Biomaterial Database

Interactions between effects of environmental chemicals and natural stressors: a review. 2010

Martin Holmstrup, and Anne-Mette Bindesbøl, and Gertie Janneke Oostingh, and Albert Duschl, and Volker Scheil, and Heinz-R Köhler, and Susana Loureiro, and Amadeu M V M Soares, and Abel L G Ferreira, and Cornelia Kienle, and Almut Gerhardt, and Ryszard Laskowski, and Paulina E Kramarz, and Mark Bayley, and Claus Svendsen, and David J Spurgeon

National Environmental Research Institute, Aarhus University, Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Vejlsøvej 25, DK-8600 Silkeborg, Denmark. martin.holmstrup@dmu.dk

Ecotoxicological effect studies often expose test organisms under optimal environmental conditions. However, organisms in their natural settings rarely experience optimal conditions. On the contrary, during most of their lifetime they are forced to cope with sub-optimal conditions and occasionally with severe environmental stress. Interactions between the effects of a natural stressor and a toxicant can sometimes result in greater effects than expected from either of the stress types alone. The aim of the present review is to provide a synthesis of existing knowledge on the interactions between effects of "natural" and chemical (anthropogenic) stressors. More than 150 studies were evaluated covering stressors including heat, cold, desiccation, oxygen depletion, pathogens and immunomodulatory factors combined with a variety of environmental pollutants. This evaluation revealed that synergistic interactions between the effects of various natural stressors and toxicants are not uncommon phenomena. Thus, synergistic interactions were reported in more than 50% of the available studies on these interactions. Antagonistic interactions were also detected, but in fewer cases. Interestingly, about 70% of the tested chemicals were found to compromise the immune system of humans as judged from studies on human cell lines. The challenge for future studies will therefore be to include aspects of combined stressors in effect and risk assessment of chemicals in the environment.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D010273	Parasitic Diseases, Animal	Animal diseases caused by PARASITES.	Parasitic Infections, Animal,Animal Parasitic Disease,Animal Parasitic Diseases,Animal Parasitic Infection,Animal Parasitic Infections,Disease, Animal Parasitic,Diseases, Animal Parasitic,Infection, Animal Parasitic,Infections, Animal Parasitic,Parasitic Disease, Animal,Parasitic Infection, Animal
D003080	Cold Temperature	An absence of warmth or heat or a temperature notably below an accustomed norm.	Cold,Cold Temperatures,Temperature, Cold,Temperatures, Cold
D003890	Desiccation	Removal of moisture from a substance (chemical, food, tissue, etc.).	Dessication
D004784	Environmental Monitoring	The monitoring of the level of toxins, chemical pollutants, microbial contaminants, or other harmful substances in the environment (soil, air, and water), workplace, or in the bodies of people and animals present in that environment.	Monitoring, Environmental,Environmental Surveillance,Surveillance, Environmental
D004785	Environmental Pollutants	Substances or energies, for example heat or light, which when introduced into the air, water, or land threaten life or health of individuals or ECOSYSTEMS.	Environmental Pollutant,Pollutant,Pollutants,Pollutants, Environmental,Pollutant, Environmental
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D013312	Stress, Physiological	The unfavorable effect of environmental factors (stressors) on the physiological functions of an organism. Prolonged unresolved physiological stress can affect HOMEOSTASIS of the organism, and may lead to damaging or pathological conditions.	Biotic Stress,Metabolic Stress,Physiological Stress,Abiotic Stress,Abiotic Stress Reaction,Abiotic Stress Response,Biological Stress,Metabolic Stress Response,Physiological Stress Reaction,Physiological Stress Reactivity,Physiological Stress Response,Abiotic Stress Reactions,Abiotic Stress Responses,Abiotic Stresses,Biological Stresses,Biotic Stresses,Metabolic Stress Responses,Metabolic Stresses,Physiological Stress Reactions,Physiological Stress Responses,Physiological Stresses,Reaction, Abiotic Stress,Reactions, Abiotic Stress,Response, Abiotic Stress,Response, Metabolic Stress,Stress Reaction, Physiological,Stress Response, Metabolic,Stress Response, Physiological,Stress, Abiotic,Stress, Biological,Stress, Biotic,Stress, Metabolic
D054750	Ecotoxicology	The study of ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION and the toxic effects of ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS on the ECOSYSTEM. The term was coined by Truhaut in 1969.	Environmental Toxicology,Environmental Toxicologies,Toxicologies, Environmental,Toxicology, Environmental