title: Growth, bioluminescence and shoal behavior hormetic responses to inorganic and/or organic chemicals: a review.
abstract: A biphasic dose response, termed hormesis, is characterized by beneficial effects of a chemical at a low dose and harmful effects at a high dose. This biphasic dose response phenomenon has the potential to strongly alter toxicology in a broad range. The present review focuses on the progress of research into hormetic responses in terms of growth (in plants, birds, algae and humans), bioluminescence, and shoal behavior as end points. The paper describes how both inorganic and organic chemicals at a low dose show stimulatory responses while at higher doses are inhibitory. The article highlights how factors such as symbiosis, density-dependent factors, time, and contrasting environmental factors (availability of nutrients, temperature, light, etc.) affect both the range and amplitude of hormetic responses. Furthermore, the possible underlying mechanisms are also discussed and we suggest that, for every end point, different hormetic mechanisms may exist. The occurrences of varying interacting receptor systems or receptor systems affecting the assessment of hormesis for each endpoint are discussed. The present review suggests that a hormetic model should be adopted for toxicological evaluations instead of the older threshold and linear non-threshold models.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Engineering, College of Environmental & Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Muhammad Zaffar
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Hashmi
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Engineering, College of Environmental & Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, People's Republic of China.
authors.lastname: Naveedullah
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Engineering, College of Environmental & Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Engineering, College of Environmental & Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Shenhai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Center for Biomedicine and Health, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Chunna
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Engineering, College of Environmental & Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: ysxzt@zju.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Chaofeng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D059165:Hormesis / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D049449:Luminescence; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000494:pharmacology; D018521:Plant Physiological Phenomena / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D009930:Organic Chemicals
keywords: Heavy metals; Hormesis; U-shaped and J-shaped curves; Xenobiotics