Thiram Disrupts Hepatic and Tibial Calcium Homeostasis via <scp>ER</scp> Stress‐Mediated <scp>IP3R1</scp> / <scp>VDAC1</scp> Hyperactivation
Thiram is an agricultural fungicide known to disrupt cellular calcium homeostasis by inducing endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and mitochondrial calcium overload in hepatic and growth plate (GP) tissues. Current study investigated thiram-induced alterations at mitochondria-associated membranes (MAMs) and their impact on inter-organ calcium signaling. Following thiram exposure in chickens, hepatic ER stress markers GRP78 and CHOP, along with key calcium-transfer proteins mediating ER-mitochondrial coupling, including inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor 1 (IP3R1) and voltage-dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1), were significantly upregulated. Importantly, hepatic ER stress driven hyperactivation of IP3R1/VDAC1 signaling was accompanied by parallel calcium dysregulation and mitochondrial stress responses in the tibial growth plate, providing direct evidence that liver ER stress acts upstream of skeletal calcium imbalance. These findings establish a previously unrecognized liver-bone axis in which thiram-induced hepatic ER stress propagates calcium signaling disturbances to the growth plate, thereby disrupting chondrocyte calcium homeostasis and bone development. Collectively, this study elucidates a mechanistic framework linking MAM-mediated calcium-transfer, ER stress, and cross-organ communication, offering new insights into how toxicant-induced hepatic stress orchestrates systemic calcium metabolism and skeletal pathology.
Authors
- Chuxian Quan
- Jiakui Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6065-6648)
- Muhammad Fakhar‐e‐Alam Kulyar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9512-5230)
- Mudassar Iqbal (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5006-4331)
- Shah Nawaz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9512-633X)
- Quan Mo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5542-8445)
- Muhammad Farhan Rahim
- Farah Ijaz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0776-827X)
- Muhammad Asif
- Zhao Zhang
Institutions
- Gomal University (PK)
- Huazhong Agricultural University (CN)
- State Research Institute Centre for Innovative Medicine (LT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Environmental Toxicology
- Published
- 2026-08-14
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/tox.70182
- Primary Topic
- Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Disease
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- China Postdoctoral Science Foundation
- National Key Research and Development Program of China