the primary targets of heavy metal toxicity in human cells, and they are also the organelles most dependent on metal cofactors…
Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a complex, disabling condition characterized by profound fatigue not relieved by rest, post-exertional malaise (PEM -- symptom worsening after physical or cognitive exertion), unrefreshing sleep, cognitive d…
A progressive loss of kidney function affecting approximately 850 million people worldwide (10–14% of adults), causing 1.2 million deaths annually. CKD is unique among diseases in this wiki because it occupies both sides of the metal-disease equation: heavy metals (Cd, …
A distinct form of regulated cell death caused by excess intracellular copper binding to lipoylated proteins in the TCA cycle, first characterized by Tsvetkov et al. in Science (2022). Unlike ferroptosis (iron-dependent lipid peroxidation) or apoptosis (caspase-dependen…
Lipid peroxidation is the oxidative degradation of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in cell membranes by reactive oxygen species (ROS). The process generates toxic aldehydes — malondialdehyde (MDA) and 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) — that damage proteins, DNA, and mitocho…
Oxidative stress is the imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) and the capacity of biological antioxidant defense systems to detoxify them. It is the single most commonly invoked mechanism across metal toxicology in this wiki,…
A three-carbon short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) produced primarily by Bacteroidetes and certain Firmicutes through anaerobic fermentation of dietary substrates. At physiological concentrations in healthy gut microbiomes, propionic acid (PPA) is a normal fermentation produc…
Reactive oxygen species — superoxide (O2•−), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and hydroxyl radical (OH•) — are chemically reactive molecules generated during normal metabolism and massively amplified by heavy metal exposure. ROS are both weapons (the host uses them to kill pat…
Succinate is a Krebs cycle intermediate and a microbial metabolite produced by dialister, Bacteroides, Prevotella, and other gut bacteria. Beyond its role in energy metabolism, succinate is a signaling molecule that activates GPR91 (SUCNR1) on immune cells and neurons, …
One of the most toxic metals known to biology, thallium earns its reputation through a deceptively simple trick: it masquerades as potassium. With an ionic radius (1.50 A) nearly identical to K+ (1.38 A) and a +1 charge, thallium enters cells through potassium channels …