Oxidative Stress and Innate Immunity in the Early Pathogenesis of Environmental Toxicant Exposure

Oxidative Stress and Innate Immunity in the Early Pathogenesis of Environmental Toxicant Exposure

Maina Mwaura F.

School of Natural and Applied Sciences Kampala International University Uganda

ABSTRACT

Environmental toxicants, including heavy metals, particulate matter, pesticides, and industrial chemicals, constitute a major global health burden due to their ability to trigger oxidative stress and dysregulate innate immune responses. These early biological events play essential roles in determining susceptibility, severity, and progression of toxicant-induced diseases. Oxidative stress arises when the balance between the production of reactive oxygen species and the antioxidant defense system is disrupted, leading to macromolecular damage and altered cellular signalling. Simultaneously, innate immunity, which provides the first line of defense against harmful stimuli, responds to toxicant exposure through pattern-recognition receptors, inflammasome activation, cytokine release, and recruitment of inflammatory cells. The interplay between oxidative stress and innate immune pathways represents a critical early mechanism driving tissue injury, inflammatory diseases, metabolic dysfunction, carcinogenesis, and long-term systemic toxicity. This review synthesizes current understanding of how oxidative signalling, redox-sensitive transcription factors, mitochondrial dysfunction, and lipid peroxidation integrate with toll-like receptor activation, macrophage polarization, neutrophil responses, and inflammasome dynamics during the initial stages of toxicant exposure. Furthermore, it discusses emerging biomarkers, vulnerable populations, and potential therapeutic strategies targeting redox and immune pathways. Understanding these early events is key to improving environmental health assessments and designing effective preventive and therapeutic interventions.

Keywords: Oxidative stress, Innate immunity, Environmental toxicants, Inflammasome activation, Redox signaling

 

CITE AS: Maina Mwaura F. (2026). Oxidative Stress and Innate Immunity in the Early Pathogenesis of Environmental Toxicant Exposure. IDOSR JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMISTRY, BIOTECHNOLOGY AND ALLIED FIELDS 11(1):47-51.  https://doi.org/10.59298/IDOSR/JBBAF/2026/1024751