Heavy metal (HM)-induced toxicity and its associated complications have become a major issue in the medical world. HM accumulation in the environment and its associated health hazards should be extensively studied. These come from a variety of sources, including leaded gasoline, fertilizers, paints, sewage sludge, wastewater irrigation, pesticides, coal burning residues, domestic and industrial effluents, and petrochemicals. In Ayurvedic medicine, ingredients of natural origin, including whole plants or certain portions of the plant, animal sources, and minerals, are used for therapeutic purposes as medicines, both alone and in combination. Ayurvedic therapies provide relief with reduced adverse effects, even after prolonged administration.

Nowadays, alternative medicines are used extensively to reduce heavy metal-induced toxicity. Heavy metals are characteristic representatives of toxic substances which are not biodegradable, enter the food chain, and accumulate in living systems. Increased concentrations and accumulation of HMs can cause severely damaging effects and associated complications in living organisms and can even lead to the death of the organism. HM toxicity generally lessens energy levels and can severely damage and decrease the function of the brain, kidney, lungs, and liver. Frequent and continuous exposure to HM leads to physical, muscular, and neurological degeneration, emulating disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, muscular dystrophy, and multiple sclerosis. Exposure to lead toxicity causes ionic and oxidative stress conditions in living organisms, occurring due to an imbalance in free radical (FR) production and antioxidant levels which normally neutralize or detoxify the reactive intermediates. Antioxidants like glutathione (GSH) can protect against FR-mediated damage, providing its reducing equivalents from sulphur groups of cysteine to reactive oxygen species (ROS) and making them stable. Elevated levels of ROS damages the cells and cellular components, which results in a harassed condition at the cellular level. Wastewater HMs such as cadmium, copper, zinc, lead, chromium, nickel, and arsenic cause hazards effects to human health and the environment. The ionic mechanism of lead toxicity also causes substantial deviations in apoptosis, ionic transportation, cell adhesion, inter- and intra-cellular signaling, protein folding and maturation, the release of neurotransmitters, and enzyme regulation.

The aim of this Special Issue is to determine how alternative systems of medicine can help to neutralize and overcome HM-induced toxicity. Studies using animal models (mice, rats, and hamsters), cell culture studies using various cell lines, in vitro studies, including docking studies and bioinformatics tools, and human clinical trials will help to understand the mechanisms and associated complications. We welcome both original research and review articles.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Mechanisms of action of phytoconstituents to neutralize heavy metal-induced toxicity
• The use of animal models to study heavy metal-induced pathogenesis
• Understanding the pathogenesis and alternative therapy of heavy metal toxicity
• Heavy metal toxicity and diagnosis using molecular, genetic, and biochemical biomarkers of oxidative stress-related diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and muscular dystrophy
• Environmental and occupational exposure to heavy metals, risk assessment, and dietary modifications to reduce toxicity
• Phytochemicals in heavy metal toxicity and therapy
• Animal models, cell cultures, and bioinformatic tools to study and understand the toxicity and healing mechanisms
• Neurotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity and lung toxicity of heavy metals and possible remedies