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. 2019 Feb 26;20(5):1019. doi: 10.3390/ijms20051019

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© 2019 by the authors.

Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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The proposed mechanisms underlying the efficacy of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) chelation therapy against neurotoxicity. Toxic agents, (toxic metals, organophosphorus pesticides (OP), pathogens, air pollution, some drugs) can damage neurons and/or glial cells and endothelial cells directly (·). Activated glial cells and endothelium produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1, TNFα), which are able to further damage neurons. Treatment with EDTA (●) has the following effects: (1) Protection against endothelial activation; (2) removal of toxic metals; (3) possible anti-inflammatory functions (limiting pathogen infections and cytokine production); and (4) antioxidant activity (reducing ROS levels).