Cardiovascular Effects of Environmental Metal Antimony: Redox Dyshomeostasis as the Key Pathogenic Driver

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death worldwide, which may be due to sedentary lifestyles with less physical activity and over nutrition as well as an increase in the aging population; however, the contribution of pollutants, environmental chemicals and nonessential metals to the increased and persistent CVDs needs more attention and investigation. Among environmental contaminant nonessential metals, antimony has been less addressed.Among environmental contaminant nonessential metals, several metals such as lead, arsenic, and cadmium have been associated with the increased risk of CVDs. Antimony has been less addressed, but its potential link to CVDs is being gradually recognized.Several epidemiological studies have revealed significant deleterious effects of antimony on the cardiovascular system in absence or presence of other nonessential metals. There has been less focus on whether antimony alone can contribute to the pathogenesis of CVDs and the proposed mechanisms of such possible effects. This review addresses this gap in knowledge by presenting the current available evidence that highlights the potential role of antimony in the pathogenesis of CVDs, most likely via antimony-mediated redox dyshomeostasis.More direct evidence from pre-clinical and mechanistic studies is urgently needed to evaluate the possible roles of antimony in mitochondrial dysfunction and epigenetic regulation in CVDs.