1 2320 126 EPIGENETIC REGULATION OF GENE EXPRESSION AND M2 MACROPHAGE POLARIZATION AS NEW POTENTIAL OMEGA-3 POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACID TARGETS IN COLON INFLAMMATION AND CANCER. INTRODUCTION: IT HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY CLEAR THAT DIETARY HABITS MAY AFFECT THE RISK/PROGRESSION OF CHRONIC DISEASES WITH A PATHOGENIC INFLAMMATORY COMPONENT, SUCH AS COLORECTAL CANCER. CONSIDERABLE ATTENTION HAS BEEN DIRECTED TOWARD THE ABILITY OF NUTRITIONAL AGENTS TO TARGET KEY MOLECULAR PATHWAYS INVOLVED IN THESE INFLAMMATORY-RELATED DISEASES. AREAS COVERED: OMEGA-3 POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS (PUFA) AND THEIR OXIDATIVE METABOLITES HAVE ATTRACTED CONSIDERABLE INTEREST AS POSSIBLE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AND ANTI-CANCER AGENTS, ESPECIALLY IN AREAS SUCH AS THE LARGE BOWEL, WHERE THE INFLUENCE OF ORALLY INTRODUCED SUBSTANCES IS HIGH AND TUMORS SHOW DERANGED PUFA PATTERNS. ON THIS BASIS, WE HAVE ANALYZED PRE-CLINICAL FINDINGS THAT HAVE RECENTLY REVEALED NEW INSIGHT INTO THE MOLECULAR PATHWAYS TARGETED BY OMEGA-3 PUFA. EXPERT OPINION: THE FINDINGS ANALYZED HEREIN DEMONSTRATE THAT OMEGA-3 PUFA MAY EXERT BENEFICIAL EFFECTS BY TARGETING THE EPIGENETIC REGULATION OF GENE EXPRESSION AND ALTERING M2 MACROPHAGE POLARIZATION DURING THE INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE. THESE MECHANISMS NEED TO BE BETTER EXPLORED IN THE LARGE BOWEL, AND FURTHER STUDIES COULD BETTER CLARIFY THEIR ROLE AND THE POTENTIAL OF DIETARY INTERVENTIONS WITH OMEGA-3 PUFA IN THE LARGE BOWEL. THE EPIGENOMIC MECHANISM IS DISCUSSED IN VIEW OF THE POTENTIAL OF OMEGA-3 PUFA TO ENHANCE THE EFFICACY OF OTHER AGENTS USED IN THE THERAPY OF COLORECTAL CANCER. 2016 2 5112 30 POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS: BIOCHEMICAL, NUTRITIONAL AND EPIGENETIC PROPERTIES. DIETARY POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS (PUFA) HAVE EFFECTS ON DIVERSE PHYSIOLOGICAL PROCESSES IMPACTING NORMAL HEALTH AND CHRONIC DISEASES, SUCH AS THE REGULATION OF PLASMA LIPID LEVELS, CARDIOVASCULAR AND IMMUNE FUNCTION, INSULIN ACTION AND NEURONAL DEVELOPMENT AND VISUAL FUNCTION. INGESTION OF PUFA WILL LEAD TO THEIR DISTRIBUTION TO VIRTUALLY EVERY CELL IN THE BODY WITH EFFECTS ON MEMBRANE COMPOSITION AND FUNCTION, EICOSANOID SYNTHESIS, CELLULAR SIGNALING AND REGULATION OF GENE EXPRESSION. CELL SPECIFIC LIPID METABOLISM, AS WELL AS THE EXPRESSION OF FATTY ACID-REGULATED TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS, LIKELY PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN DETERMINING HOW CELLS RESPOND TO CHANGES IN PUFA COMPOSITION. THIS REVIEW WILL FOCUS ON RECENT ADVANCES ON THE ESSENTIALITY OF THESE MOLECULES AND ON THEIR INTERPLAY IN CELL PHYSIOLOGY, LEADING TO NEW PERSPECTIVE IN DIFFERENT THERAPEUTIC FIELDS. 2004 3 4110 38 MECHANISMS BY WHICH PLEIOTROPIC AMPHIPHILIC N-3 PUFA REDUCE COLON CANCER RISK. COLORECTAL CANCER IS ONE OF THE MAJOR CAUSES OF CANCER-RELATED MORTALITY IN BOTH MEN AND WOMEN WORLDWIDE. GENETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY AND DIET ARE PRIMARY DETERMINANTS OF CANCER RISK AND TUMOR BEHAVIOR. EXPERIMENTAL, EPIDEMIOLOGICAL, AND CLINICAL DATA SUBSTANTIATE THE BENEFICIAL ROLE OF N-3 POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS (PUFA) IN PREVENTING CHRONIC INFLAMMATION AND COLON CANCER. FROM A MECHANISTIC PERSPECTIVE, N-3 PUFA ARE PLEIOTROPIC AND MULTIFACETED WITH RESPECT TO THEIR MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF ACTION. FOR EXAMPLE, THIS CLASS OF DIETARY LIPID UNIQUELY ALTERS MEMBRANE STRUCTURE/ CYTOSKELETAL FUNCTION, IMPACTING MEMBRANE RECEPTOR FUNCTION AND DOWNSTREAM SIGNALING CASCADES, INCLUDING GENE EXPRESSION PROFILES AND CELL PHENOTYPE. IN ADDITION, N-3 PUFA CAN SYNERGIZE WITH OTHER POTENTIAL ANTI-TUMOR AGENTS, SUCH AS FERMENTABLE FIBER AND CURCUMIN. WITH THE RISING PREVALENCE OF DIET-INDUCED OBESITY, THERE IS ALSO AN URGENT NEED TO ELUCIDATE THE LINK BETWEEN CHRONIC INFLAMMATION IN ADIPOSE TISSUE AND COLON CANCER RISK IN OBESITY. IN THIS REVIEW, WE WILL SUMMARIZE RECENT DEVELOPMENTS LINKING N-3 PUFA INTAKE, MEMBRANE ALTERATIONS, EPIGENETIC MODULATION, AND EFFECTS ON OBESITY-ASSOCIATED COLON CANCER RISK. 2014 4 4453 36 MOLECULAR MECHANISMS AND PATHWAYS AS TARGETS FOR CANCER PREVENTION AND PROGRESSION WITH DIETARY COMPOUNDS. A UNIQUE FEATURE OF BIOACTIVE FOOD INGREDIENTS IS THEIR BROAD ANTIOXIDANT FUNCTION. ANTIOXIDANTS HAVING A WIDE SPECTRUM OF CHEMICAL STRUCTURE AND ACTIVITY BEYOND BASIC NUTRITION; DISPLAY DIFFERENT HEALTH BENEFITS BY THE PREVENTION AND PROGRESSION OF CHRONIC DISEASES. FUNCTIONAL FOOD COMPONENTS ARE CAPABLE OF ENHANCING THE NATURAL ANTIOXIDANT DEFENSE SYSTEM BY SCAVENGING REACTIVE OXYGEN AND NITROGEN SPECIES, PROTECTING AND REPAIRING DNA DAMAGE, AS WELL AS MODULATING THE SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION PATHWAYS AND GENE EXPRESSION. MAJOR PATHWAYS AFFECTED BY BIOACTIVE FOOD INGREDIENTS INCLUDE THE PRO-INFLAMMATORY PATHWAYS REGULATED BY NUCLEAR FACTOR KAPPA B (NF-KAPPAB), AS WELL AS THOSE ASSOCIATED WITH CYTOKINES AND CHEMOKINES. THE PRESENT REVIEW SUMMARIZES THE IMPORTANCE OF PLANT BIOACTIVES AND THEIR ROLES IN THE REGULATION OF INFLAMMATORY PATHWAYS. BIOACTIVES INFLUENCE SEVERAL PHYSIOLOGICAL PROCESSES SUCH AS GENE EXPRESSION, CELL CYCLE REGULATION, CELL PROLIFERATION, CELL MIGRATION, ETC., RESULTING IN CANCER PREVENTION. CANCER INITIATION IS ASSOCIATED WITH CHANGES IN METABOLIC PATHWAYS SUCH AS GLUCOSE METABOLISM, AND THE EFFECT OF BIOACTIVES IN NORMALIZING THIS PROCESS HAS BEEN PROVIDED. INITIATION AND PROGRESSION OF INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES (IBD) WHICH INCREASE THE CHANCES OF DEVELOPING OF COLORECTAL CANCERS CAN BE DOWNREGULATED BY PLANT BIOACTIVES. SEVERAL ASPECTS OF THE POTENTIAL ROLES OF MICRORNAS AND EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF CANCERS HAVE ALSO BEEN PRESENTED. 2017 5 3547 44 IMMUNOMODULATORY ROLE OF NUTRIENTS: HOW CAN PULMONARY DYSFUNCTIONS IMPROVE? NUTRITION IS AN IMPORTANT TOOL THAT CAN BE USED TO MODULATE THE IMMUNE RESPONSE DURING INFECTIOUS DISEASES. IN ADDITION, THROUGH DIET, IMPORTANT SUBSTRATES ARE ACQUIRED FOR THE BIOSYNTHESIS OF REGULATORY MOLECULES IN THE IMMUNE RESPONSE, INFLUENCING THE PROGRESSION AND TREATMENT OF CHRONIC LUNG DISEASES, SUCH AS ASTHMA AND CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD). IN THIS WAY, NUTRITION CAN PROMOTE LUNG HEALTH STATUS. A RANGE OF NUTRIENTS, SUCH AS VITAMINS (A, C, D, AND E), MINERALS (ZINC, SELENIUM, IRON, AND MAGNESIUM), FLAVONOIDS AND FATTY ACIDS, PLAY IMPORTANT ROLES IN REDUCING THE RISK OF PULMONARY CHRONIC DISEASES AND VIRAL INFECTIONS. THROUGH THEIR ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS, NUTRIENTS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH BETTER LUNG FUNCTION AND A LOWER RISK OF COMPLICATIONS SINCE THEY CAN DECREASE THE HARMFUL EFFECTS FROM THE IMMUNE SYSTEM DURING THE INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE. IN ADDITION, BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS CAN EVEN CONTRIBUTE TO EPIGENETIC CHANGES, INCLUDING HISTONE DEACETYLASE (HDAC) MODIFICATIONS THAT INHIBIT THE TRANSCRIPTION OF PROINFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES, WHICH CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE MAINTENANCE OF HOMEOSTASIS IN THE CONTEXT OF INFECTIONS AND CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASES. THESE NUTRIENTS ALSO PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN ACTIVATING IMMUNE RESPONSES AGAINST PATHOGENS, WHICH CAN HELP THE IMMUNE SYSTEM DURING INFECTIONS. HERE, WE PROVIDE AN UPDATED OVERVIEW OF THE ROLES PLAYED BY DIETARY FACTORS AND HOW THEY CAN AFFECT RESPIRATORY HEALTH. THEREFORE, WE WILL SHOW THE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ROLE OF FLAVONOIDS, FATTY ACIDS, VITAMINS AND MICROBIOTA, IMPORTANT FOR THE CONTROL OF CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASES AND ALLERGIES, IN ADDITION TO THE ANTIVIRAL ROLE OF VITAMINS, FLAVONOIDS, AND MINERALS DURING PULMONARY VIRAL INFECTIONS, ADDRESSING THE MECHANISMS INVOLVED IN EACH FUNCTION. THESE MECHANISMS ARE INTERESTING IN THE DISCUSSION OF PERSPECTIVES ASSOCIATED WITH SEVERE ACUTE RESPIRATORY SYNDROME CORONAVIRUS 2 (SARS-COV-2) INFECTION AND ITS PULMONARY COMPLICATIONS SINCE PATIENTS WITH SEVERE DISEASE HAVE VITAMINS DEFICIENCY, ESPECIALLY VITAMIN D. IN ADDITION, RESEARCHES WITH THE USE OF FLAVONOIDS HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO DECREASE VIRAL REPLICATION IN VITRO. THIS WAY, A FULL UNDERSTANDING OF DIETARY INFLUENCES CAN IMPROVE THE LUNG HEALTH OF PATIENTS. 2021 6 2546 45 EPIGENETICS IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: MOLECULAR MECHANISMS AND DIETARY INTERVENTION. INTRODUCTION: MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) IS A CHRONIC, INFLAMMATORY, NEURODEGENERATIVE DEMYELINATING DISEASE OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (CNS). UNFORTUNATELY, MS CAUSES IMPORTANT DISABILITY IN YOUNG ADULTS AND ITS PREVALENCE IS INCREASING. WHILE THE ETIOLOGY OF MS ETIOLOGY IS NOT COMPLETELY UNDERSTOOD, IT SEEMS TO BE A MULTIFACTORIAL ENTITY THAT IS INFLUENCED BY BOTH GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS. EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS ADD OR REMOVE DIFFERENT CHEMICAL GROUPS FOR THE ACTIVATION OR INHIBITION OF GENE EXPRESSION TO BLOCK THE PRODUCTION OF PROINFLAMMATORY PROTEINS. IT IS TRULY IMPORTANT TO IDENTIFY THE FACTORS THAT CAN TRIGGER EPIGENETIC CHANGES IN MS TO COMPLEMENT THE THERAPEUTIC APPROACH, PREVENT DISABILITY AND IMPROVE PATIENTS QUALITY OF LIFE. HERE, WE HAVE CONDUCTED A REVIEW OF EXTERNAL FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE IN MS AND THEIR EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS. FOR EXAMPLE, HYPOMETHYLATION CAN PROMOTE CHANGES IN THE MYELIN AND SUBSEQUENT AUTOIMMUNE REACTIONS. THERAPEUTIC TOOLS CAN BE USED, INCLUDING THE HISTONE DEACETYLASE INHIBITOR TRICHOSTATIN A, WHICH AMELIORATES DEMYELINATING DISEASES IN RODENTS. HOWEVER, DRUGS ARE NOT ONLY THE THERAPEUTIC OPTION: RECENT STUDIES HAVE ALSO EVALUATED THE THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL OF SEVERAL BIOACTIVE DIETARY COMPONENTS IN NEURODEGENERATION AND AXONAL DYSFUNCTION. NUMEROUS FOOD-DERIVED MOLECULES EXERT IMPORTANT METABOLIC ACTIONS. THESE MOLECULES INCLUDE PLANT POLYPHENOLS SUCH AS CATECHINS AND ISOFLAVONES, OMEGA-3 AND OMEGA-6 POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS, SHORT-CHAIN FATTY ACIDS, SULFUR-CONTAINING COMPOUNDS SUCH AS DALLY SULFIDE AND OTHER COMPOUNDS. ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY COMPONENTS IN THE DIET INVOLVE TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS AS WELL. HOWEVER, MANY EXTERNAL FACTORS HAVE SHOWN TO INFLUENCE MS, ALTHOUGH NO SPECIFIC EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS ARE KNOWN. CONCLUSION: IN THIS REVIEW, WE GATHER BOTH ESTABLISHED AND NEW EVIDENCES ABOUT THE GENETIC, EPIGENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS INFLUENCING MS AND THE DIETARY COMPONENTS THAT COULD MODULATE MS RELAPSE AND PROGRESSION. 2018 7 2617 44 EPIGENOME TARGETING BY PROBIOTIC METABOLITES. BACKGROUND: THE INTESTINAL MICROBIOTA PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN IMMUNE DEVELOPMENT AND HOMEOSTASIS. A DISTURBED MICROBIOTA DURING EARLY INFANCY IS ASSOCIATED WITH AN INCREASED RISK OF DEVELOPING INFLAMMATORY AND ALLERGIC DISEASES LATER IN LIFE. THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THESE EFFECTS ARE POORLY UNDERSTOOD BUT ARE LIKELY TO INVOLVE ALTERATIONS IN MICROBIAL PRODUCTION OF FERMENTATION-DERIVED METABOLITES, WHICH HAVE POTENT IMMUNE MODULATING PROPERTIES AND ARE REQUIRED FOR MAINTENANCE OF HEALTHY MUCOSAL IMMUNE RESPONSES. PROBIOTICS ARE BENEFICIAL BACTERIA THAT HAVE THE CAPACITY TO ALTER THE COMPOSITION OF BACTERIAL SPECIES IN THE INTESTINE THAT CAN IN TURN INFLUENCE THE PRODUCTION OF FERMENTATION-DERIVED METABOLITES. PRINCIPAL AMONG THESE METABOLITES ARE THE SHORT-CHAIN FATTY ACIDS BUTYRATE AND ACETATE THAT HAVE POTENT ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITIES IMPORTANT IN REGULATING IMMUNE FUNCTION AT THE INTESTINAL MUCOSAL SURFACE. THEREFORE STRATEGIES AIMED AT RESTORING THE MICROBIOTA PROFILE MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN THE PREVENTION OR TREATMENT OF ALLERGIC AND INFLAMMATORY DISEASES. PRESENTATION OF THE HYPOTHESIS: PROBIOTIC BACTERIA HAVE DIVERSE EFFECTS INCLUDING ALTERING MICROBIOTA COMPOSITION, REGULATING EPITHELIAL CELL BARRIER FUNCTION AND MODULATING OF IMMUNE RESPONSES. THE PRECISE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS MEDIATING THESE PROBIOTIC EFFECTS ARE NOT WELL UNDERSTOOD. SHORT-CHAIN FATTY ACIDS SUCH AS BUTYRATE ARE A CLASS OF HISTONE DEACETYLASE INHIBITORS IMPORTANT IN THE EPIGENETIC CONTROL OF HOST CELL RESPONSES. IT IS HYPOTHESIZED THAT THE BIOLOGICAL FUNCTION OF PROBIOTICS MAY BE A RESULT OF EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS THAT MAY EXPLAIN THE WIDE RANGE OF EFFECTS OBSERVED. STUDIES DELINEATING THE EFFECTS OF PROBIOTICS ON SHORT-CHAIN FATTY ACID PRODUCTION AND THE EPIGENETIC ACTIONS OF SHORT-CHAIN FATTY ACIDS WILL ASSIST IN UNDERSTANDING THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN MICROBIOTA AND ALLERGIC OR AUTOIMMUNE DISORDERS. TESTING THE HYPOTHESIS: WE PROPOSE THAT TREATMENT WITH SPECIFIC PROBIOTIC BACTERIA UNDER IN VIVO CONDITIONS WOULD OFFER THE IDEAL CONDITIONS TO EXAMINE THE MICROBIOLOGICAL, IMMUNOLOGICAL AND EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS OF ACTION. ADVANCES IN EPIGENETIC TECHNOLOGY NOW ALLOW INVESTIGATORS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE COMPLEX BIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF PROBIOTICS AND THEIR METABOLITES. IMPLICATIONS OF THE HYPOTHESIS: DETERMINING THE PRECISE MECHANISMS OF PROBIOTIC ACTION WILL LEAD TO MORE SPECIFIC AND EFFICACIOUS THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES IN THE PREVENTION OR TREATMENT OF CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY CONDITIONS. 2010 8 5540 36 ROLE OF DIET AND GUT MICROBIOTA ON COLORECTAL CANCER IMMUNOMODULATION. COLORECTAL CANCER (CRC) IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMONLY DIAGNOSED CANCERS, AND IT IS CHARACTERIZED BY GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS, AS WELL AS BY INFLAMMATORY CELL INFILTRATION AMONG MALIGNANT AND STROMAL CELLS. HOWEVER, THIS DYNAMIC INFILTRATION CAN BE INFLUENCED BY THE MICROENVIRONMENT TO PROMOTE TUMOR PROLIFERATION, SURVIVAL AND METASTASIS OR CANCER INHIBITION. IN PARTICULAR, THE CANCER MICROENVIRONMENT METABOLITES CAN REGULATE THE INFLAMMATORY CELLS TO INDUCE A CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE THAT CAN BE A PREDISPOSING CONDITION FOR CRC RETENTION. IN ADDITION, SOME NUTRITIONAL COMPONENTS MIGHT CONTRIBUTE TO A CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY CONDITION BY REGULATING VARIOUS IMMUNE AND INFLAMMATORY PATHWAYS. BESIDES THAT, DIET STRONGLY MODULATES THE GUT MICROBIOTA COMPOSITION, WHICH HAS A KEY ROLE IN MAINTAINING GUT HOMEOSTASIS AND IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE MODULATION OF HOST INFLAMMATORY AND IMMUNE RESPONSES. THEREFORE, DIET HAS A FUNDAMENTAL ROLE IN CRC INITIATION, PROGRESSION AND PREVENTION. IN PARTICULAR, FUNCTIONAL FOODS SUCH AS PROBIOTICS, PREBIOTICS AND SYMBIOTICS CAN HAVE A POTENTIALLY POSITIVE EFFECT ON HEALTH BEYOND BASIC NUTRITION AND HAVE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS. IN THIS REVIEW, WE DISCUSS THE INFLUENCE OF DIET ON GUT MICROBIOTA COMPOSITION, FOCUSING ON ITS ROLE ON GUT INFLAMMATION AND IMMUNITY. FINALLY, WE DESCRIBE THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF USING PROBIOTICS AND PREBIOTICS TO MODULATE THE HOST INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE, AS WELL AS ITS APPLICATION IN CRC PREVENTION AND TREATMENT. 2019 9 4273 35 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 10 2704 30 EXERCISE AND COLORECTAL CANCER: PREVENTION AND MOLECULAR MECHANISMS. EXERCISE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO BE STRONGLY ASSOCIATED WITH A DECREASED INCIDENCE RATE OF VARIOUS CHRONIC DISEASES ESPECIALLY NUMEROUS HUMAN MALIGNANCIES. A HUGE NUMBER OF CLINICAL TRIALS AND META-ANALYSIS HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT EXERCISE IS SIGNIFICANTLY EFFECTIVE IN LOWERING THE RISK OF COLORECTAL CANCER. IN ADDITION, IT IS SUGGESTED AS AN EFFECTIVE THERAPEUTIC MODALITY AGAINST THIS CANCER TYPE. THEREFORE, IN THIS REVIEW, WE WILL REVIEW COMPREHENSIBLY THE EFFECTS OF EXERCISE IN PREVENTING, TREATING, AND ALLEVIATING THE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF CONVENTIONAL THERAPEUTIC OPTIONS IN COLORECTAL CANCER. MOREOVER, THE POSSIBLE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE POSITIVE EFFECTS OF EXERCISE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN COLORECTAL CANCER, INCLUDING REGULATION OF INFLAMMATION, APOPTOSIS, GROWTH FACTOR AXIS, IMMUNITY, EPIGENETIC, ETC. WILL BE ALSO DISCUSSED. 2022 11 3576 48 IMPACT OF NUTRITION ON POLLUTANT TOXICITY: AN UPDATE WITH NEW INSIGHTS INTO EPIGENETIC REGULATION. EXPOSURE TO ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS IS A GLOBAL HEALTH PROBLEM AND IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF MANY CHRONIC DISEASES, INCLUDING CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, DIABETES AND METABOLIC SYNDROME. THERE IS A GROWING BODY OF EVIDENCE THAT NUTRITION CAN BOTH POSITIVELY AND NEGATIVELY MODULATE THE TOXIC EFFECTS OF POLLUTANT EXPOSURE. DIETS HIGH IN PROINFLAMMATORY FATS, SUCH AS LINOLEIC ACID, CAN EXACERBATE POLLUTANT TOXICITY, WHEREAS DIETS RICH IN BIOACTIVE AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY FOOD COMPONENTS, INCLUDING OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS AND POLYPHENOLS, CAN ATTENUATE TOXICANT-ASSOCIATED INFLAMMATION. PREVIOUSLY, RESEARCHERS HAVE ELUCIDATED DIRECT MECHANISMS OF NUTRITIONAL MODULATION, INCLUDING ALTERATION OF NUCLEAR FACTOR KAPPA-LIGHT-CHAIN-ENHANCER OF ACTIVATED B CELLS (NF-KAPPAB) SIGNALING, BUT RECENTLY, INCREASED FOCUS HAS BEEN GIVEN TO THE WAYS IN WHICH NUTRITION AND POLLUTANTS AFFECT EPIGENETICS. NUTRITION HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED TO MODULATE EPIGENETIC MARKERS THAT HAVE BEEN LINKED EITHER TO INCREASED DISEASE RISKS OR TO PROTECTION AGAINST DISEASES. OVERNUTRITION (I.E. OBESITY) AND UNDERNUTRITION (I.E. FAMINE) HAVE BEEN OBSERVED TO ALTER PRENATAL EPIGENETIC TAGS THAT MAY INCREASE THE RISK OF OFFSPRING DEVELOPING DISEASE LATER IN LIFE. CONVERSELY, BIOACTIVE FOOD COMPONENTS, INCLUDING CURCUMIN, HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO ALTER EPIGENETIC MARKERS THAT SUPPRESS THE ACTIVATION OF NF-KAPPAB, THUS REDUCING INFLAMMATORY RESPONSES. EXPOSURE TO POLLUTANTS ALSO ALTERS EPIGENETIC MARKERS AND MAY CONTRIBUTE TO INFLAMMATION AND DISEASE. IT HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED THAT POLLUTANTS, VIA EPIGENETIC MODULATIONS, CAN INCREASE THE ACTIVATION OF NF-KAPPAB AND UPREGULATE MICRORNAS ASSOCIATED WITH INFLAMMATION, CARDIAC INJURY AND OXIDATIVE DAMAGE. IMPORTANTLY, RECENT EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT NUTRITIONAL COMPONENTS, INCLUDING EPIGALLOCATECHIN GALLATE (EGCG), CAN PROTECT AGAINST POLLUTANT-INDUCED INFLAMMATION THROUGH EPIGENETIC REGULATION OF PROINFLAMMATORY TARGET GENES OF NF-KAPPAB. FURTHER RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW NUTRITION CAN MODULATE POLLUTANT TOXICITY THROUGH EPIGENETIC REGULATION. THEREFORE, THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS REVIEW IS TO ELUCIDATE THE CURRENT EVIDENCE LINKING EPIGENETIC CHANGES TO POLLUTANT-INDUCED DISEASES AND HOW THIS REGULATION MAY BE MODULATED BY NUTRIENTS ALLOWING FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF FUTURE PERSONALIZED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTIONS. 2017 12 5373 34 RECENT ADVANCES IN UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF DIET AND OBESITY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF COLORECTAL CANCER. COLORECTAL CANCER (CRC) IS A MAJOR CAUSE OF PREMATURE DEATH IN THE UK AND MANY DEVELOPED COUNTRIES. HOWEVER, THE RISK OF DEVELOPING CRC IS WELL RECOGNISED TO BE ASSOCIATED NOT ONLY WITH DIET BUT ALSO WITH OBESITY AND LACK OF EXERCISE. WHILE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE SHOWS AN ASSOCIATION WITH FACTORS SUCH AS HIGH RED MEAT INTAKE AND LOW INTAKE OF VEGETABLES, FIBRE AND FISH, THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THESE EFFECTS ARE ONLY NOW BEING ELUCIDATED. CRC DEVELOPS OVER MANY YEARS AND IS TYPICALLY CHARACTERISED BY AN ACCUMULATION OF MUTATIONS, WHICH MAY ARISE AS A CONSEQUENCE OF INHERITED POLYMORPHISMS IN KEY GENES, BUT MORE COMMONLY AS A RESULT OF SPONTANEOUSLY ARISING MUTATIONS AFFECTING GENES CONTROLLING CELL PROLIFERATION, DIFFERENTIATION, APOPTOSIS AND DNA REPAIR. EPIGENETIC CHANGES ARE OBSERVED THROUGHOUT THE PROGRESS FROM NORMAL MORPHOLOGY THROUGH FORMATION OF ADENOMA, AND THE SUBSEQUENT DEVELOPMENT OF CARCINOMA. THE REASONS WHY THIS ACCUMULATION OF LOSS OF HOMOEOSTATIC CONTROLS ARISES ARE UNCLEAR BUT CHRONIC INFLAMMATION HAS BEEN PROPOSED TO PLAY A CENTRAL ROLE. OBESITY IS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED PLASMA LEVELS OF CHEMOKINES AND ADIPOKINES CHARACTERISTIC OF CHRONIC SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATION, AND DIETARY FACTORS SUCH AS FISH OILS AND PHYTOCHEMICALS HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO HAVE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY PROPERTIES AS WELL AS MODULATING ESTABLISHED RISK FACTORS SUCH AS APOPTOSIS AND CELL PROLIFERATION. THERE IS ALSO SOME EVIDENCE THAT DIET CAN MODIFY EPIGENETIC CHANGES. THIS PAPER BRIEFLY REVIEWS THE CURRENT STATE OF KNOWLEDGE IN RELATION TO CRC DEVELOPMENT AND CONSIDERS EVIDENCE FOR POTENTIAL MECHANISMS BY WHICH DIET MAY MODIFY RISK. 2011 13 2100 27 EPIGENETIC EFFECTS OF NATURAL POLYPHENOLS: A FOCUS ON SIRT1-MEDIATED MECHANISMS. POLYPHENOLS ARE A CLASS OF NATURAL COMPOUNDS WIDELY DISTRIBUTED IN FRUITS, VEGETABLES, AND PLANTS. THEY HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO POSSESS A WIDE RANGE OF ACTIVITIES IN PREVENTION AND ALLEVIATION OF VARIOUS DISEASES LIKE CANCER, NEUROINFLAMMATION, DIABETES, AND AGING. POLYPHENOLS ARE EFFECTIVE AGAINST CHRONIC DISEASES AND RECENT REPORTS INDICATED STRONG EPIGENETIC EFFECTS OF POLYPHENOLS. MOST OF THE STUDIES INVESTIGATING EPIGENETIC EFFECTS OF NATURAL POLYPHENOLS HAVE FOCUSED ON THEIR BENEFICIAL EFFECTS IN CANCER TREATMENT. HOWEVER, EPIGENETIC DEFECTS HAVE BEEN DEMONSTRATED IN MANY OTHER DISEASES AS WELL, AND APPLICATION OF POLYPHENOLS TO MODULATE THE EPIGENOME IS BECOMING AN INTERESTING FIELD OF RESEARCH. THIS REVIEW SUMMARIZES THE EFFECTS OF NATURAL POLYPHENOLS IN MODULATING EPIGENETIC-RELATED ENZYMES AS WELL AS THEIR EFFECT IN PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF CHRONIC DISEASES WITH A FOCUS ON SIRT1 MODULATION. WE HAVE ALSO DISCUSSED THE RELATION BETWEEN THE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF EPIGENETIC-MODIFYING POLYPHENOLS. 2014 14 3546 39 IMMUNOMODULATORY DIET IN PEDIATRIC AGE. IN THE LAST FEW DECADES, THE IMPORTANCE OF A FUNCTIONING IMMUNE SYSTEM AND HEALTH STATUS HAS BECOME MORE EVIDENT. MULTIPLE FACTORS ARE ABLE TO INFLUENCE THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHRONIC DISEASES AND DIET IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS. EVIDENCE DEMONSTRATES THAT DIETARY PATTERNS HIGH IN FAT AND LOW IN FIBER ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES. MOREOVER, OPTIMAL NUTRITIONAL STATUS CAN MODULATE IMMUNE MATURATION AND RESPONSE TO INFLAMMATION. DURING INFLAMMATORY CONDITIONS, NUTRITIONAL DEFICIENCIES MAY OCCUR, ESTABLISHING A VICIOUS CIRCLE, CONSEQUENTLY A BALANCED NUTRITIONAL STATUS IS ESSENTIAL TO PREVENT AND COUNTERACT INFECTIONS. DIETARY DIVERSITY CAN PREVENT ALLERGIC DISEASES AND NUTRIENTS SUCH AS DHA, ARGININE, VITAMINS AND TRACE ELEMENTS HAVE AN IMPACT ON PHYSICAL BARRIERS (SUCH AS GUT MUCOSAL BARRIER AND SKIN), ON THE IMMUNE SYSTEM RESPONSE AND ON MICROBIOME MODULATION. PROTEIN DEFICIENCIES CAN COMPROMISE INNATE AND ADAPTIVE IMMUNE FUNCTIONS; ARGININE AVAILABILITY CAN AFFECT THE IMMUNE RESPONSE IN INJURED STATES AND OTHER DISEASE PROCESSES; EPA AND DHA CAN MODULATE BOTH INNATE AND ADAPTIVE IMMUNITY; PREBIOTICS HAVE A BENEFICIAL EFFECT ON THE FUNCTIONING OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM. ZINC, COPPER, SELENIUM AND IRON ARE INVOLVED IN THE CORRECT DEVELOPMENT AND FUNCTION OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM. VITAMINS D, E, A, B AND C HAVE A ROLE ON IMMUNE SYSTEM THROUGH DIFFERENT MECHANISMS OF ACTION. SINCE A COMPLEX INTERPLAY EXISTS BETWEEN DIET, MICROBIOME AND EPIGENETIC FACTORS WHICH DETERMINE NUTRIENT-INDUCED CHANGES ON THE IMMUNE FUNCTION, THE EFFECT OF EACH SINGLE NUTRIENT MAY BE DIFFICULT TO STUDY. WELL-DESIGNED INTERVENTION STUDIES, INVESTIGATING THE EFFECTS OF WHOLE DIETARY PATTERN, SHOULD BE PERFORMED TO CLARIFY IMPACT OF FOODS ON THE IMMUNE FUNCTION AND DISEASE RISK. 2021 15 5110 32 POLYPHENOLS AND THE MODULATION OF GENE EXPRESSION PATHWAYS: CAN WE EAT OUR WAY OUT OF THE DANGER OF CHRONIC DISEASE? PLANT-DERIVED DIETARY POLYPHENOLS MAY IMPROVE SOME DISEASE STATES AND PROMOTE HEALTH. EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT THIS IS PARTIALLY ATTRIBUTABLE TO CHANGES IN GENE EXPRESSION. THE RATIONAL USE OF BIOACTIVE FOOD COMPONENTS MAY THEREFORE PRESENT AN OPPORTUNITY TO ACTIVATE OR REPRESS SELECTED GENE EXPRESSION PATHWAYS AND, CONSEQUENTLY, TO MANAGE OR PREVENT DISEASE. IT REMAINS TO BE DETERMINED WHETHER THIS USE OF BIOACTIVE FOOD COMPONENTS CAN BE DONE SAFELY. THIS ARTICLE REVIEWS THE ASSOCIATED CONTROVERSIES AND LIMITATIONS OF POLYPHENOL THERAPY. THERE IS A PAUCITY OF CLINICAL DATA ON THE RATIONAL USE OF POLYPHENOLS, INCLUDING A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE ON EFFECTIVE DOSAGE, ACTUAL CHEMICAL FORMULATIONS, BIOAVAILABILITY, DISTRIBUTION IN TISSUES, THE EFFECT OF GENETIC VARIATIONS, DIFFERENCES IN GUT MICROFLORA, THE SYNERGISTIC (OR ANTAGONISTIC) EFFECTS OBSERVED IN EXTRACTS, AND THE POSSIBLE INTERACTION BETWEEN POLYPHENOLS AND LIPID DOMAINS OF CELL MEMBRANES THAT MAY ALTER THE FUNCTION OF RELEVANT RECEPTORS. THE SEMINAL QUESTION OF WHY PLANTS MAKE SUBSTANCES THAT BENEFIT HUMANS REMAINS UNANSWERED, AND THERE IS STILL MUCH TO LEARN IN TERMS OF CORRELATIVE VERSUS CAUSAL EFFECTS OF HUMAN EXPOSURE TO VARIOUS NUTRIENTS. THE AVAILABLE DATA STRONGLY SUGGEST SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS AT THE MOLECULAR LEVEL THAT REPRESENT INTERACTIONS WITH THE EPIGENOME. THE ADVENT OF RELATIVELY SIMPLE TECHNOLOGIES IS HELPING THE FIELD OF EPIGENETICS PROGRESS AND FACILITATING THE ACQUISITION OF MULTIPLE TYPES OF DATA THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY DIFFICULT TO OBTAIN. IN THIS REVIEW, WE SUMMARIZE THE MOLECULAR BASIS OF THE EPIGENETIC REGULATION OF GENE EXPRESSION AND THE EPIGENETIC CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH THE CONSUMPTION OF POLYPHENOLS THAT ILLUSTRATE HOW MODIFICATIONS IN HUMAN NUTRITION MAY BECOME RELEVANT TO HEALTH AND DISEASE. 2014 16 6715 34 VITAMIN A AND THE EPIGENOME. THE EPIGENETIC PHENOMENA REFER TO HERITABLE CHANGES IN GENE EXPRESSION OTHER THAN THOSE IN THE DNA SEQUENCE, SUCH AS DNA METHYLATION AND HISTONE MODIFICATIONS. MAJOR RESEARCH PROGRESS IN THE LAST FEW YEARS HAS PROVIDED FURTHER PROOF THAT ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, INCLUDING DIET AND NUTRITION, CAN INFLUENCE PHYSIOLOGIC AND PATHOLOGIC PROCESSES THROUGH EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS, WHICH IN TURN INFLUENCE GENE EXPRESSION. THIS INFLUENCE IS TERMED NUTRITIONAL EPIGENETICS, AND ONE PROMINENT EXAMPLE IS THE REGULATION OF GENE TRANSCRIPTION BY VITAMIN A THROUGH INTERACTION TO ITS NUCLEAR RECEPTOR. VITAMIN A IS CRITICAL THROUGHOUT LIFE. TOGETHER WITH ITS DERIVATIVES, IT REGULATES DIVERSE PROCESSES INCLUDING REPRODUCTION, EMBRYOGENESIS, VISION, GROWTH, CELLULAR DIFFERENTIATION AND PROLIFERATION, MAINTENANCE OF EPITHELIAL CELLULAR INTEGRITY AND IMMUNE FUNCTION. HERE WE REVIEW THE EPIGENETIC ROLE OF VITAMIN A IN CANCER, STEM CELLS DIFFERENTIATION, PROLIFERATION, AND IMMUNITY. THE DATA PRESENTED HERE SHOW THAT RETINOIC ACID IS A POTENT AGENT CAPABLE OF INDUCING ALTERATIONS IN EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS THAT PRODUCE VARIOUS EFFECTS ON THE PHENOTYPE. MEDICAL BENEFITS OF VITAMIN A AS AN EPIGENETIC MODULATOR, ESPECIALLY WITH RESPECT TO ITS CHRONIC USE AS NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENT, SHOULD RELY ON OUR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING OF ITS EPIGENETIC EFFECTS DURING HEALTH AND DISEASE, AS WELL AS THROUGH DIFFERENT GENERATIONS. 2017 17 1404 31 DIETARY COMPOSITION AND EFFECTS IN INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE. DRAMATIC CHANGES IN THE ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN LIFESTYLE HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE RISE OF VARIOUS CHRONIC COMPLEX DISEASES, SUCH AS INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE (IBD). A DYSBIOTIC GUT MICROBIOTA HAS BEEN PROPOSED AS A CRUCIAL PATHOGENIC ELEMENT, CONTRIBUTING TO IMMUNE IMBALANCES AND FOSTERING A PROINFLAMMATORY MILIEU, WHICH MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH DISEASE RELAPSES OR EVEN THE INITIATION OF IBD. IN ADDITION TO REPRESENTING IMPORTANT REGULATORS OF THE MUCOSAL IMMUNITY AND THE COMPOSITION OF THE GUT MICROBIOTA, FOOD COMPONENTS HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO BE POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL TRIGGERS OF EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS. IN THE CONTEXT OF CHRONIC INTESTINAL INFLAMMATION, DIETARY HABITS AND SPECIFIC FOOD COMPONENTS HAVE BEEN IMPLICATED AS IMPORTANT MODULATORS OF EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS, INCLUDING DNA METHYLATION, WHICH MAY PREDISPOSE A PERSON TO THE INCREASED RISK OF THE INITIATION AND EVOLUTION OF IBD. THIS REVIEW PROVIDES NOVEL INSIGHTS ABOUT HOW DIETARY FACTORS MAY INTERACT WITH THE INTESTINAL MUCOSA AND MODULATE IMMUNE HOMEOSTASIS BY SHAPING THE INTESTINAL ECOSYSTEM, AS WELL AS THE POTENTIAL INFLUENCE OF DIET IN THE ETIOPATHOGENESIS AND MANAGEMENT OF IBD. 2019 18 5558 32 ROLE OF GUT MICROBIOTA IN THE AETIOLOGY OF OBESITY: PROPOSED MECHANISMS AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE. THE AETIOLOGY OF OBESITY HAS BEEN ATTRIBUTED TO SEVERAL FACTORS (ENVIRONMENTAL, DIETARY, LIFESTYLE, HOST, AND GENETIC FACTORS); HOWEVER NONE OF THESE FULLY EXPLAIN THE INCREASE IN THE PREVALENCE OF OBESITY WORLDWIDE. GUT MICROBIOTA LOCATED AT THE INTERFACE OF HOST AND ENVIRONMENT IN THE GUT ARE A NEW AREA OF RESEARCH BEING EXPLORED TO EXPLAIN THE EXCESS ACCUMULATION OF ENERGY IN OBESE INDIVIDUALS AND MAY BE A POTENTIAL TARGET FOR THERAPEUTIC MANIPULATION TO REDUCE HOST ENERGY STORAGE. SEVERAL MECHANISMS HAVE BEEN SUGGESTED TO EXPLAIN THE ROLE OF GUT MICROBIOTA IN THE AETIOLOGY OF OBESITY SUCH AS SHORT CHAIN FATTY ACID PRODUCTION, STIMULATION OF HORMONES, CHRONIC LOW-GRADE INFLAMMATION, LIPOPROTEIN AND BILE ACID METABOLISM, AND INCREASED ENDOCANNABINOID RECEPTOR SYSTEM TONE. HOWEVER, EVIDENCE FROM ANIMAL AND HUMAN STUDIES CLEARLY INDICATES CONTROVERSIES IN DETERMINING THE CAUSE OR EFFECT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE GUT MICROBIOTA AND OBESITY. METAGENOMICS BASED STUDIES INDICATE THAT FUNCTIONALITY RATHER THAN THE COMPOSITION OF GUT MICROBIOTA MAY BE IMPORTANT. FURTHER MECHANISTIC STUDIES CONTROLLING FOR ENVIRONMENTAL AND EPIGENETIC FACTORS ARE THEREFORE REQUIRED TO HELP UNRAVEL OBESITY PATHOGENESIS. 2016 19 6333 42 THE ROLE OF DIETARY PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS IN EPIGENETIC MODULATION INVOLVED IN INFLAMMATORY PROCESSES. A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN DIETARY PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS AND THE EPIGENETICS OF INFLAMMATION MAY IMPACT PATHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS AND THEIR TREATMENT. PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS ARE WELL-KNOWN FOR THEIR ANTIOXIDANT, ANTI-INFLAMMATORY, ANTI-ANGIOGENIC, AND ANTI-CANCER PROPERTIES, WITH POTENTIAL BENEFITS IN THE TREATMENT OF VARIOUS HUMAN DISEASES. EMERGING STUDIES BRING EVIDENCE THAT NUTRITION MAY PLAY AN ESSENTIAL ROLE IN IMMUNE SYSTEM MODULATION ALSO BY ALTERING GENE EXPRESSION. THIS REVIEW DISCUSSES EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS SUCH AS DNA METHYLATION, POST-TRANSLATIONAL HISTONE MODIFICATION, AND NON-CODING MICRORNA ACTIVITY THAT REGULATE THE GENE EXPRESSION OF MOLECULES INVOLVED IN INFLAMMATORY PROCESSES. SPECIAL ATTENTION IS PAID TO THE MOLECULAR BASIS OF NF-KAPPAB MODULATION BY DIETARY PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS. THE REGULATION OF HISTONE ACETYLTRANSFERASE AND HISTONE DEACETYLASE ACTIVITY, WHICH ALL INFLUENCE NF-KAPPAB SIGNALING, SEEMS TO BE A CRUCIAL MECHANISM OF THE EPIGENETIC CONTROL OF INFLAMMATION BY PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS. MOREOVER, CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY PROCESSES ARE REPORTED TO BE CLOSELY CONNECTED TO THE MAJOR STAGES OF CARCINOGENESIS AND OTHER NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES. THEREFORE, DIETARY PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS-TARGETED EPIGENETICS IS BECOMING AN ATTRACTIVE APPROACH FOR DISEASE PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION. 2020 20 6325 29 THE ROLE OF ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS IN COLORECTAL CANCER. A LARGE BODY OF EVIDENCE INDICATES THAT GENETIC MUTATIONS, EPIGENETIC CHANGES, CHRONIC INFLAMMATION, DIET, AND LIFESTYLE ARE KEY RISK FACTORS FOR COLORECTAL CANCER (CRC). PREVENTION OF CRC HAS LONG BEEN CONSIDERED A PLAUSIBLE APPROACH FOR THE POPULATION AND INDIVIDUALS AT HIGH RISK FOR DEVELOPING THIS DISEASE. A SIGNIFICANT EFFORT HAS BEEN MADE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL DRUGS FOR BOTH PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OVER THE PAST TWO DECADES. THIS REVIEW HIGHLIGHTS RECENT ADVANCES IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE ROLE OF NONSTEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS IN CRC PREVENTION AND ADJUVANT TREATMENT. MOREOVER, WE FOCUS ON THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE ANTITUMOR EFFECTS OF THESE DRUGS IN CRC. THE KNOWLEDGE OF HOW ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AGENTS INHIBIT CANCER FORMATION AND PROGRESSION MAY PROVIDE A RATIONALE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF MORE EFFECTIVE CHEMOPREVENTIVE AND CHEMOTHERAPEUTIC AGENTS WITH LESS TOXICITY. 2013