1 288 160 AGING AND INDUCED SENESCENCE AS FACTORS IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF LUNG EMPHYSEMA. CLASSICALLY, THE DEVELOPMENT OF EMPHYSEMA IN CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE IS BELIEVED TO INVOLVE INFLAMMATION INDUCED BY CIGARETTE SMOKE AND LEUKOCYTE ACTIVATION, INCLUDING OXIDANT-ANTIOXIDANT AND PROTEASE-ANTIPROTEASE IMBALANCES. WHILE THERE IS SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE FOR THIS, ADDITIONAL ASPECTS HAVE BEEN SUGGESTED BY A NUMBER OF CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL OBSERVATIONS. SMOKERS EXHIBIT SIGNS OF PREMATURE AGING, PARTICULARLY OBVIOUS IN THE SKIN. THE LINK BETWEEN AGING AND CHRONIC DISEASE IS WELL-KNOWN, E.G., FOR THE BRAIN AND MUSCULOSKELETAL OR CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM, AS WELL AS THE CLINICAL LINK BETWEEN MALNUTRITION AND EMPHYSEMA, AND THE EXPERIMENTAL LINK TO CALORIC RESTRICTION. INTERESTINGLY, THIS INTERVENTION ALSO INCREASES LIFESPAN, IN PARALLEL WITH ALTERATIONS IN METABOLISM, OXIDANT BURDEN AND ENDOCRINE SIGNALING. OF SPECIAL INTEREST IS THE OBSERVATION THAT, EVEN IN THE ABSENCE OF AN INFLAMMATORY ENVIRONMENT, LUNG FIBROBLASTS FROM PATIENTS WITH EMPHYSEMA SHOW PERSISTENT ALTERATIONS, POSSIBLY BASED ON EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS. THE IMPORTANCE OF THESE MECHANISMS FOR CELLULAR REPROGRAMMING AND RESPONSE PATTERNS, INDIVIDUAL RISK PROFILE AND THERAPEUTIC OPTIONS IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY RECOGNIZED. THE SAME APPLIES TO CELLULAR SENESCENCE. RECENT FINDINGS FROM PATIENTS AND EXPERIMENTAL MODELS OPEN NOVEL VIEWS INTO THE ARENA OF GENE-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS, INCLUDING THE ROLE OF SYSTEMIC ALTERATIONS, CELLULAR STRESS, TELOMERES, CDK INHIBITORS SUCH AS P16, P21, PRB, PI3K, MTOR, FOXO TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS, HISTONE MODIFICATIONS, AND SIRTUINS. THIS ARTICLE AIMS TO OUTLINE THIS EMERGING PICTURE AND TO STIMULATE THE IDENTIFICATION OF CHALLENGING QUESTIONS. SUCH INSIGHTS ALSO BEAR IMPLICATIONS FOR THE LONG-TERM COURSE OF THE DISEASE IN RELATION TO EXISTING OR FUTURE THERAPIES AND THE EXPLORATION OF POTENTIAL LUNG REGENERATION. 2008 2 971 38 CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE AND THE HALLMARKS OF AGING. AGING IS CHARACTERIZED BY PROGRESSIVE DETERIORATION OF PHYSIOLOGICAL INTEGRITY, DECLINE IN HOMEOSTASIS, AND DEGENERATION OF THE TISSUES THAT OCCURS AFTER THE REPRODUCTIVE PHASE OF LIFE IS COMPLETE, LEADING TO IMPAIRED FUNCTION. THIS DETERIORATION IS AN IMPORTANT RISK FACTOR FOR CHRONIC LUNG PATHOLOGIES SUCH AS CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD). COPD IS A DISEASE THAT DEVELOPS GRADUALLY. EMPHYSEMATOUS CHANGES IN THE LUNG TAKE YEARS TO DEVELOP AFTER EXPOSURE TO CIGARETTE SMOKE; HENCE, THE VAST MAJORITY OF PATIENTS ARE ELDERLY. THERE HAS BEEN A DRAMATIC INCREASE IN THE LIFE EXPECTANCY OF THE GENERAL POPULATION, RESULTING IN AN INCREASED BURDEN OF CHRONIC LUNG DISEASES. THERE IS GROWING EVIDENCE THAT MOLECULAR MECHANISMS INVOLVED IN AGING MAY ALSO PLAY A ROLE IN COPD PATHOGENESIS. RECENTLY, THE NINE HALLMARKS OF AGING WERE IDENTIFIED. IN THIS ARTICLE, WE WILL REVIEW THE NINE HALLMARKS OF AGING AND HOW EACH HALLMARK CONTRIBUTES TO THE PATHOGENESIS OF COPD. 2018 3 6199 48 THE IMPORTANCE OF EPIGENETICS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE. IT IS GENERALLY ACCEPTED THAT GENETIC PREDISPOSITION PLAYS A ROLE IN COPD DEVELOPMENT IN SUSCEPTIBLE INDIVIDUALS. THEREFORE, MANY CANDIDATE GENES THAT COULD BE LINKED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF DISEASE HAVE BEEN EXAMINED IN COPD. HOWEVER, INCONSISTENT RESULTS IN DIFFERENT STUDY POPULATIONS OFTEN LIMIT THIS APPROACH, SUGGESTING THAT NOT ONLY GENETICS, BUT ALSO OTHER FACTORS, MAY BE CONTRIBUTED TO THE SUSCEPTIBILITY TO COPD. EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS CAN AFFECT THE TRANSCRIPTIONAL ACTIVITY OF SPECIFIC GENES, AT DIFFERENT POINTS IN TIME, AND IN DIFFERENT ORGANS. MOREOVER, THESE MECHANISMS CAN HAVE AN EFFECT ON PEOPLE'S HEALTH. RECENTLY, THERE IS EMERGING EVIDENCE SUPPORTING A ROLE OF EPIGENETICS FOR THE REGULATION OF INFLAMMATORY GENES IN DISEASES SUCH AS ASTHMA AND COPD. MOREOVER, RECENT STUDIES SUGGEST THAT THE CURRENTLY USED TREATMENTS INCLUDING CORTICOSTEROIDS MAY WORK THROUGH EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS. EPIGENETIC REGULATION CAN BE REPROGRAMMED, POTENTIALLY AFFECTING THE RISK, AETIOLOGY AND TREATMENT OF VARIOUS DISEASE STATES. THE EPIGENETICALLY INFLUENCED PHENOTYPE COULD BE REVERSED WITH DEMETHYLATING OR DEACETYLATING AGENTS, CONSISTENT WITH EPIGENETIC PLASTICITY. THE POSTNATAL REVERSIBILITY OF THESE METHYLATION OR ACETYLATION EVENTS MAY THEREFORE PROVIDE GOOD OPPORTUNITIES FOR INTERVENTION. THE RECOGNITION OF THE ROLE OF GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF COPD MAY IDENTIFY NOVEL TARGETS THAT HATCH NEW THERAPIES FOR PATIENTS WITH COPD. 2011 4 4901 30 OXIDATIVE, INFLAMMATORY, GENETIC, AND EPIGENETIC BIOMARKERS ASSOCIATED WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISORDER. A LARGE BODY OF EVIDENCE INDICATES THAT CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISORDER (COPD) IS ACCOMPANIED BY OXIDATIVE STRESS AND INFLAMMATORY AND GENETIC PATHWAYS. EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES INDICATE THAT COPD IS A MAJOR CAUSE OF MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY IN THE WORLD. RECENT RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT IN COPD FOCUSES ON ACCELERATED AGING AND VARIOUS OXIDATIVE STRESS BIOMARKERS. IT INVOLVES THE CLINICAL MANIFESTATION OF THE DISEASE PROCESS AND MAY ALSO CONTAIN BIOCHEMICAL, IMMUNOLOGICAL, PHYSIOLOGICAL, MORPHOLOGICAL, AND GENETIC ASPECTS THAT ADD TO THE PROGRESSIVENESS OF THE DISEASE. HEREIN, WE SUMMARIZE FINDINGS THAT HIGHLIGHT THE ROLE OF DIMENSIONS OF COPD IN THE INVESTIGATION OF OXIDATIVE STRESS, INFLAMMATORY RESPONSES, GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC STUDIES, AND PHARMACOLOGICAL AND DIETARY ANTIOXIDANT INTERVENTION. 2019 5 6880 35 [RESEARCH PROGRESS OF LUNG AGING IN CHRONIC RESPIRATORY DISEASES]. CELL AGING IS AN EXTREMELY COMPLEX PROCESS, WHICH IS CHARACTERIZED BY MITOCHONDRIAL STRUCTURAL DYSFUNCTION, TELOMERE SHORTENING, INFLAMMATORY MICROENVIRONMENT, PROTEIN HOMEOSTASIS IMBALANCE, EPIGENETIC CHANGES, ABNORMAL DNA DAMAGE AND REPAIR, ETC. AGING IS USUALLY ACCOMPANIED BY STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL DAMAGE OF TISSUES AND ORGANS WHICH FURTHER INDUCES THE OCCURRENCE AND DEVELOPMENT OF AGING-RELATED DISEASES. AGING INCLUDES PHYSIOLOGICAL AGING CAUSED BY INCREASED AGE AND PATHOLOGICAL AGING INDUCED BY A VARIETY OF FACTORS. NOTEWORTHY, AS A TARGET ORGAN DIRECTLY CONTACTING WITH THE OUTSIDE AIR, LUNG IS MORE PRONE TO VARIOUS STIMULI, CAUSING PATHOLOGICAL PREMATURE AGING WHICH IS LUNG AGING. STUDIES HAVE FOUND THAT THERE IS A CERTAIN PROPORTION OF SENESCENT CELLS IN THE LUNGS OF MOST CHRONIC RESPIRATORY DISEASES. HOWEVER, THE UNDERLYING MECHANISM BY WHICH THESE SENESCENT CELLS INDUCE LUNG SENESCENCE AND THEIR ROLE IN CHRONIC RESPIRATORY DISEASES IS STILL OBSCURE. THIS PAPER FOCUSES ON THE CAUSES AND CLASSIFICATION OF LUNG AGING, THE INTERNAL MECHANISM OF LUNG AGING INVOLVED IN CHRONIC RESPIRATORY DISEASES, AND THE APPLICATION OF ANTI-AGING TREATMENTS IN CHRONIC RESPIRATORY DISEASES. WE HOPE TO PROVIDE NEW RESEARCH IDEAS AND THEORETICAL BASIS FOR THE CLINICAL PREVENTION AND TREATMENT IN CHRONIC RESPIRATORY DISEASES. 2022 6 4122 44 MECHANISMS OF DEVELOPMENT OF MULTIMORBIDITY IN THE ELDERLY. IN AGEING POPULATIONS MANY PATIENTS HAVE MULTIPLE DISEASES CHARACTERISED BY ACCELERATION OF THE NORMAL AGEING PROCESS. BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE SIGNALLING PATHWAYS AND CELLULAR EVENTS INVOLVED IN AGEING SHOWS THAT THESE ARE CHARACTERISTIC OF MANY CHRONIC DEGENERATIVE DISEASES, SUCH AS CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD), CHRONIC CARDIOVASCULAR AND METABOLIC DISEASES, AND NEURODEGENERATION. COMMON MECHANISMS HAVE NOW BEEN IDENTIFIED IN THESE DISEASES, WHICH SHOW EVIDENCE OF CELLULAR SENESCENCE WITH TELOMERE SHORTENING, ACTIVATION OF PI3K-AKT-MTOR SIGNALLING, IMPAIRED AUTOPHAGY, MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION, STEM CELL EXHAUSTION, EPIGENETIC CHANGES, ABNORMAL MICRORNA PROFILES, IMMUNOSENESCENCE AND LOW GRADE CHRONIC INFLAMMATION ("INFLAMMAGING"). MANY OF THESE PATHWAYS ARE DRIVEN BY CHRONIC OXIDATIVE STRESS. THERE IS ALSO A REDUCTION IN ANTI-AGEING MOLECULES, SUCH AS SIRTUINS AND KLOTHO, WHICH FURTHER ACCELERATES THE AGEING PROCESS. UNDERSTANDING THESE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS HAS IDENTIFIED SEVERAL NOVEL THERAPEUTIC TARGETS AND SEVERAL DRUGS HAVE ALREADY BEEN DEVELOPED THAT MAY SLOW THE AGEING PROCESS, AS WELL AS LIFESTYLE INTERVENTIONS, SUCH AS DIET AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. THIS INDICATES THAT IN THE FUTURE NEW TREATMENT APPROACHES MAY TARGET THE COMMON PATHWAYS INVOLVED IN MULTIMORBIDITY AND THIS AREA OF RESEARCH SHOULD BE GIVEN HIGH PRIORITY. THUS, COPD SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AS A COMPONENT OF MULTIMORBIDITY AND COMMON DISEASE PATHWAYS, PARTICULARLY ACCELERATED AGEING, SHOULD BE TARGETED. 2015 7 4112 46 MECHANISMS CONTRIBUTING TO THE COMORBIDITY OF COPD AND LUNG CANCER. LUNG CANCER AND CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD) OFTEN CO-OCCUR, AND INDIVIDUALS WITH COPD ARE AT A HIGHER RISK OF DEVELOPING LUNG CANCER. WHILE THE UNDERLYING MECHANISM FOR THIS RISK IS NOT WELL UNDERSTOOD, ITS MAJOR CONTRIBUTING FACTORS HAVE BEEN PROPOSED TO INCLUDE GENOMIC, IMMUNE, AND MICROENVIRONMENT DYSREGULATION. HERE, WE REVIEW THE EVIDENCE AND SIGNIFICANT STUDIES THAT EXPLORE THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE HEIGHTENED LUNG CANCER RISK IN PEOPLE WITH COPD. GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC CHANGES, AS WELL AS THE ABERRANT EXPRESSION OF NON-CODING RNAS, PREDISPOSE THE LUNG EPITHELIUM TO CARCINOGENESIS BY ALTERING THE EXPRESSION OF CANCER- AND IMMUNE-RELATED GENES. OXIDATIVE STRESS GENERATED BY TOBACCO SMOKING PLAYS A ROLE IN REDUCING GENOMIC INTEGRITY, PROMOTING EPITHELIAL-MESENCHYMAL-TRANSITION, AND GENERATING A CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY ENVIRONMENT. THIS LEADS TO ABNORMAL IMMUNE RESPONSES THAT PROMOTE CANCER DEVELOPMENT, THOUGH NOT ALL SMOKERS DEVELOP LUNG CANCER. SEX DIFFERENCES IN THE METABOLISM OF TOBACCO SMOKE PREDISPOSE FEMALES TO DEVELOPING COPD AND ACCUMULATING DAMAGE FROM OXIDATIVE STRESS THAT POSES A RISK FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF LUNG CANCER. DYSREGULATION OF THE LUNG MICROENVIRONMENT AND MICROBIOME CONTRIBUTES TO CHRONIC INFLAMMATION, WHICH IS OBSERVED IN COPD AND KNOWN TO FACILITATE CANCER INITIATION IN VARIOUS TUMOR TYPES. FURTHER, THERE IS A NEED TO BETTER CHARACTERIZE AND IDENTIFY THE PROPORTION OF INDIVIDUALS WITH COPD WHO ARE AT A HIGH RISK FOR DEVELOPING LUNG CANCER. WE EVALUATE POSSIBLE NOVEL AND INDIVIDUALIZED SCREENING STRATEGIES, INCLUDING BIOMARKERS IDENTIFIED IN GENETIC STUDIES AND EXHALED BREATH CONDENSATE ANALYSIS. WE ALSO DISCUSS THE USE OF CORTICOSTEROIDS AND STATINS AS CHEMOPREVENTIVE AGENTS TO PREVENT LUNG CANCER. IT IS CRUCIAL THAT WE OPTIMIZE THE CURRENT METHODS FOR THE EARLY DETECTION AND MANAGEMENT OF LUNG CANCER AND COPD IN ORDER TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH OUTCOMES FOR A LARGE AFFECTED POPULATION. 2023 8 1188 41 COPD: A MULTIFACTORIAL SYSTEMIC DISEASE. CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD) HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN CONSIDERED A DISEASE OF THE LUNGS SECONDARY TO CIGARETTE SMOKING AND CHARACTERIZED BY AIRFLOW OBSTRUCTION DUE TO ABNORMALITIES OF BOTH AIRWAY (BRONCHITIS) AND LUNG PARENCHYMA (EMPHYSEMA). IT IS NOW WELL KNOWN THAT COPD IS ASSOCIATED WITH SIGNIFICANT SYSTEMIC ABNORMALITIES, SUCH AS RENAL AND HORMONAL ABNORMALITIES, MALNUTRITION, MUSCLE WASTING, OSTEOPOROSIS, AND ANEMIA. HOWEVER, IT IS STILL UNCLEAR WHETHER THEY REPRESENT CONSEQUENCES OF THE PULMONARY DISORDER, OR WHETHER COPD SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AS A SYSTEMIC DISEASE. THESE SYSTEMIC ABNORMALITIES HAVE BEEN ATTRIBUTED TO AN INCREASED LEVEL OF SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATION. CHRONIC INFLAMMATION, HOWEVER, MAY NOT BE THE ONLY CAUSE OF THE SYSTEMIC EFFECTS OF COPD. RECENT DATA FROM HUMANS AND ANIMAL MODELS SUPPORT THE VIEW THAT EMPHYSEMA MAY BE A VASCULAR DISEASE. OTHER STUDIES HAVE HIGHLIGHTED THE ROLE OF REPAIR FAILURE, BONE MARROW ABNORMALITY, GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC FACTORS, IMMUNOLOGICAL DISORDERS AND INFECTIONS AS POTENTIAL CAUSES OF COPD SYSTEMIC MANIFESTATIONS. BASED ON THIS NEW EVIDENCE, IT IS REASONABLE TO CONSIDER COPD, AND EMPHYSEMA IN PARTICULAR, AS 'A DISEASE WITH A SIGNIFICANT SYSTEMIC COMPONENT' IF NOT A 'SYSTEMIC DISEASE' PER SE. THE AIM OF THIS REVIEW IS TO GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF THE MOST RELEVANT AND INNOVATIVE HYPOTHESIS ABOUT THE EXTRAPULMONARY MANIFESTATIONS OF COPD. 2011 9 2333 30 EPIGENETIC REGULATION OF INFLAMMATION: THE METABOLOMICS CONNECTION. EPIGENETIC FACTORS ARE CONSIDERED THE REGULATOR OF COMPLEX MACHINERY BEHIND INFLAMMATORY DISORDERS AND SIGNIFICANTLY CONTRIBUTED TO THE EXPRESSION OF INFLAMMATION-ASSOCIATED GENES. EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS MODULATE VARIATION IN THE EXPRESSION PATTERN OF TARGET GENES WITHOUT AFFECTING THE DNA SEQUENCE. THE CURRENT KNOWLEDGE OF EPIGENETIC RESEARCH FOCUSED ON THEIR ROLE IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF VARIOUS INFLAMMATORY DISEASES THAT CAUSES MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY WORLDWIDE. INFLAMMATORY DISEASES ARE CATEGORIZED AS ACUTE AND CHRONIC BASED ON THE DISEASE SEVERITY AND ARE REGULATED BY THE EXPRESSION PATTERN OF VARIOUS GENES. HENCE, UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS DURING INFLAMMATION PROGRESSION WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE DISEASE OUTCOMES AND THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES. THIS REVIEW ALSO FOCUSES ON THE METABOLOMICS APPROACH ASSOCIATED WITH THE STUDY OF INFLAMMATORY DISORDERS. INFLAMMATORY RESPONSES AND METABOLIC REGULATION ARE HIGHLY INTEGRATED AND VARIOUS ADVANCED TECHNIQUES ARE ADOPTED TO STUDY THE METABOLIC SIGNATURE MOLECULES. HERE WE DISCUSS SEVERAL METABOLOMICS APPROACHES USED TO LINK INFLAMMATORY DISORDERS AND EPIGENETIC CHANGES. WE PROPOSED THAT DECIPHERING THE MECHANISM BEHIND THE INFLAMMATION-METABOLISM LOOP MAY HAVE IMMENSE IMPORTANCE IN BIOMARKERS RESEARCH AND MAY ACT AS A PRINCIPAL COMPONENT IN DRUG DISCOVERY AS WELL AS THERAPEUTIC APPLICATIONS. 2022 10 4445 42 MOLECULAR LINKS BETWEEN COPD AND LUNG CANCER: NEW TARGETS FOR DRUG DISCOVERY? COPD AND LUNG CANCER ARE LEADING CAUSES OF MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY WORLDWIDE, AND THEY SHARE A COMMON ENVIRONMENTAL RISK FACTOR IN CIGARETTE SMOKE EXPOSURE AND A GENETIC PREDISPOSITION REPRESENTED BY THEIR INCIDENCE IN ONLY A FRACTION OF SMOKERS. THIS REFLECTS THE ABILITY OF CIGARETTE SMOKE TO INDUCE AN INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE IN THE AIRWAYS OF SUSCEPTIBLE SMOKERS. MOREOVER, COPD COULD BE A DRIVING FACTOR IN LUNG CANCER, BY INCREASING OXIDATIVE STRESS AND THE RESULTING DNA DAMAGE AND REPRESSION OF THE DNA REPAIR MECHANISMS, CHRONIC EXPOSURE TO PRO-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES, REPRESSION OF INNATE IMMUNITY AND INCREASED CELLULAR PROLIFERATION. AREAS COVERED: WE HAVE FOCUSED OUR REVIEW ON THE POTENTIAL PATHOGENIC MOLECULAR LINKS BETWEEN TOBACCO SMOKING-RELATED COPD AND LUNG CANCER AND THE POTENTIAL MOLECULAR TARGETS FOR NEW DRUG DEVELOPMENT BY UNDERSTANDING THE COMMON SIGNALING PATHWAYS INVOLVED IN COPD AND LUNG CANCER. EXPERT COMMENTARY: RESEARCH IN THIS FIELD IS MOSTLY LIMITED TO ANIMAL MODELS OR SMALL CLINICAL TRIALS. LARGE CLINICAL TRIALS ARE NEEDED BUT MOSTLY COMBINED MODELS OF COPD AND LUNG CANCER ARE NECESSARY TO INVESTIGATE THE PROCESSES CAUSED BY CHRONIC INFLAMMATION, INCLUDING GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC ALTERATION, AND THE EXPRESSION OF INFLAMMATORY MEDIATORS THAT LINK COPD AND LUNG CANCER, TO IDENTIFY NEW MOLECULAR THERAPEUTIC TARGETS. 2019 11 2154 49 EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS AND KIDNEY DISEASES. IN RECENT YEARS, MOLECULAR RESEARCH HAS BROUGHT TO LIGHT A SERIES OF MECHANISMS INVOLVED IN THE REGULATION OF GENE FUNCTION WITHOUT ALTERING THE DNA SEQUENCE. THESE MECHANISMS ARE DESCRIBED WITH THE TERM "EPIGENETICS" AND INCLUDE MODIFICATIONS IN THE STRUCTURE OF THE HUMAN GENOME, LEADING TO HERITABLE AND POTENTIALLY REVERSIBLE CHANGES IN GENE EXPRESSION. THERE IS NOW INCREASING EVIDENCE SUGGESTING THAT SEVERAL CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE SUCH AS HYPERHOMOCYSTEINEMIA, SUBCLINICAL INFLAMMATION, INCREASED OXIDATIVE STRESS AND OTHERS MAY AFFECT THE HUMAN EPIGENOME. IN ADDITION, ANIMAL STUDIES HAVE SUGGESTED A POSSIBLE LINK BETWEEN NUTRITION AND ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE DURING THE PERICONCEPTIONAL PERIOD AND EPIGENETIC CHANGES IN THE EXPRESSION OF MAJOR GENES IMPLICATED IN KIDNEY ORGANOGENESIS; THESE CHANGES RESULT IN A DIMINISHED NUMBER OF NEPHRONS IN THE DEVELOPING KIDNEY, WHICH PREDISPOSES TO AN INCREASED RISK FOR HYPERTENSION AND CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE IN FUTURE LIFE. THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE ROLE OF EPIGENETIC PHENOMENA IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE OPENS NEW AVENUES FOR FUTURE THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES, THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF PHARMACEUTICAL AGENTS THAT TARGET DIRECTLY WITH THE CHANGES IN THE HUMAN EPIGENOME. SUCH EPIGENETIC DRUGS ARE ALREADY IN CLINICAL USE FOR THE TREATMENT OF CANCER AS WELL AS UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR THE USE IN OTHER DISEASES. THIS REVIEW WILL SUMMARIZE THE EXISTING DATA ON THE LINK BETWEEN EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS AND CHRONIC UREMIC MILIEU, AS WELL AS THE PROMISING RESULTS OF ONGOING RESEARCH IN THE FIELD OF EPIGENETIC DRUGS THAT COULD REPRESENT ADDITIONAL OPTIONS IN OUR THERAPEUTIC ARMAMENTARIUM FOR PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE. 2011 12 3404 37 HOW EPIGENETICS IMPACTS ON HUMAN DISEASES. EPIGENETICS IS A RAPIDLY GROWING FIELD OF BIOLOGY THAT STUDIES THE CHANGES IN GENE EXPRESSION THAT ARE NOT DUE TO ALTERATIONS IN THE DNA SEQUENCE BUT RATHER THE CHEMICAL MODIFICATIONS OF DNA AND ITS ASSOCIATED PROTEINS. EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS CAN PROFOUNDLY INFLUENCE GENE EXPRESSION, CELL DIFFERENTIATION, TISSUE DEVELOPMENT, AND DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY. UNDERSTANDING EPIGENETIC CHANGES IS ESSENTIAL TO ELUCIDATE THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE INCREASINGLY RECOGNIZED ROLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND LIFESTYLE FACTORS IN HEALTH AND DISEASE AND THE INTERGENERATIONAL TRANSMISSION OF PHENOTYPES. RECENT STUDIES SUGGEST EPIGENETICS MAY BE CRITICAL IN VARIOUS DISEASES, FROM CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AND CANCER TO NEURODEVELOPMENTAL AND NEURODEGENERATIVE DISORDERS. EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS ARE POTENTIALLY REVERSIBLE AND COULD PROVIDE NEW THERAPEUTIC AVENUES FOR TREATING THESE DISEASES USING EPIGENETIC MODULATORS. MOREOVER, EPIGENETICS PROVIDE INSIGHT INTO DISEASE PATHOGENESIS AND BIOMARKERS FOR DISEASE DIAGNOSIS AND RISK STRATIFICATION. NEVERTHELESS, EPIGENETIC INTERVENTIONS HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES AND MAY POTENTIALLY LEAD TO INCREASED RISKS OF UNEXPECTED OUTCOMES, SUCH AS ADVERSE DRUG REACTIONS, DEVELOPMENTAL ABNORMALITIES, AND CANCER. THEREFORE, RIGOROUS STUDIES ARE ESSENTIAL TO MINIMIZE THE RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH EPIGENETIC THERAPIES AND TO DEVELOP SAFE AND EFFECTIVE INTERVENTIONS FOR IMPROVING HUMAN HEALTH. THIS ARTICLE PROVIDES A SYNTHETIC AND HISTORICAL VIEW OF THE ORIGIN OF EPIGENETICS AND SOME OF THE MOST RELEVANT ACHIEVEMENTS. 2023 13 5581 36 ROLE OF NF-KAPPAB IN AGEING AND AGE-RELATED DISEASES: LESSONS FROM GENETICALLY MODIFIED MOUSE MODELS. AGEING IS A COMPLEX PROCESS, INDUCED BY MULTIFACETED INTERACTION OF GENETIC, EPIGENETIC, AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS. IT IS MANIFESTED BY A DECLINE IN THE PHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS OF ORGANISMS AND ASSOCIATED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF AGE-RELATED CHRONIC DISEASES AND CANCER DEVELOPMENT. IT IS CONSIDERED THAT AGEING FOLLOWS A STRICTLY-REGULATED PROGRAM, IN WHICH SOME SIGNALING PATHWAYS CRITICALLY CONTRIBUTE TO THE ESTABLISHMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF THE AGED STATE. CHRONIC INFLAMMATION IS A MAJOR MECHANISM THAT PROMOTES THE BIOLOGICAL AGEING PROCESS AND COMORBIDITY, WITH THE TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR NF-KAPPAB (NUCLEAR FACTOR KAPPA-LIGHT-CHAIN-ENHANCER OF ACTIVATED B CELLS) AS A CRUCIAL MEDIATOR OF INFLAMMATORY RESPONSES. THIS, TOGETHER WITH THE FINDING THAT THE ACTIVATION OR INHIBITION OF NF-KAPPAB CAN INDUCE OR REVERSE RESPECTIVELY THE MAIN FEATURES OF AGED ORGANISMS, HAS BROUGHT IT UNDER CONSIDERATION AS A KEY TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR THAT ACTS AS A DRIVER OF AGEING. IN THIS REVIEW, WE FOCUSED ON THE DATA OBTAINED ENTIRELY THROUGH THE GENERATION OF KNOCKOUT AND TRANSGENIC MOUSE MODELS OF EITHER PROTEIN INVOLVED IN THE NF-KAPPAB SIGNALING PATHWAY THAT HAVE PROVIDED RELEVANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE INTRICATE PROCESSES OR MOLECULAR MECHANISMS THAT CONTROL AGEING. WE HAVE REVIEWED THE RELATIONSHIP OF NF-KAPPAB AND PREMATURE AGEING; THE DEVELOPMENT OF CANCER ASSOCIATED WITH AGEING AND THE IMPLICATION OF NF-KAPPAB ACTIVATION IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF AGE-RELATED DISEASES, SOME OF WHICH GREATLY INCREASE THE RISK OF DEVELOPING CANCER. 2021 14 6809 32 [EPIGENETICS IN INFLAMMATORY SYSTEMIC DISEASES]. IN ADDITION TO ANALYSIS OF THE GENETIC CODE, IN RECENT YEARS MORE AND MORE STUDIES HAVE CONCENTRATED ON CHANGES IN THE EPIGENETIC CODE. EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS DETERMINE WHICH GENES IN A CELL ARE TRANSCRIBED AND THUS FORM THE PHENOTYPE OF A CELL. THE EPIGENETIC CODE CAN BE CHANGED BY ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES, WHICH ALLOWS CELLS TO ADAPT TO LONGSTANDING CHANGES IN THE ENVIRONMENT. THEREFORE, IT IS FEASIBLE TO ASSUME THAT EPIGENETIC CHANGES ARE THE MOLECULAR BASIS FOR LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT ON DISEASE DEVELOPMENT. IN PARTICULAR IN TUMORS AND CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASES EPIGENETIC CHANGES WERE FOUND TO CORRELATE WITH DISEASE SEVERITY AND PROGRESSION. KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THESE EPIGENETIC CHANGES MIGHT HELP THAT EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS CAN BE USED IN THE FUTURE AS BIOMARKERS, PROGNOSTIC FACTORS AND THERAPEUTIC TARGETS. 2014 15 4896 40 OXIDATIVE STRESS IN AIRWAY DISEASES. AIRWAY OXIDATIVE STRESS IS BROADLY DEFINED AS AN IMBALANCE BETWEEN PROOXIDATIVE AND ANTIOXIDATIVE PROCESSES IN THE AIRWAY. GIVEN ITS DIRECT EXPOSURE TO THE ENVIRONMENT, THE LUNG HAS SEVERAL MECHANISMS TO PREVENT AN EXCESSIVE DEGREE OF OXIDATIVE STRESS. BOTH ENZYMATIC AND NONENZYMATIC SYSTEMS CAN BUFFER A WIDE RANGE OF REACTIVE OXIDATIVE SPECIES AND OTHER COMPOUNDS WITH OXIDATIVE POTENTIAL. IN DISEASES LIKE ASTHMA AND CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE LUNG DISEASE, AIRWAY OXIDATIVE STRESS CAN OCCUR FROM A NUMBER OF SOURCES, INCLUDING GREATER EXPOSURE TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROOXIDANTS, AIRWAY INFILTRATION OF INFLAMMATORY CELLS, METABOLIC DEREGULATION, AND REDUCED LEVELS OF ANTIOXIDANTS. AIRWAY OXIDATIVE STRESS HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH WORSE DISEASE SEVERITY, REDUCED LUNG FUNCTION, AND EPIGENETIC CHANGES THAT CAN DIMINISH RESPONSE TO STEROIDS. ALTHOUGH OXIDATIVE STRESS HAS BEEN LINKED TO A WIDE RANGE OF ADVERSE BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS, IT HAS ALSO BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH ADAPTIVE RESPONSES AND WITH RESOLUTION OF INFLAMMATION. THEREFORE, MORE THAN BEING AN IMBALANCE WITH A PREDICTABLE THRESHOLD AFTER WHICH DISEASE OR INJURY ENSUES, OXIDATIVE STRESS IS A DYNAMIC AND CONTINUOUS PROCESS. THIS MIGHT EXPLAIN WHY SUPPLEMENTING ANTIOXIDANTS HAS LARGELY FAILED TO IMPROVE DISEASES SUCH AS ASTHMA AND CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE. HOWEVER, THE THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL OF ANTIOXIDANTS COULD BE GREATLY IMPROVED BY TAKING AN APPROACH THAT CONSIDERS INDIVIDUAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL RISK FACTORS, INSTEAD OF TREATING OXIDATIVE AIRWAY STRESS BROADLY. 2013 16 629 35 BIOLOGICAL AND GENETIC MECHANISMS OF COPD, ITS DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT, AND RELATIONSHIP WITH LUNG CANCER. CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD) IS ONE OF THE MOST PREVALENT CHRONIC ADULT DISEASES, WITH SIGNIFICANT WORLDWIDE MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY. ALTHOUGH LONG-TERM TOBACCO SMOKING IS A CRITICAL RISK FACTOR FOR THIS GLOBAL HEALTH PROBLEM, ITS MOLECULAR MECHANISMS REMAIN UNCLEAR. SEVERAL PHENOMENA ARE THOUGHT TO BE INVOLVED IN THE EVOLUTION OF EMPHYSEMA, INCLUDING AIRWAY INFLAMMATION, PROTEINASE/ANTI-PROTEINASE IMBALANCE, OXIDATIVE STRESS, AND GENETIC/EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS. FURTHERMORE, COPD IS ONE MAIN RISK FOR LUNG CANCER (LC), THE DEADLIEST FORM OF HUMAN TUMOR; FORMATION AND CHRONIC INFLAMMATION ACCOMPANYING COPD CAN BE A POTENTIAL DRIVER OF MALIGNANCY MATURATION (0.8-1.7% OF COPD CASES DEVELOP CANCER/PER YEAR). RECENTLY, THE DEVELOPMENT OF MORE RESEARCH BASED ON COPD AND LUNG CANCER MOLECULAR ANALYSIS HAS PROVIDED NEW LIGHT FOR UNDERSTANDING THEIR PATHOGENESIS, IMPROVING THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENTS, AND ELUCIDATING MANY CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THESE DISEASES. OUR REVIEW EMPHASIZES THE BIOLOGICAL FACTORS INVOLVED IN COPD AND LUNG CANCER, THE ADVANCES IN THEIR MOLECULAR MECHANISMS' RESEARCH, AND THE STATE OF THE ART OF DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENTS. THIS WORK COMBINES MANY BIOLOGICAL AND GENETIC ELEMENTS INTO A SINGLE WHOLE AND STRONGLY LINKS COPD WITH LUNG TUMOR FEATURES. 2023 17 6034 40 THE CHALLENGE BY MULTIPLE ENVIRONMENTAL AND BIOLOGICAL FACTORS INDUCE INFLAMMATION IN AGING: THEIR ROLE IN THE PROMOTION OF CHRONIC DISEASE. THE AGING PROCESS IS DRIVEN BY MULTIPLE MECHANISMS THAT LEAD TO CHANGES IN ENERGY PRODUCTION, OXIDATIVE STRESS, HOMEOSTATIC DYSREGULATION AND EVENTUALLY TO LOSS OF FUNCTIONALITY AND INCREASED DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY. MOST AGED INDIVIDUALS DEVELOP CHRONIC LOW-GRADE INFLAMMATION, WHICH IS AN IMPORTANT RISK FACTOR FOR MORBIDITY, PHYSICAL AND COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT, FRAILTY, AND DEATH. AT ANY AGE, CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASES ARE MAJOR CAUSES OF MORBIMORTALITY, AFFECTING UP TO 5-8% OF THE POPULATION OF INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRIES. SEVERAL ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS CAN PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE FOR MODIFYING THE INFLAMMATORY STATE. GENETICS ACCOUNTS FOR ONLY A SMALL FRACTION OF CHRONIC-INFLAMMATORY DISEASES, WHEREAS ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS APPEAR TO PARTICIPATE, EITHER WITH A CAUSATIVE OR A PROMOTIONAL ROLE IN 50% TO 75% OF PATIENTS. SEVERAL OF THOSE CHANGES DEPEND ON EPIGENETIC CHANGES THAT WILL FURTHER MODIFY THE INDIVIDUAL RESPONSE TO ADDITIONAL STIMULI. THE INTERACTION BETWEEN INFLAMMATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT OFFERS IMPORTANT INSIGHTS ON AGING AND HEALTH. THESE CONDITIONS, OFTEN DEPENDING ON THE INDIVIDUAL'S SEX, APPEAR TO LEAD TO DECREASED LONGEVITY AND PHYSICAL AND COGNITIVE DECLINE. IN ADDITION TO BIOLOGICAL FACTORS, THE ENVIRONMENT IS ALSO INVOLVED IN THE GENERATION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL CONTEXT LEADING TO STRESS. POOR PSYCHOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENTS AND OTHER SOURCES OF STRESS ALSO RESULT IN INCREASED INFLAMMATION. HOWEVER, THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE ROLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS AND NUTRITION ON THE REGULATION OF INFLAMMATION, AND HOW THE RESPONSE ELICITED FOR THOSE FACTORS INTERACT AMONG THEM, ARE POORLY UNDERSTOOD. WHEREAS CERTAIN DELETERIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS RESULT IN THE GENERATION OF OXIDATIVE STRESS DRIVEN BY AN INCREASED PRODUCTION OF REACTIVE OXYGEN AND NITROGEN SPECIES, ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM STRESS, AND INFLAMMATION, OTHER FACTORS, INCLUDING NUTRITION (POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS) AND BEHAVIORAL FACTORS (EXERCISE) CONFER PROTECTION AGAINST INFLAMMATION, OXIDATIVE AND ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM STRESS, AND THUS AMELIORATE THEIR DELETERIOUS EFFECT. HERE, WE DISCUSS PROCESSES AND MECHANISMS OF INFLAMMATION ASSOCIATED WITH ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AND BEHAVIOR, THEIR LINKS TO SEX AND GENDER, AND THEIR OVERALL IMPACT ON AGING. 2020 18 4273 41 MICROBIOTA AND EPIGENETICS: HEALTH IMPACT. EPIGENETIC CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH DISEASE DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESSIONS ARE OF INCREASING IMPORTANCE BECAUSE OF THEIR POTENTIAL DIAGNOSTIC AND THERAPEUTIC APPLICATIONS. SEVERAL EPIGENETIC CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH CHRONIC METABOLIC DISORDERS HAVE BEEN STUDIED IN VARIOUS DISEASES. EPIGENETIC CHANGES ARE MOSTLY MODULATED BY ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, INCLUDING THE HUMAN MICROBIOTA LIVING IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF OUR BODIES. THE MICROBIAL STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS AND THE MICROBIALLY DERIVED METABOLITES DIRECTLY INTERACT WITH HOST CELLS, THEREBY MAINTAINING HOMEOSTASIS. MICROBIOME DYSBIOSIS, ON THE OTHER HAND, IS KNOWN TO PRODUCE ELEVATED LEVELS OF DISEASE-LINKED METABOLITES, WHICH MAY DIRECTLY AFFECT A HOST METABOLIC PATHWAY OR INDUCE EPIGENETIC CHANGES THAT CAN LEAD TO DISEASE DEVELOPMENT. DESPITE THEIR IMPORTANT ROLE IN HOST PHYSIOLOGY AND SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION, THERE HAS BEEN LITTLE RESEARCH INTO THE MECHANICS AND PATHWAYS ASSOCIATED WITH EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS. THIS CHAPTER FOCUSES ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MICROBES AND THEIR EPIGENETIC EFFECTS IN DISEASED PATHOLOGY, AS WELL AS ON THE REGULATION AND METABOLISM OF THE DIETARY OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO THE MICROBES. FURTHERMORE, THIS CHAPTER ALSO PROVIDES A PROSPECTIVE LINK BETWEEN THESE TWO IMPORTANT PHENOMENA, TERMED "MICROBIOME AND EPIGENETICS." 2023 19 6629 26 UNDERSTANDING THE HUMAN AGING PROTEOME USING EPIDEMIOLOGICAL MODELS. HUMAN AGING IS A COMPLEX MULTIFACTORIAL PROCESS ASSOCIATED WITH A DECLINE OF PHYSICAL AND COGNITIVE FUNCTION AND HIGH SUSCEPTIBILITY TO CHRONIC DISEASES, INFLUENCED BY GENETIC, EPIGENETIC, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS. THIS CHAPTER WILL PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW ON THE USE OF EPIDEMIOLOGICAL MODELS WITH PROTEOMICS DATA AS A METHOD THAT CAN BE USED TO IDENTIFY FACTORS THAT MODULATE THE AGING PROCESS IN HUMANS. THIS IS DEMONSTRATED WITH PROTEOMICS DATA FROM HUMAN PLASMA AND SKELETAL MUSCLE, WHERE THE COMBINATION WITH EPIDEMIOLOGICAL MODELS IDENTIFIED A SET OF MITOCHONDRIAL, SPLICEOSOME, AND SENESCENCE PROTEINS AS WELL AS THE ROLE OF ENERGETIC PATHWAYS SUCH AS GLYCOLYSIS, AND ELECTRON TRANSPORT PATHWAYS THAT REGULATE THE AGING PROCESS. 2022 20 485 34 ARTIFICIAL AIRWAYS FOR THE STUDY OF RESPIRATORY DISEASE. THIS REVIEW WILL FOCUS ON HUMAN CELL-BASED EXPERIMENTAL MODELS TO STUDY RESPIRATORY DISEASES, IN PARTICULAR MODELS OF THE LARGE AIRWAYS RELEVANT TO ASTHMA AND CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE. SUCH MODELS HAVE THE ADVANTAGE OF INCORPORATING CELLS THAT CAN BE DERIVED FROM DISEASE-RELEVANT TISSUE AND SO HAVE RETAINED IMPORTANT GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC FEATURES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE HUMAN DISEASE. THESE MODELS CAN BE USED FOR MECHANISTIC STUDIES, TARGET IDENTIFICATION AND VALIDATION AND TOXICOLOGICAL TESTING. WHILE MANY MODELS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED TO VARYING DEGREES OF SOPHISTICATION, THE CHALLENGE REMAINS TO DEVELOP AN INTEGRATED SYSTEM THAT RECAPITULATES THE COMPLEX CELL-CELL AND CELL-MATRIX INTERACTIONS THAT OCCUR IN VIVO AND TO PROVIDE THESE WITH A 'CIRCULATION' TO STUDY THE DYNAMICS OF IMMUNE AND INFLAMMATORY CELL INFLUX AND EFFLUX. 2011