Universality of the phenomenon of «neurotoxicity» (literature review)

Introduction. The neurotoxic effect is considered as one of the variants of the toxicity of many xenobiotics. Neurotoxic effects develop not only in poisoning, but also when exposed to biological (for example, pathogens of infectious diseases) and physical (for example, ionizing and non-ionizing radiation) factors. Materials and methods. The subject of the analysis was the phenomenon of neurotoxicity. The information was obtained by studying the databases Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, RSCI. Results. The absence of a single definition of the concept of «neurotoxicant» is noted. In addition to chemicals, other factors have neurotoxicity: biological, physical. The mechanisms of neurodegeneration under the influence of neurotoxicants with different mechanisms of action are similar and include excitotoxicity, neuroinflammation, suppression of mitochondrial function, inhibition of neurogenesis and gliogenesis, oxidative stress, increased BBB permeability and apoptosis. The presented features allow us to speak about the universality of the phenomenon of «neurotoxicity». Conclusion. When considering the phenomenon of «neurotoxicity», certain difficulties arise. A clear idea of the etiological factors of this phenomenon is not fully formulated. A comprehensive classification of neurotoxicants has not been created. At the same time, the processes of neurodegeneration are very similar in cases of poisoning with neurotoxicants with different mechanisms of action, which proves the universality of the phenomenon of «neurotoxicity».