1 4393 98 MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS IN PERIODONTITIS: AT THE INTERSECTION OF AGING AND DISEASE. CHRONIC INFLAMMATION IS A PROMINENT FEATURE OF AGING AND OF COMMON AGE-RELATED DISEASES, INCLUDING ATHEROSCLEROSIS, CANCER AND PERIODONTITIS. THIS VOLUME EXAMINES MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS FOR PERIODONTITIS AND OTHER CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASES. ORAL BACTERIAL COMMUNITIES AND VIRAL INFECTIONS, PARTICULARLY WITH CYTOMEGALOVIRUS AND OTHER HERPESVIRUSES, ELICIT DISTINCT IMMUNE RESPONSES AND ARE CENTRAL IN THE INITIATION OF PERIODONTAL DISEASES. RISK OF DISEASE IS DYNAMIC AND CHANGES IN RESPONSE TO COMPLEX INTERACTIONS OF GENETIC, ENVIRONMENTAL AND STOCHASTIC FACTORS OVER THE LIFESPAN. MANY MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS, SUCH AS SMOKING AND EXCESS CALORIC INTAKE, CONTRIBUTE TO INCREASES IN SYSTEMIC MARKERS OF INFLAMMATION AND CAN MODIFY GENE REGULATION THROUGH A VARIETY OF BIOLOGIC MECHANISMS (E.G. EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS). PERIODONTITIS AND OTHER COMMON CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASES SHARE MULTIPLE MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS, SUCH AS TOBACCO SMOKING, PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS AND DEPRESSION, ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION, OBESITY, DIABETES, METABOLIC SYNDROME AND OSTEOPOROSIS. INTERVENTIONS THAT TARGET MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE RISK PROFILES FOR PERIODONTITIS AS WELL AS FOR OTHER COMMON CHRONIC DISEASES. 2014 2 1871 38 EMERGING ROLE OF EPIGENETICS IN EXPLAINING RELATIONSHIP OF PERIODONTITIS AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES. CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES SUCH AS ISCHEMIC HEART DISEASES OR STROKE ARE AMONG THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATHS GLOBALLY, AND EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT THESE DISEASES ARE MODULATED BY A MULTIFACTORIAL AND COMPLEX INTERPLAY OF GENETIC, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND LIFESTYLE FACTORS. GENETIC PREDISPOSITION AND CHRONIC EXPOSURE TO MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS HAVE BEEN EXPLORED TO BE INVOLVED IN THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF CVD. ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS CONTRIBUTE TO AN INDIVIDUAL'S PROPENSITY TO DEVELOP MAJOR CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS THROUGH EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS OF DNA AND HISTONES VIA MIRNA REGULATION OF PROTEIN TRANSLATION THAT ARE TYPES OF EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS AND PARTICIPATE IN DISEASE DEVELOPMENT. PERIODONTAL DISEASE (PD) IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMON ORAL DISEASES IN HUMANS THAT IS CHARACTERIZED BY LOW-GRADE INFLAMMATION AND HAS BEEN SHOWN TO INCREASE THE RISK OF CVDS. RISK FACTORS INVOLVED IN PD AND CVD ARE DETERMINED BOTH GENETICALLY AND BEHAVIORALLY. PERIODONTAL DISEASES SUCH AS CHRONIC INFLAMMATION PROMOTE DNA METHYLATION. EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS INVOLVED IN THE INITIATION AND PROGRESSION OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS PLAY AN ESSENTIAL ROLE IN PLAQUE DEVELOPMENT AND VULNERABILITY. EPIGENETICS HAS OPENED A NEW WORLD TO UNDERSTAND AND MANAGE HUMAN DISEASES, INCLUDING CVDS AND PERIODONTAL DISEASES. GENETIC MEDICINE HAS STARTED A NEW ERA OF EPIGENETICS TO OVERCOME HUMAN DISEASES WITH VARIOUS NEW METHODOLOGY. EPIGENETIC PROFILING MAY AID IN BETTER DIAGNOSIS AND STRATIFICATION OF PATIENTS SHOWING POTENTIAL PREDISPOSED STATES FOR DISEASE. A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE EXACT REGULATORY MECHANISMS OF EPIGENETIC PATHWAYS DRIVING INFLAMMATION IS SLOWLY EMERGING AND WILL AID IN DEVELOPING NOVEL TOOLS FOR THE TREATMENT OF DISEASE. 2021 3 6034 36 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 4 4392 40 MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS IN PERIODONTAL DISEASE: EPIGENETIC REGULATION OF GENE EXPRESSION IN THE INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE. EPIGENETICS AS A MODIFIABLE RISK FACTOR IN PERIODONTAL DISEASES HAS BEEN INVESTIGATED IN LIGHT OF THE CURRENT KNOWLEDGE OF HOW CHRONIC INFECTION AND INFLAMMATION CAN AFFECT GENE-SPECIFIC EPIGENETIC REPROGRAMMING IN PERIODONTAL TISSUES. EPIGENOMIC PROGRAMMING MIGHT BE PARTICULARLY SENSITIVE TO ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES, AND A COMBINATION OF PHYSIOLOGICAL STRESSORS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES APPEARS TO AFFECT THE EPIGENOMIC PROGRAM ACQUIRED BY A CELL DURING DIFFERENTIATION AND THROUGHOUT THE CELLULAR LINEAGE LIFESPAN. VIRAL AND BACTERIAL INFECTIONS CAN ESTABLISH SEVERAL TYPES OF EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS, WHICH SOMETIMES ENGAGE IN A COMPLEX EPIGENETIC CROSSTALK ALSO REFLECTING IN THE ESTABLISHMENT AND PROGRESS OF PERIODONTAL DISEASES. THE INFLAMMATORY AND METABOLIC STATES OF THE PERIODONTAL TISSUES ARE DRIVEN BY THE INFECTIOUS STIMULI, AND THE MAGNITUDE OF THE CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR SIGNATURE RESPONSE IS FURTHER DICTATED BY THE HOST GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC TRAITS ASSOCIATED WITH VARIOUS SYSTEMIC EXPOSURES, INCLUDING SMOKING, OBESITY AND DIABETES/HYPERGLYCEMIA. THIS REVIEW DISCUSSES THE ADVANCES IN EPIGENETICS, FOCUSING ON THE ROLE OF DNA METHYLATION IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF PERIODONTAL DISEASE AND THE POTENTIAL OF EPIGENETIC THERAPY. 2014 5 2855 47 FROM INFLAMMAGING TO HEALTHY AGING BY DIETARY LIFESTYLE CHOICES: IS EPIGENETICS THE KEY TO PERSONALIZED NUTRITION? THE PROGRESSIVELY OLDER POPULATION IN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES IS REFLECTED IN AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE SUFFERING FROM AGE-RELATED CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASES SUCH AS METABOLIC SYNDROME, DIABETES, HEART AND LUNG DISEASES, CANCER, OSTEOPOROSIS, ARTHRITIS, AND DEMENTIA. THE HETEROGENEITY IN BIOLOGICAL AGING, CHRONOLOGICAL AGE, AND AGING-ASSOCIATED DISORDERS IN HUMANS HAVE BEEN ASCRIBED TO DIFFERENT GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS (I.E., DIET, POLLUTION, STRESS) THAT ARE CLOSELY LINKED TO SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS. THE COMMON DENOMINATOR OF THESE FACTORS IS THE INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE. CHRONIC LOW-GRADE SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATION DURING PHYSIOLOGICAL AGING AND IMMUNOSENESCENCE ARE INTERTWINED IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF PREMATURE AGING ALSO DEFINED AS 'INFLAMMAGING.' THE LATTER HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH FRAILTY, MORBIDITY, AND MORTALITY IN ELDERLY SUBJECTS. HOWEVER, IT IS UNKNOWN TO WHAT EXTENT INFLAMMAGING OR LONGEVITY IS CONTROLLED BY EPIGENETIC EVENTS IN EARLY LIFE. TODAY, HUMAN DIET IS BELIEVED TO HAVE A MAJOR INFLUENCE ON BOTH THE DEVELOPMENT AND PREVENTION OF AGE-RELATED DISEASES. MOST PLANT-DERIVED DIETARY PHYTOCHEMICALS AND MACRO- AND MICRONUTRIENTS MODULATE OXIDATIVE STRESS AND INFLAMMATORY SIGNALING AND REGULATE METABOLIC PATHWAYS AND BIOENERGETICS THAT CAN BE TRANSLATED INTO STABLE EPIGENETIC PATTERNS OF GENE EXPRESSION. THEREFORE, DIET INTERVENTIONS DESIGNED FOR HEALTHY AGING HAVE BECOME A HOT TOPIC IN NUTRITIONAL EPIGENOMIC RESEARCH. INCREASING EVIDENCE HAS REVEALED THAT COMPLEX INTERACTIONS BETWEEN FOOD COMPONENTS AND HISTONE MODIFICATIONS, DNA METHYLATION, NON-CODING RNA EXPRESSION, AND CHROMATIN REMODELING FACTORS INFLUENCE THE INFLAMMAGING PHENOTYPE AND AS SUCH MAY PROTECT OR PREDISPOSE AN INDIVIDUAL TO MANY AGE-RELATED DISEASES. REMARKABLY, HUMANS PRESENT A BROAD RANGE OF RESPONSES TO SIMILAR DIETARY CHALLENGES DUE TO BOTH GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC MODULATIONS OF THE EXPRESSION OF TARGET PROTEINS AND KEY GENES INVOLVED IN THE METABOLISM AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE DIETARY CONSTITUENTS. HERE, WE WILL SUMMARIZE THE EPIGENETIC ACTIONS OF DIETARY COMPONENTS, INCLUDING PHYTOCHEMICALS, AND MACRO- AND MICRONUTRIENTS AS WELL AS METABOLITES, THAT CAN ATTENUATE INFLAMMAGING. WE WILL DISCUSS THE CHALLENGES FACING PERSONALIZED NUTRITION TO TRANSLATE HIGHLY VARIABLE INTERINDIVIDUAL EPIGENETIC DIET RESPONSES TO POTENTIAL INDIVIDUAL HEALTH BENEFITS/RISKS RELATED TO AGING DISEASE. 2015 6 4273 31 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 7 5003 40 PERIODONTITIS IS AN INFLAMMATORY DISEASE OF OXIDATIVE STRESS: WE SHOULD TREAT IT THAT WAY. PERIODONTITIS IS A HIGHLY PREVALENT DISEASE. AS IT PROGRESSES, IT CAUSES SERIOUS MORBIDITY IN THE FORM OF PERIODONTAL ABSCESSES AND TOOTH LOSS AND, IN THE LATTER STAGES, PAIN. IT IS ALSO NOW KNOWN THAT PERIODONTITIS IS STRONGLY ASSOCIATED WITH SEVERAL NONORAL DISEASES. THUS, PATIENTS WITH PERIODONTITIS ARE AT GREATER RISK FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND/OR EXACERBATION OF DIABETES, CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE, AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES, AMONG OTHER CONDITIONS. ALTHOUGH IT IS WITHOUT QUESTION THAT SPECIFIC GROUPS OF ORAL BACTERIA WHICH POPULATE DENTAL PLAQUE PLAY A CAUSATIVE ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF PERIODONTITIS, IT IS NOW THOUGHT THAT ONCE THIS DISEASE HAS BEEN TRIGGERED, OTHER FACTORS PLAY AN EQUAL, AND POSSIBLY MORE IMPORTANT, ROLE IN ITS PROGRESSION, PARTICULARLY IN SEVERE CASES OR IN CASES THAT PROVE DIFFICULT TO TREAT. IN THIS REGARD, WE ALLUDE TO THE HOST RESPONSE, SPECIFICALLY THE NOTION THAT THE HOST, ONCE INFECTED WITH ORAL PERIODONTAL PATHOGENIC BACTERIA, WILL MOUNT A DEFENSE RESPONSE MEDIATED LARGELY THROUGH THE INNATE IMMUNE SYSTEM. THE MOST ABUNDANT CELL TYPE OF THE INNATE IMMUNE SYSTEM - POLYMORPHONUCLEAR NEUTROPHILS - CAN, WHEN PROTECTING THE HOST FROM MICROBIAL INVASION, MOUNT A RESPONSE THAT INCLUDES UPREGULATION OF PROINFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES, MATRIX METALLOPROTEINASES, AND REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES, ALL OF WHICH THEN CONTRIBUTE TO THE TISSUE DAMAGE AND LOSS OF TEETH COMMONLY ASSOCIATED WITH PERIODONTITIS. OF THE MECHANISMS REFERRED TO HERE, WE SUGGEST THAT UPREGULATION OF REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES MIGHT PLAY ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ROLES IN THE ESTABLISHMENT AND PROGRESSION OF PERIODONTITIS (AS WELL AS IN OTHER DISEASES OF INFLAMMATION) THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF OXIDATIVE STRESS. IN THIS OVERVIEW, WE DISCUSS BOTH INNATE AND EPIGENETIC FACTORS (EG, DIABETES, SMOKING) THAT LEAD TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF OXIDATIVE STRESS. THIS OXIDATIVE STRESS THEN PROVIDES AN ENVIRONMENT CONDUCIVE TO THE DESTRUCTIVE PROCESSES OBSERVED IN PERIODONTITIS. THEREFORE, WE SHALL DESCRIBE SOME OF THE FUNDAMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS OF OXIDATIVE STRESS AND ITS EFFECTS ON THE PERIODONTIUM, DISCUSS THE DISEASES AND OTHER FACTORS THAT CAUSE OXIDATIVE STRESS, AND, FINALLY, REVIEW POTENTIALLY NOVEL THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES FOR THE MANAGEMENT (AND POSSIBLY EVEN THE REVERSAL) OF PERIODONTITIS, WHICH RELY ON THE USE OF THERAPIES, SUCH AS RESVERATROL AND OTHER ANTIOXIDANTS, THAT PROVIDE INCREASED ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY IN THE HOST. 2020 8 6204 39 THE INFLUENCE OF EPIGENETICS AND INFLAMMATION ON CARDIOMETABOLIC RISKS. CARDIOMETABOLIC DISEASES INCLUDE METABOLIC SYNDROME, OBESITY, TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS, AND HYPERTENSION. EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS PARTICIPATE IN CARDIOMETABOLIC DISEASES THROUGH SEVERAL PATHWAYS, INCLUDING INFLAMMATION, VASCULAR DYSFUNCTION, AND INSULIN RESISTANCE. EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS, WHICH ENCOMPASS ALTERATIONS TO GENE EXPRESSION WITHOUT MUTATING THE DNA SEQUENCE, HAVE GAINED MUCH ATTENTION IN RECENT YEARS, SINCE THEY HAVE BEEN CORRELATED WITH CARDIOMETABOLIC DISEASES AND MAY BE TARGETED FOR THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS. EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS ARE GREATLY INFLUENCED BY ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, SUCH AS DIET, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, CIGARETTE SMOKING, AND POLLUTION. SOME MODIFICATIONS ARE HERITABLE, INDICATING THAT THE BIOLOGICAL EXPRESSION OF EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS MAY BE OBSERVED ACROSS GENERATIONS. MOREOVER, MANY PATIENTS WITH CARDIOMETABOLIC DISEASES PRESENT WITH CHRONIC INFLAMMATION, WHICH CAN BE INFLUENCED BY ENVIRONMENTAL AND GENETIC FACTORS. THE INFLAMMATORY ENVIRONMENT WORSENS THE PROGNOSIS OF CARDIOMETABOLIC DISEASES AND FURTHER INDUCES EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS, PREDISPOSING PATIENTS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF OTHER METABOLISM-ASSOCIATED DISEASES AND COMPLICATIONS. A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF INFLAMMATORY PROCESSES AND EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS IN CARDIOMETABOLIC DISEASES IS NECESSARY TO IMPROVE OUR DIAGNOSTIC CAPABILITIES, PERSONALIZED MEDICINE APPROACHES, AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF TARGETED THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS. FURTHER UNDERSTANDING MAY ALSO ASSIST IN PREDICTING DISEASE OUTCOMES, ESPECIALLY IN CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS. THIS REVIEW DESCRIBES EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS AND INFLAMMATORY PROCESSES UNDERLYING CARDIOMETABOLIC DISEASES, AND FURTHER DISCUSSES ADVANCES IN THE RESEARCH FIELD WITH A FOCUS ON SPECIFIC POINTS FOR INTERVENTIONAL THERAPY. 2023 9 6288 39 THE POTENTIAL ROLE OF EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS ON DIFFERENT FACETS IN THE PERIODONTAL PATHOGENESIS. PERIODONTITIS IS A CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE THAT AFFECTS THE SUPPORTING STRUCTURES OF TEETH. IN THE LITERATURE, THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN THE PATHOGENICITY OF BACTERIA AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS IN THIS REGARD HAVE BEEN EXTENSIVELY EXAMINED. IN THE PRESENT STUDY, WE WILL SHED LIGHT ON THE POTENTIAL ROLE THAT EPIGENETIC CHANGE CAN PLAY ON DIFFERENT FACETS OF ITS PROCESS, MORE PARTICULARLY THE MODIFICATIONS CONCERNING THE GENES INVOLVED IN INFLAMMATION, DEFENSE, AND IMMUNE SYSTEMS. SINCE THE 1960S, THE ROLE OF GENETIC VARIANTS IN THE ONSET AND SEVERITY OF PERIODONTAL DISEASE HAS BEEN WIDELY DEMONSTRATED. THESE MAKE SOME PEOPLE MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO DEVELOPING IT THAN OTHERS. IT HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED THAT THE WIDE VARIATION IN ITS FREQUENCY FOR VARIOUS RACIAL AND ETHNIC POPULATIONS IS DUE PRIMARILY TO THE COMPLEX INTERPLAY AMONG GENETIC FACTORS WITH THOSE AFFECTING THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE DEMOGRAPHY. IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS ARE DEFINED AS ANY CHANGE IN THE PROMOTER FOR THE CPG ISLANDS, IN THE STRUCTURE OF THE HISTONE PROTEIN, AS WELL AS POST-TRANSLATIONAL REGULATION BY MICRORNAS (MIRNAS), BEING KNOWN TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE ALTERATION IN GENE EXPRESSION FOR COMPLEX MULTIFACTORIAL DISEASES SUCH AS PERIODONTITIS. THE KEY ROLE OF EPIGENETIC MODIFICATION IS TO UNDERSTAND THE MECHANISM INVOLVED IN THE GENE-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION, AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF PERIODONTITIS IS NOW THE SUBJECT OF MORE AND MORE STUDIES THAT ATTEMPT TO IDENTIFY WHICH FACTORS ARE STIMULATING IT, BUT ALSO AFFECT THE REDUCED RESPONSE TO THERAPY. 2023 10 3706 37 INFLUENCE OF GENETICS ON DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY AND PROGRESSION. FOR MANY CHRONIC DISEASES, THE INFLUENCE OF GENETICS IS COMPLEX AND PHENOTYPES DO NOT CONFORM TO SIMPLE MENDELIAN PATTERNS OF INHERITANCE. DISCUSSED HERE ARE TWO TYPES OF GENETIC INFLUENCES ON HEALTHY AGING. THE FIRST INVOLVES VARIATION IN THE GENE SEQUENCE ITSELF AND HOW THIS MAY INFLUENCE DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY, PROGRESSION, AND SEVERITY, INTERACTING WITH OTHER RECOGNIZED RISK FACTORS. THE SECOND INVOLVES EPIGENETIC REGULATORY MECHANISMS THAT MAY POTENTIALLY PROVIDE INSIGHT INTO HOW ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES AFFECT THE EXPRESSED GENOME, THUS IMPROVING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE GENETIC MECHANISMS UNDERLYING MULTIFACTORIAL DISEASES. THE INTERLEUKIN-1 FAMILY OF CYTOKINES CAN BE USED TO ILLUSTRATE HOW GENETIC SEQUENCE VARIATION MAY AFFECT SUCH DISEASES. THIS CYTOKINE FAMILY PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN MEDIATING INFLAMMATION, WHICH IS NOW UNDERSTOOD TO BE A CENTRAL COMPONENT OF A GROWING NUMBER OF CHRONIC DISEASES. RECENT WORK HAS REVEALED MANY SEQUENCE VARIATIONS IN THE REGULATORY DNA OF GENES ENCODING IMPORTANT MEMBERS OF THE INTERLEUKIN-1 FAMILY, AND THESE VARIATIONS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTS ON THE INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE. THE INTERACTIONS OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS WITH BOTH DNA SEQUENCE VARIATIONS AND EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS ARE LIKELY TO DETERMINE THE PHENOTYPES OF MULTIFACTORIAL DISEASES OF AGING AS WELL AS THE PHENOTYPE OF HEALTHY AGING. 2007 11 5069 30 PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN THE PREVENTION OF HUMAN DISEASES: ROLE OF EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS. EPIGENETIC MODIFICATION REFERS TO HERITABLE CHANGES IN GENE FUNCTION THAT CANNOT BE EXPLAINED BY ALTERATIONS IN THE DNA SEQUENCE. THE CURRENT LITERATURE CLEARLY DEMONSTRATES THAT THE EPIGENETIC RESPONSE IS HIGHLY DYNAMIC AND INFLUENCED BY DIFFERENT BIOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS SUCH AS AGING, NUTRIENT AVAILABILITY AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE. AS SUCH, IT IS WELL ACCEPTED THAT PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND EXERCISE CAN MODULATE GENE EXPRESSION THROUGH EPIGENETIC ALTERNATIONS ALTHOUGH THE TYPE AND DURATION OF EXERCISE ELICITING SPECIFIC EPIGENETIC EFFECTS THAT CAN RESULT IN HEALTH BENEFITS AND PREVENT CHRONIC DISEASES REMAINS TO BE DETERMINED. THIS REVIEW HIGHLIGHTS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT FINDINGS FROM EPIGENETIC STUDIES INVOLVING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY/EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS KNOWN TO BENEFIT CHRONIC DISEASES SUCH AS METABOLIC SYNDROME, DIABETES, CANCER, CARDIOVASCULAR AND NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES. 2017 12 2396 31 EPIGENETIC REPROGRAMMING IN PERIODONTAL DISEASE: DYNAMIC CROSSTALK WITH POTENTIAL IMPACT IN ONCOGENESIS. PERIODONTITIS IS A CHRONIC MULTIFACTORIAL IN FL AMMATORY DISEASE ASSOCIATED WITH MICROBIAL DYSBIOSIS AND CHARACTERIZED BY PROGRESSIVE DESTRUCTION OF THE PERIODONTAL TISSUES. SUCH CHRONIC INFECTIOUS INFLAMMATORY DISEASE IS RECOGNIZED AS A MAJOR PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM WORLDWIDE WITH MEASURABLE IMPACT IN SYSTEMIC HEALTH. IT HAS BECOME EVIDENT THAT THE PERIODONTAL DISEASE PHENOTYPES ARE NOT ONLY DETERMINED BY THE MICROBIOME EFFECT, BUT THE EXTENT OF THE TISSUE RESPONSE IS ALSO DRIVEN BY THE HOST GENOME AND EPIGENOME PATTERNS RESPONDING TO VARIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES. MORE RECENTLY THERE IS MOUNTING EVIDENCE INDICATING THAT EPIGENETIC REPROGRAMMING IN RESPONSE TO COMBINED INTRINSIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES, MIGHT BE PARTICULARLY RELEVANT DUE ITS PLASTICITY AND POTENTIAL APPLICATION TOWARDS PRECISION HEALTH. THE COMPLEX EPIGENETIC CROSSTALK IS REFLECTED IN THE PROGNOSIS AND PROGRESS OF PERIODONTAL DISEASES AND MAY ALSO LEAD TO A FAVORABLE LANDSCAPE FOR CANCER DEVELOPMENT. THIS REVIEW DISCUSSES EPIGENOMICS MODIFICATIONS FOCUSING ON THE ROLE OF DNA METHYLATION AND PATHWAYS LINKING MICROBIAL INFECTION AND INFLAMMATORY PATHWAYS, WHICH ARE ALSO ASSOCIATED WITH CARCINOGENESIS. THERE IS A MORE CLEAR VISION WHEREAS 'OMICS' TECHNOLOGIES APPLIED TO UNVEIL RELEVANT EPIGENETIC FACTORS COULD PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN THE TREATMENT OF PERIODONTAL DISEASE IN A PERSONALIZED MODE, EVIDENCING THAT PUBLIC HEALTH APPROACH SHOULD COEXIST WITH PRECISION INDIVIDUALIZED TREATMENT. 2020 13 2558 32 EPIGENETICS IN SUSCEPTIBILITY, PROGRESSION, AND DIAGNOSIS OF PERIODONTITIS. PERIODONTITIS IS CHARACTERIZED BY IRREVERSIBLE DESTRUCTION OF PERIODONTAL TISSUE. AT PRESENT, THE ACCEPTED ETIOLOGY OF PERIODONTITIS IS BASED ON A THREE-FACTOR THEORY INCLUDING PATHOGENIC BACTERIA, HOST FACTORS, AND ACQUIRED FACTORS. PERIODONTITIS DEVELOPMENT USUALLY TAKES A DECADE OR LONGER AND IS THEREFORE CALLED CHRONIC PERIODONTITIS (CP). TO SEARCH FOR GENETIC FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH CP, SEVERAL GENOME-WIDE ASSOCIATION STUDY (GWAS) ANALYSES WERE CONDUCTED; HOWEVER, POLYMORPHISMS ASSOCIATED WITH CP HAVE NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED. EPIGENETICS, ON THE OTHER HAND, INVOLVES ACQUIRED TRANSCRIPTIONAL REGULATORY MECHANISMS DUE TO REVERSIBLY ALTERED CHROMATIN ACCESSIBILITY. EPIGENETIC STATUS IS A CONDITION SPECIFIC TO EACH TISSUE AND CELL, MOSTLY DETERMINED BY THE RESPONSES OF HOST CELLS TO STIMULATIONS BY LOCAL FACTORS, LIKE BACTERIAL INFLAMMATION, AND SYSTEMIC FACTORS SUCH AS NUTRITION STATUS, METABOLIC DISEASES, AND HEALTH CONDITIONS. SIGNIFICANTLY, EPIGENETIC STATUS HAS BEEN LINKED WITH THE ONSET AND PROGRESSION OF SEVERAL ACQUIRED DISEASES. THUS, EPIGENETIC FACTORS IN PERIODONTAL TISSUES ARE ATTRACTIVE TARGETS FOR PERIODONTITIS DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENTS. IN THIS REVIEW, WE INTRODUCE ACCUMULATING EVIDENCE TO REVEAL THE EPIGENETIC BACKGROUND EFFECTS RELATED TO PERIODONTITIS CAUSED BY GENETIC FACTORS, SYSTEMIC DISEASES, AND LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, SUCH AS SMOKING, AND CLARIFY THE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS BY WHICH EPIGENETIC ALTERATION INFLUENCES THE SUSCEPTIBILITY OF PERIODONTITIS. 2022 14 5929 36 TARGETING EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS IN PERIODONTAL DISEASES. EPIGENETIC FACTORS ARE HERITABLE GENOME MODIFICATIONS THAT POTENTIALLY IMPACT GENE TRANSCRIPTION, CONTRIBUTING TO DISEASE STATES. EPIGENETIC MARKS PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY CONDITIONS, AS OBSERVED IN PERIODONTAL DISEASES, BY ALLOWING MICROBIAL PERSISTENCE OR BY PERMITTING MICROBIAL INSULT TO PLAY A ROLE IN THE SO-CALLED 'HIT-AND-RUN' INFECTIOUS MECHANISM, LEADING TO LASTING PATHOGEN INTERFERENCE WITH THE HOST GENOME. EPIGENETICS ALSO AFFECTS THE HEALTH SCIENCES BY PROVIDING A DYNAMIC MECHANISTIC FRAMEWORK TO EXPLAIN THE WAY IN WHICH ENVIRONMENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL FACTORS INTERACT WITH THE GENOME TO ALTER DISEASE RISK. IN THIS ARTICLE WE REVIEW CURRENT KNOWLEDGE OF EPIGENOME REGULATION IN LIGHT OF THE MULTIFACTORIAL NATURE OF PERIODONTAL DISEASES. WE DISCUSS EPIGENETIC TAGGING IN IDENTIFIED GENES, AND CONSIDER THE POTENTIAL IMPLICATIONS OF EPIGENETIC CHANGES ON HOST-MICROBIOME DYNAMICS IN CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY STATES AND IN RESPONSE TO ENVIRONMENTAL STRESSORS. THE MOST RECENT ADVANCES IN GENOMIC TECHNOLOGIES HAVE PLACED US IN A POSITION TO ANALYZE INTERACTION EFFECTS (EG, BETWEEN PERIODONTAL DISEASE AND TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS), WHICH CAN BE INVESTIGATED THROUGH EPIGENOME-WIDE ASSOCIATION ANALYSIS. FINALLY, BECAUSE OF THE INDIVIDUALIZED TRAITS OF EPIGENETIC BIOMARKERS, PHARMACOEPIGENOMIC PERSPECTIVES ARE ALSO CONSIDERED AS POTENTIALLY NOVEL THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES FOR IMPROVING PERIODONTAL DISEASE STATUS. 2018 15 1523 25 DNA METHYLATION CHANGES AND INFLAMMAGING IN AGING-ASSOCIATED DISEASES. AGING AS AN INEVITABLE PHENOMENON IS ASSOCIATED WITH PERVASIVE CHANGES IN PHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS. THERE IS A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AGING AND THE INCREASE OF SEVERAL CHRONIC DISEASES. MOST AGE-RELATED DISORDERS ARE ACCOMPANIED BY AN UNDERLYING CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY STATE, AS DEMONSTRATED BY LOCAL INFILTRATION OF INFLAMMATORY CELLS AND GREATER LEVELS OF PROINFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES IN THE BLOODSTREAM. WITHIN INFLAMMAGING, MANY EPIGENETIC EVENTS, ESPECIALLY DNA METHYLATION, CHANGE. DURING THE AGING PROCESS, DUE TO ABERRATIONS OF DNA METHYLATION, BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES ARE DISRUPTED, LEADING TO THE EMERGENCE OR PROGRESSION OF A VARIETY OF HUMAN DISEASES, INCLUDING CANCER, NEURODEGENERATIVE DISORDERS, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AND DIABETES. THE FOCUS OF THIS REVIEW IS ON DNA METHYLATION, WHICH IS INVOLVED IN INFLAMMAGING-RELATED ACTIVITIES, AND HOW ITS DYSREGULATION LEADS TO HUMAN DISORDERS. 2022 16 2027 32 EPIGENETIC CHANGES IN CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASES. THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE DIAGNOSED WITH CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASES HAS INCREASED NOTEWORTHY IN THE LAST 40 YEARS. SPONDYLOARTHRITIS (SPA), INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES (IBD), AND PSORIASIS ARE THE MOST FREQUENT CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASES, RESULTING FROM A COMBINATION OF GENETIC PREDISPOSITION AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS. EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS INCLUDE DNA METHYLATION, HISTONE MODIFICATIONS, AND SMALL AND LONG NONCODING RNAS. THEY ARE INFLUENCED BY ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE, LIFE-STYLE, AND AGING AND HAVE RECENTLY BEEN SHOWN TO BE ALTERED IN MANY COMPLEX DISEASES INCLUDING INFLAMMATORY DISEASES. WHILE EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS HAVE BEEN WELL CHARACTERIZED IN OTHER DISEASES SUCH AS CANCER AND AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES, KNOWLEDGE ON CHANGES IN INFLAMMATORY DISEASES IS LAGGING BEHIND WITH SOME DISEASE-SPECIFIC DIFFERENCES. WHILE THE DNA METHYLATION PROFILE OF DIFFERENT CELL TYPES IN PATIENTS WITH IBD HAS BEEN RELATIVELY WELL DESCRIBED, LESS IS KNOWN ON CHANGES IMPLICATED IN PSORIASIS, AND NO SYSTEMATIC GENOME-WIDE STUDIES HAVE SO FAR BEEN PERFORMED IN SPA. IN THIS CHAPTER, WE REVIEW IN DETAIL THE REPORTED CHANGES IN PATTERNS OF DNA METHYLATION AND POSTTRANSLATIONAL HISTONE MODIFICATIONS IN CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASES HIGHLIGHTING POTENTIAL CONNECTIONS BETWEEN DISEASE-ASSOCIATED PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES SUCH AS THE DYSBIOSIS OF THE MICROBIOME OR GENETIC VARIATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY AND THE EPIGENOME. WE ALSO DISCUSS IMPORTANT PARAMETERS OF MEANINGFUL EPIGENETIC STUDIES SUCH AS THE USE OF WELL DEFINED, DISEASE-RELEVANT CELL POPULATIONS, AND ELUDE ON THE POTENTIAL FUTURE OF ENGINEERING OF THE EPIGENOME IN INFLAMMATORY DISEASES. 2017 17 2570 24 EPIGENETICS OF CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASES. CHRONIC, NONCOMMUNICABLE, AND INFLAMMATION-ASSOCIATED DISEASES REMAIN THE LARGEST CAUSE OF MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY GLOBALLY AND WITHIN THE UNITED STATES. THIS IS MAINLY DUE TO OUR LIMITED UNDERSTANDING OF THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS THAT UNDERLIE THESE COMPLEX PATHOLOGIES. THE AVAILABLE EVIDENCE INDICATES THAT STUDIES OF EPIGENETICS (TRADITIONALLY DEFINED AS THE HERITABLE CHANGES TO GENE EXPRESSION THAT ARE INDEPENDENT OF CHANGES TO DNA) ARE SIGNIFICANTLY ADVANCING OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THESE INFLAMMATORY CONDITIONS. THIS REVIEW WILL FOCUS ON EPIGENETIC STUDIES OF THREE DISEASES, THAT ARE AMONG THE MOST BURDENSOME GLOBALLY: CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, THE NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF DEATHS WORLDWIDE, TYPE 2 DIABETES AND, ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE. THE CURRENT STATUS OF EPIGENETIC RESEARCH, INCLUDING THE ABILITY TO PREDICT DISEASE RISK, AND KEY PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL DEFECTS ARE DISCUSSED. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF DEFINING THE CONTRIBUTION OF EPIGENETIC DEFECTS TO NONRESOLVING INFLAMMATION AND AGING, EACH ASSOCIATED WITH THESE DISEASES, IS HIGHLIGHTED, AS THESE ARE LIKELY TO PROVIDE NEW INSIGHTS INTO INFLAMMATORY DISEASE PATHOGENESIS. 2019 18 6812 31 [EPIGENETICS, INTERFACE BETWEEN ENVIRONMENT AND GENES: ROLE IN COMPLEX DISEASES]. EPIGENETICS IS THE STUDY OF HERITABLE CHANGES IN GENE EXPRESSION OR CELLULAR PHENOTYPE CAUSED BY MECHANISMS OTHER THAN CHANGES IN THE UNDERLYING DNA SEQUENCE. EPIGENETICS IS ONE OF THE MAJOR MECHANISMS EXPLAINING THE "DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGIN OF HEALTH AND DISEASES" (DOHAD). BESIDES GENETIC BACKGROUND INHERITED FROM PARENTS, WHICH CONFERS SUSCEPTIBILITY TO CERTAIN PATHOLOGIES, EPIGENETIC CHANGES CONSTITUTE THE MEMORY OF PREVIOUS EVENTS, EITHER POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE, ALONG THE LIFE CYCLE, INCLUDING AT THE IN UTERO STAGE. THE LATER EXPOSITION TO HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT MAY REVEAL SUCH SUSCEPTIBILITY, WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF VARIOUS PATHOLOGIES, AMONG THEM NUMEROUS CHRONIC COMPLEX DISEASES. THE DEMONSTRATION OF SUCH A SEQUENCE OF EVENTS HAS BEEN SHOWN FOR METABOLIC DISEASES AS OBESITY, METABOLIC SYNDROME AND TYPE 2 DIABETES, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AND CANCER. IN CONTRAST TO GENETIC PREDISPOSITION, WHICH IS IRREVERSIBLE, EPIGENETIC CHANGES ARE POTENTIALLY REVERSIBLE, THUS GIVING TARGETS NOT ONLY FOR PREVENTION, BUT POSSIBLY ALSO FOR THE TREATMENT OF CERTAIN COMPLEX DISEASES. 2012 19 2333 28 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 20 3676 32 INFLAMMATION AND NEUTROPHIL IMMUNOSENESCENCE IN HEALTH AND DISEASE: TARGETED TREATMENTS TO IMPROVE CLINICAL OUTCOMES IN THE ELDERLY. DESPITE INCREASING LONGEVITY, MANY OLD PEOPLE ARE NOT IN GOOD HEALTH. THERE HAS BEEN AN INCREASE IN THE PREVALENCE OF AGE-ASSOCIATED MULTI-MORBIDITY (TWO OR MORE CHRONIC CONDITIONS IN THE SAME PERSON). ALSO, SEVERE INFECTIONS, SUCH AS PNEUMONIA, REMAIN SIGNIFICANT CAUSES OF MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY IN THIS AGING GROUP. MANY CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITIONS SHARE RISK FACTORS SUCH AS INCREASING AGE, SMOKING, A SEDENTARY LIFE STYLE AND BEING PART OF A LOWER SOCIOECONOMIC GROUP. HOWEVER, DESPITE THIS, MULTI-MORBIDITIES OFTEN CO-OCCUR MORE COMMONLY THAN WOULD BE PREDICTED. THIS HAS LED TO THE HYPOTHESIS THAT THEY SHARE COMMON UNDERLYING MECHANISMS. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT CONCEPT, FOR IF IT WERE TRUE, TREATMENTS COULD BE DEVISED WHICH TARGET THESE COMMON PATHWAYS AND IMPROVE A NUMBER OF AGE-ASSOCIATED HEALTH CONDITIONS. MANY CHRONIC ILLNESSES ASSOCIATED WITH MULTI-MORBIDITY AND SEVERE INFECTIONS ARE CHARACTERIZED BY AN ABNORMAL AND SUSTAINED INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE, WITH NEUTROPHILS BEING KEY EFFECTOR CELLS IN THE PATHOLOGICAL PROCESS. STUDIES HAVE DESCRIBED ABERRANT NEUTROPHIL FUNCTIONS ACROSS THESE CONDITIONS, AND SOME HAVE HIGHLIGHTED POTENTIAL MECHANISMS FOR ALTERED CELL BEHAVIOURS WHICH APPEAR SHARED ACROSS DISEASE STATES. IT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED THAT ALTERED FUNCTIONS MAY REPRESENT NEUTROPHIL "SENESCENCE". THIS REVIEW CONSIDERS HOW AND WHY NEUTROPHIL FUNCTIONS CHANGE AS THE CELL AGES, AND HOW AND WHY NEUTROPHIL FUNCTIONS CHANGE AS THE HOST AGES IN HEALTH AND DISEASE AND DISCUSSES WHETHER NEUTROPHIL FUNCTIONS COULD BE TARGETED TO IMPROVE HEALTH OUTCOMES IN OLDER ADULTS. 2018