1 2543 133 EPIGENETICS IN LIVER DISEASE. EPIGENETICS IS A TERM THAT ENCOMPASSES A VARIETY OF REGULATORY PROCESSES THAT ARE ABLE TO CROSSTALK IN ORDER TO INFLUENCE GENE EXPRESSION AND CELL PHENOTYPE IN RESPONSE TO ENVIRONMENTAL CUES. A DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF EPIGENETICS OFFERS THE POTENTIAL FOR FRESH INSIGHTS INTO THE BASIS FOR COMPLEX CHRONIC DISEASES AND IMPROVED DIAGNOSTIC AND PROGNOSTIC TOOLS. MOREOVER, AS EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS ARE HIGHLY PLASTIC AND RESPONSIVE TO THE ENVIRONMENT, THERE IS MUCH EXCITEMENT AROUND THE THEME OF EPIGENETIC THERAPEUTICS, INCLUDING NOT ONLY NEW DRUGS BUT ALSO MORE INFORMED PATIENT ADVICE ON LIFESTYLE CHOICES AND THEIR IMPACT ON PATHOLOGY. THIS REVIEW BRIEFLY EXPLAINS THE MOLECULAR NATURE OF THE INDIVIDUAL REGULATORY PROCESS THAT CONSTITUTE EPIGENETICS, INCLUDING DNA METHYLATION, HISTONE MODIFICATIONS, CHROMATIN REMODELING, TRANSCRIPTIONAL CONTROL, AND NONCODING RNAS. THE WAYS IN WHICH THESE EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS INFLUENCE LIVER PHYSIOLOGY AND DISEASE WILL BE CONSIDERED IN DETAIL, PARTICULARLY IN THE CONTEXT OF CANCER, FIBROSIS, AND NONALCOHOLIC STEATOHEPATITIS. THE CURRENT LIMITATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH EPIGENETIC PROFILING AND THERAPEUTICS IN LIVER DISEASE ARE DISCUSSED, AS IS THE INTRIGUING POSSIBILITY THAT ENVIRONMENTAL-INDUCED EPIGENETIC CHANGES MAY BECOME STABLE AND HERITABLE. CONCLUSION: THE AIM OF THE REVIEW IS TO INFORM HEPATOLOGISTS OF THE EMERGING KEY EPIGENETIC IDEAS OF RELEVANCE TO LIVER DISEASES THAT ARE HIGHLY LIKELY TO FORM A COMPONENT OF PATIENT MANAGEMENT AND CARE IN THE NEXT DECADE. 2014 2 554 40 AUTOPHAGY IN HUMAN HEALTH AND DISEASE: NOVEL THERAPEUTIC OPPORTUNITIES. SIGNIFICANCE: IN EUKARYOTES, AUTOPHAGY REPRESENTS A HIGHLY EVOLUTIONARY CONSERVED PROCESS, THROUGH WHICH MACROMOLECULES AND CYTOPLASMIC MATERIAL ARE DEGRADED INTO LYSOSOMES AND RECYCLED FOR BIOSYNTHETIC OR ENERGETIC PURPOSES. DYSFUNCTION OF THE AUTOPHAGIC PROCESS HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE ONSET AND DEVELOPMENT OF MANY HUMAN CHRONIC PATHOLOGIES, SUCH AS CARDIOVASCULAR, METABOLIC, AND NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES AS WELL AS CANCER. RECENT ADVANCES: CURRENTLY, COMPREHENSIVE RESEARCH IS BEING CARRIED OUT TO DISCOVER NEW THERAPEUTIC AGENTS THAT ARE ABLE TO MODULATE THE AUTOPHAGIC PROCESS IN VIVO. RECENT EVIDENCE HAS SHOWN THAT A LARGE NUMBER OF NATURAL BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS ARE INVOLVED IN THE REGULATION OF AUTOPHAGY BY MODULATING SEVERAL TRANSCRIPTIONAL FACTORS AND SIGNALING PATHWAYS. CRITICAL ISSUES: CRITICAL ISSUES THAT DESERVE PARTICULAR ATTENTION ARE THE INADEQUATE UNDERSTANDING OF THE COMPLEX ROLE OF AUTOPHAGY IN DISEASE PATHOGENESIS, THE LIMITED AVAILABILITY OF THERAPEUTIC DRUGS, AND THE LACK OF CLINICAL TRIALS. IN THIS CONTEXT, THE EFFECTS THAT NATURAL BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS EXERT ON AUTOPHAGIC MODULATION SHOULD BE CLEARLY HIGHLIGHTED, SINCE THEY DEPEND ON THE TYPE AND STAGE OF THE PATHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS OF DISEASES. FUTURE DIRECTIONS: RESEARCH EFFORTS SHOULD NOW FOCUS ON UNDERSTANDING THE SURVIVAL-SUPPORTING AND DEATH-PROMOTING ROLES OF AUTOPHAGY, HOW NATURAL COMPOUNDS INTERACT EXACTLY WITH THE AUTOPHAGIC TARGETS SO AS TO INDUCE OR INHIBIT AUTOPHAGY AND ON THE EVALUATION OF THEIR PHARMACOLOGICAL EFFECTS IN A MORE IN-DEPTH AND MECHANISTIC WAY. IN ADDITION, CLINICAL STUDIES ON AUTOPHAGY-INDUCING NATURAL PRODUCTS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED, ALSO TO HIGHLIGHT SOME FUNDAMENTAL ASPECTS, SUCH AS THE DOSE, THE DURATION, AND THE POSSIBLE SYNERGISTIC ACTION OF THESE COMPOUNDS WITH CONVENTIONAL THERAPY. 2019 3 6447 45 THERAPEUTIC PROSPECTS FOR EPIGENETIC MODULATION. INTRODUCTION: EPIGENETICS DESCRIBES THE PHENOMENON OF HERITABLE CHANGES IN GENE REGULATION GOVERNED BY NON-MENDELIAN PROCESSES, PRIMARILY THROUGH BIOCHEMICAL MODIFICATIONS TO CHROMATIN THAT OCCUR DURING CELL DIFFERENTIATION AND DEVELOPMENT. ABNORMAL LEVELS OF DNA AND/OR HISTONE MODIFICATIONS ARE OBSERVED IN PATIENTS WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF CHRONIC DISEASES. DRUGS THAT TARGET THE PROTEINS CONTROLLING THESE CHROMATIN MODIFICATIONS CAN MODULATE THE EXPRESSION OF CLUSTERS OF GENES, POTENTIALLY OFFERING HIGHER THERAPEUTIC EFFICACY THAN CLASSICAL AGENTS WITH SINGLE TARGET PHARMACOLOGIES THAT ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO BIOCHEMICAL PATHWAY DEGENERACY. AREAS COVERED: THIS ARTICLE REVIEWS RESEARCH CHARACTERIZING DYSREGULATION OF EPIGENETIC PROCESSES IN CANCER, IMMUNO-INFLAMMATORY, PSYCHIATRIC, NEUROLOGICAL, METABOLIC AND VIROLOGY DISEASE AREAS, AND SUMMARIZES RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN IDENTIFYING SMALL MOLECULE MODULATORS THAT ARE BEING USED TO INFORM TARGET DISCOVERY AND INITIATE DRUG DISCOVERY PROJECTS. EXPERT OPINION: THERE ARE NUMEROUS POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR EPIGENETIC MODULATORS IN TREATING A WIDE RANGE OF CHRONIC DISEASES; HOWEVER, THE FIELD IS COMPLEX, INVOLVING > 300 PROTEINS, AND MUCH WORK IS STILL REQUIRED TO PROVIDE TOOLS TO UNRAVEL THE FUNCTIONS OF INDIVIDUAL PROTEINS, PARTICULARLY IN VIVO. THIS GROUNDWORK IS ESSENTIAL TO ALLOW THE DRUG DISCOVERY COMMUNITY TO FOCUS ON THOSE EPIGENETIC PROTEINS MOST LIKELY TO BE SUITABLE TARGETS FOR SAFE, EFFICACIOUS NEW THERAPIES. 2011 4 4534 32 MULTIPLE REGULATIONS OF KEAP1/NRF2 SYSTEM BY DIETARY PHYTOCHEMICALS. KEAP1/NRF2 SYSTEM PLAYS A CRITICAL ROLE ON CELLULAR PROTECTION BY REGULATING MANY ANTIOXIDANT AND DETOXIFICATION ENZYME GENES THROUGH THE ANTIOXIDANT RESPONSE ELEMENT (ARE). THUS, IT MUST WORK CONSTANTLY TO PREVENT THE ACCUMULATION OF REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES (ROS) BECAUSE EXCESS ROS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH MANY DISEASES SUCH AS CANCER, CARDIOVASCULAR COMPLICATIONS, INFLAMMATION, AND NEURODEGENERATION. DIETARY PHYTOCHEMICALS WIDELY DISTRIBUTING IN FRUITS AND VEGETABLES HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED TO POSSESS CANCER CHEMOPREVENTIVE POTENTIAL THROUGH THE INDUCTION OF KEAP1/NRF2 SYSTEM-MEDIATED ANTIOXIDANT AND DETOXIFICATION ENZYMES IN A VARIETY OF MANNERS. THE DATA ARE EXTENSIVE AND ARE NOT WELL CLASSIFIED ON THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS. IN THIS REVIEW, WE FIRST BRIEFLY INTRODUCE THE CURRENT KNOWLEDGE ON KEAP1/NRF2 SYSTEM REGULATION INCLUDING KEAP1-DEPENDENT AND KEAP1-INDEPENDENT CASCADES, AND EPIGENETIC PATHWAY. THEN, WE SUMMARIZE THE MOLECULAR TARGETS OF KEAP1/NRF2 SYSTEM BY DIETARY PHYTOCHEMICALS, AND FINALLY REVIEW THE CROSSTALK BETWEEN KEAP1/NRF2 SYSTEM AND OTHER CELLULAR SIGNALING PATHWAYS TO REGULATE DIVERSE CHRONIC DISEASES BY DIETARY PHYTOCHEMICALS. THESE COMPREHENSIVE DATA WILL HELP US TO UNDERSTAND THE POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF DIETARY PHYTOCHEMICALS ON THE PREVENTION OF CHRONIC DISEASES AND MAINTENANCE OF HUMAN HEALTH. 2016 5 2703 39 EXERCISE ADAPTATIONS: MOLECULAR MECHANISMS AND POTENTIAL TARGETS FOR THERAPEUTIC BENEFIT. EXERCISE IS FUNDAMENTAL FOR GOOD HEALTH, WHEREAS PHYSICAL INACTIVITY UNDERPINS MANY CHRONIC DISEASES OF MODERN SOCIETY. IT IS WELL APPRECIATED THAT REGULAR EXERCISE IMPROVES METABOLISM AND THE METABOLIC PHENOTYPE IN A NUMBER OF TISSUES. THE PHENOTYPIC ALTERATIONS OBSERVED IN SKELETAL MUSCLE ARE PARTLY MEDIATED BY TRANSCRIPTIONAL RESPONSES THAT OCCUR FOLLOWING EACH INDIVIDUAL BOUT OF EXERCISE. THIS ADAPTIVE RESPONSE INCREASES OXIDATIVE CAPACITY AND INFLUENCES THE FUNCTION OF MYOKINES AND EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES THAT SIGNAL TO OTHER TISSUES. OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE EPIGENETIC AND TRANSCRIPTIONAL MECHANISMS THAT MEDIATE THE SKELETAL MUSCLE GENE EXPRESSION RESPONSE TO EXERCISE AS WELL AS OF THEIR UPSTREAM SIGNALLING PATHWAYS HAS ADVANCED SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE PAST 10 YEARS. WITH THIS KNOWLEDGE ALSO COMES THE OPPORTUNITY TO DESIGN NEW THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES BASED ON THE BIOLOGY OF EXERCISE FOR A VARIETY OF CHRONIC CONDITIONS WHERE REGULAR EXERCISE MIGHT BE A CHALLENGE. THIS REVIEW PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW OF THE BENEFICIAL ADAPTIVE RESPONSES TO EXERCISE AND DETAILS THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS INVOLVED. THE POSSIBILITY OF DESIGNING THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS BASED ON THESE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS IS ADDRESSED, USING RELEVANT EXAMPLES THAT HAVE EXPLOITED THIS APPROACH. 2020 6 2459 21 EPIGENETIC THERAPIES FOR NON-ONCOLOGY INDICATIONS. CHRONIC AND DEGENERATIVE DISORDERS ARE A MAJOR, AND GROWING, HUMAN HEALTH BURDEN, AND CURRENT TREATMENTS ARE IN MANY CASES INADEQUATE OR VERY EXPENSIVE. EPIGENETIC THERAPIES ARE ATTRACTIVE OPTIONS FOR TREATING SUCH DISORDERS BECAUSE THEY MANIPULATE THE PROCESSES THAT MAINTAIN CELLS IN AN ABNORMAL TRANSCRIPTIONAL STATE. THE CHALLENGES LIE IN IDENTIFYING THE MOST APPROPRIATE DISEASES AND THE ENZYMES THAT SHOULD BE TARGETED. THIS REVIEW DESCRIBES THE DIFFERENT APPROACHES THAT CAN BE USED TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM, FOCUSING PARTICULARLY ON CNS DISORDERS (ESPECIALLY MENTAL RETARDATION, NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASE, PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS AND DRUG ADDICTION), DIABETES AND DIABETIC COMPLICATIONS, AND AUTOIMMUNITY AND INFLAMMATORY DISEASES. 2010 7 5071 35 PHYSICAL EXERCISE AND EPIGENETIC ADAPTATIONS OF THE CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM. DURING THE LAST DECADE, EPIGENETICS BECAME ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING RESEARCH FIELDS IN NUMEROUS CLINICAL AND BASIC SCIENCE DISCIPLINES. EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT CHROMATIN MODIFICATIONS (E.G., HISTONE MODIFICATIONS AND DNA METHYLATION) AS WELL AS THE EXPRESSION OF MICRO-RNA MOLECULES PLAY A CRUCIAL ROLE IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF SEVERAL CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES. ON THE ONE HAND, THEY ARE INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF GENERAL RISK FACTORS LIKE CHRONIC INFLAMMATION, BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS ARE CONDUCIVE TO SMOOTH MUSCLE CELL, CARDIOMYOCYTE, AND ENDOTHELIAL PROGENITOR CELL PROLIFERATION/DIFFERENTIATION AS WELL AS TO EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX PROCESSING AND ENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION (E.G., ENDOTHELIAL NITRIC OXIDE SYNTHASE REGULATION). THEREFORE, EPIGENETIC MEDICAL DRUGS HAVE GAINED INCREASED ATTENTION AND PROVIDED THE FIRST PROMISING RESULTS IN THE CONTEXT OF CARDIOVASCULAR MALIGNANCIES. BESIDE OTHER LIFESTYLE FACTORS, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SPORTS ESSENTIALLY CONTRIBUTE TO CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH AND REGENERATION. IN THIS REVIEW WE FOCUS ON RECENT RESEARCH PROPOSING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AS A POTENT EPIGENETIC REGULATOR THAT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO COUNTERACT PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL ALTERATIONS IN ALMOST ALL THE AFOREMENTIONED CARDIOVASCULAR CELLS AND TISSUES. AS WITH EPIGENETIC MEDICAL DRUGS, MORE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS AND DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIPS OF EXERCISE IS NEEDED TO OPTIMIZE THE OUTCOME OF PREVENTIVE AND REHABILITATIVE EXERCISE PROGRAMS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. 2015 8 2100 21 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 9 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 10 5410 35 REGULATION OF ADAPTIVE IMMUNE CELLS BY SIRTUINS. IT IS NOW WELL-ESTABLISHED THAT THE PATHWAYS THAT CONTROL LYMPHOCYTE METABOLISM AND FUNCTION ARE INTIMATELY LINKED, AND CHANGES IN LYMPHOCYTE METABOLISM CAN INFLUENCE AND DIRECT CELLULAR FUNCTION. INTERESTINGLY, A NUMBER OF RECENT ADVANCES INDICATE THAT LYMPHOCYTE IDENTITY AND METABOLISM IS PARTIALLY CONTROLLED VIA EPIGENETIC REGULATION. EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS, SUCH AS CHANGES IN DNA METHYLATION OR HISTONE ACETYLATION, HAVE BEEN FOUND TO ALTER IMMUNE FUNCTION AND PLAY A ROLE IN NUMEROUS CHRONIC DISEASE STATES. THERE ARE SEVERAL ENZYMES THAT CAN MEDIATE EPIGENETIC CHANGES; OF PARTICULAR INTEREST ARE SIRTUINS, PROTEIN DEACETYLASES THAT MEDIATE ADAPTIVE RESPONSES TO A VARIETY OF STRESSES (INCLUDING CALORIE RESTRICTION AND METABOLIC STRESS) AND ARE NOW UNDERSTOOD TO PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN IMMUNITY. THIS REVIEW WILL FOCUS ON RECENT ADVANCES IN THE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW SIRTUINS AFFECT THE ADAPTIVE IMMUNE SYSTEM. THESE PATHWAYS ARE OF SIGNIFICANT INTEREST AS THERAPEUTIC TARGETS FOR THE TREATMENT OF AUTOIMMUNITY, CANCER, AND TRANSPLANT TOLERANCE. 2019 11 2812 28 FIBROBLAST MEMORY IN DEVELOPMENT, HOMEOSTASIS AND DISEASE. FIBROBLASTS ARE THE MAJOR CELL POPULATION IN THE CONNECTIVE TISSUE OF MOST ORGANS, WHERE THEY ARE ESSENTIAL FOR THEIR STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY. THEY ARE BEST KNOWN FOR THEIR ROLE IN REMODELLING THE EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX, HOWEVER MORE RECENTLY THEY HAVE BEEN RECOGNISED AS A FUNCTIONALLY HIGHLY DIVERSE CELL POPULATION THAT CONSTANTLY RESPONDS AND ADAPTS TO THEIR ENVIRONMENT. BIOLOGICAL MEMORY IS THE PROCESS OF A SUSTAINED ALTERED CELLULAR STATE AND FUNCTIONS IN RESPONSE TO A TRANSIENT OR PERSISTENT ENVIRONMENTAL STIMULUS. WHILE IT IS WELL ESTABLISHED THAT FIBROBLASTS RETAIN A MEMORY OF THEIR ANATOMICAL LOCATION, HOW OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL STIMULI INFLUENCE FIBROBLAST BEHAVIOUR AND FUNCTION IS LESS CLEAR. THE ABILITY OF FIBROBLASTS TO RESPOND AND MEMORISE DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTAL STIMULI IS ESSENTIAL FOR TISSUE DEVELOPMENT AND HOMEOSTASIS AND MAY BECOME DYSREGULATED IN CHRONIC DISEASE CONDITIONS SUCH AS FIBROSIS AND CANCER. HERE WE SUMMARISE THE FOUR EMERGING KEY AREAS OF FIBROBLAST ADAPTATION: POSITIONAL, MECHANICAL, INFLAMMATORY, AND METABOLIC MEMORY AND HIGHLIGHT THE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS IN TISSUE HOMEOSTASIS AND DISEASE. 2021 12 1397 24 DIET PHYTOCHEMICALS AND CUTANEOUS CARCINOMA CHEMOPREVENTION: A REVIEW. CUTANEOUS CARCINOMA, WHICH HAS OCCUPIED A PECULIAR PLACE AMONG WORLDWIDE POPULATIONS, IS COMMONLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONSIDERABLY INCREASING MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY RATES. CURRENTLY AVAILABLE MEDICAL PROCEDURES FAIL TO COMPLETELY AVOID CUTANEOUS CARCINOMA DEVELOPMENT OR TO PREVENT MORTALITY. CANCER CHEMOPREVENTION, AS AN ALTERNATIVE STRATEGY, IS BEING CONSIDERED TO REDUCE THE INCIDENCE AND BURDEN OF CANCERS THROUGH CHEMICAL AGENTS. DERIVED FROM DIETARY FOODS, PHYTOCHEMICALS HAVE BECOME SAFE AND RELIABLE COMPOUNDS FOR THE CHEMOPREVENTION OF CUTANEOUS CARCINOMA BY RELIEVING MULTIPLE PATHOLOGICAL PROCESSES, INCLUDING OXIDATIVE DAMAGE, EPIGENETIC ALTERATION, CHRONIC INFLAMMATION, ANGIOGENESIS, ETC. IN THIS REVIEW, WE PRESENTED COMPREHENSIVE KNOWLEDGES, MAIN MOLECULAR MECHANISMS FOR THE INITIATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF CUTANEOUS CARCINOMA AS WELL AS EFFECTS OF VARIOUS DIET PHYTOCHEMICALS ON CHEMOPREVENTION. 2017 13 4716 31 NON-GENETIC RATS MODELS FOR ATHEROSCLEROSIS RESEARCH: FROM PAST TO PRESENT. ATHEROSCLEROSIS IS AN INFLAMMATORY, PROGRESSIVE, AND CHRONIC ILLNESS THAT INVOLVES SEVERAL MOLECULAR AND EPIGENETIC FACTORS. DESPITE TREATMENT LIMITATIONS, CLINICAL AND THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES HAVE UNDENIABLY CHANGED RADICALLY IN RECENT DECADES THROUGH BETTER KNOWLEDGE OF THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL BASIS OF THE DISEASE, WHICH HAS CONSIDERABLY IMPROVED PATIENTS' SURVIVAL AND QUALITY OF LIFE. SOME OF THESE ADVANCES ARE ATTRIBUTABLE TO BASIC BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH THAT PROVIDES INSIGHTS INTO A BETTER UNDERSTANDING AND IDENTIFICATION OF NEW MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR TARGETS FOR ATHEROSCLEROSIS TREATMENT. ALTHOUGH RODENT MODELS HAVE CONTRIBUTED SUBSTANTIALLY TO A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS, THE ACCURACY OF THESE MODELS REMAINS CONTROVERSIAL. RESEARCH THAT UTILIZES GENETIC RODENT MODELS IS WELL ESTABLISHED, BUT THE USE OF SPECIFIC DIETS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH OTHER RISK FACTORS (E.G., HYPERTENSION, HORMONE DEPRIVATION, AND PHARMACOLOGICAL TOOLS) IS STILL DEBATABLE. THE PRESENT REVIEW PROVIDES AN UPDATE ON NON-GENETIC RAT MODELS OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS AND AN OVERVIEW OF THE MAIN METHODOLOGIES THAT ARE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE. 2019 14 4460 38 MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES AND HUMAN DISEASE. A SUBSTANTIAL PROPORTION OF DISEASE RISK FOR COMMON COMPLEX DISORDERS IS ATTRIBUTABLE TO ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES AND POLLUTANTS. AN APPRECIATION OF HOW ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS ACT ON OUR CELLS TO PRODUCE DELETERIOUS HEALTH EFFECTS HAS LED TO ADVANCES IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE PATHOGENESIS OF CHRONIC DISEASES, INCLUDING CANCER AND CARDIOVASCULAR, NEURODEGENERATIVE AND RESPIRATORY DISEASES. HERE, WE DISCUSS EMERGING RESEARCH ON THE INTERPLAY OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS WITH THE HUMAN GENOME AND EPIGENOME. WE REVIEW EVIDENCE SHOWING THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ON GENE EXPRESSION THROUGH EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS, INCLUDING DNA METHYLATION, HISTONE MODIFICATION AND NON-CODING RNAS. WE ALSO HIGHLIGHT RECENT STUDIES THAT EVALUATE RECENTLY DISCOVERED MOLECULAR PROCESSES THROUGH WHICH THE ENVIRONMENT CAN EXERT ITS EFFECTS, INCLUDING EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES, THE EPITRANSCRIPTOME AND THE MITOCHONDRIAL GENOME. FINALLY, WE DISCUSS CURRENT CHALLENGES WHEN STUDYING THE EXPOSOME - THE CUMULATIVE MEASURE OF ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES OVER THE LIFESPAN - AND ITS INTEGRATION INTO FUTURE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH RESEARCH. 2023 15 6378 42 THE ROLE OF NUTRITION ON EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS ON HEALTH. NUTRITION PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN MANY ASPECTS OF HEALTH AND DIETARY IMBALANCES ARE MAJOR DETERMINANTS OF CHRONIC DISEASES INCLUDING CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, OBESITY, DIABETES AND CANCER. ADEQUATE NUTRITION IS PARTICULARLY ESSENTIAL DURING CRITICAL PERIODS IN EARLY LIFE (BOTH PRE- AND POSTNATAL). IN THIS REGARD, THERE IS EXTENSIVE EPIDEMIOLOGIC AND EXPERIMENTAL DATA SHOWING THAT EARLY SUB-OPTIMAL NUTRITION CAN HAVE HEALTH CONSEQUENCES SEVERAL DECADES LATER. THE HYPOTHESIS THAT EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS MAY LINK SUCH NUTRITIONAL IMBALANCES WITH ALTERED DISEASE RISK HAS BEEN GAINING ACCEPTANCE OVER RECENT YEARS. EPIGENETICS CAN BE DEFINED AS THE STUDY OF HERITABLE CHANGES IN GENE EXPRESSION THAT DO NOT INVOLVE ALTERATIONS IN THE DNA SEQUENCE. EPIGENETIC MARKS INCLUDE DNA METHYLATION, HISTONE MODIFICATIONS AND A VARIETY OF NON-CODING RNAS. STRIKINGLY, THEY ARE PLASTIC AND RESPOND TO ENVIRONMENTAL SIGNALS, INCLUDING DIET. HERE WE WILL REVIEW HOW DIETARY FACTORS MODULATE THE ESTABLISHMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF EPIGENETIC MARKS, THEREBY INFLUENCING GENE EXPRESSION AND, HENCE, DISEASE RISK AND HEALTH. 2012 16 6101 30 THE EMERGING ROLE OF EPIGENETICS IN THE IMMUNE RESPONSE TO VACCINATION AND INFECTION: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. EXTENSIVE RESEARCH HAS HIGHLIGHTED THE ROLE OF INFECTION-INDUCED EPIGENETIC EVENTS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF CANCER. MORE RECENTLY, ATTENTION HAS FOCUSED ON THE ABILITY OF NON-CARCINOGENIC INFECTIONS, AS WELL AS VACCINES, TO MODIFY THE HUMAN EPIGENOME AND MODULATE THE IMMUNE RESPONSE. THIS REVIEW EXPLORES THIS RAPIDLY EVOLVING AREA OF INVESTIGATION AND OUTLINES THE MANY AND VARIED WAYS IN WHICH VACCINATION AND NATURAL INFECTION CAN INFLUENCE THE HUMAN EPIGENOME FROM MODULATION OF THE INNATE AND ADAPTIVE IMMUNE RESPONSE, TO BIOLOGICAL AGEING AND MODIFICATION OF DISEASE RISK. THE IMPLICATIONS OF THESE EPIGENETIC CHANGES ON IMMUNE REGULATION AND THEIR POTENTIAL APPLICATION TO THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF CHRONIC INFECTION AND VACCINE DEVELOPMENT ARE ALSO DISCUSSED. 2020 17 4342 34 MINIREVIEW: EPIGENETICS OF OBESITY AND DIABETES IN HUMANS. UNDERSTANDING THE DETERMINANTS OF HUMAN HEALTH AND DISEASE IS OVERWHELMINGLY COMPLEX, PARTICULARLY FOR COMMON, LATE-ONSET, CHRONIC DISORDERS, SUCH AS OBESITY AND DIABETES. ELUCIDATING THE GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE SUSCEPTIBILITY TO DISRUPTIONS IN ENERGY HOMEOSTASIS AND METABOLIC REGULATION REMAIN A CHALLENGE, AND PROGRESS WILL ENTAIL THE INTEGRATION OF MULTIPLE ASSESSMENTS OF TEMPORALLY DYNAMIC ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES IN THE CONTEXT OF EACH INDIVIDUAL'S GENOTYPE. TO MEET THIS CHALLENGE, RESEARCHERS ARE INCREASINGLY EXPLORING THE EPIGENOME, WHICH IS THE MALLEABLE INTERFACE OF GENE-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS. EPIGENETIC VARIATION, WHETHER INNATE OR INDUCED, CONTRIBUTES TO VARIATION IN GENE EXPRESSION, THE RANGE OF POTENTIAL INDIVIDUAL RESPONSES TO INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL CUES, AND RISK FOR METABOLIC DISEASE. ULTIMATELY, ADVANCEMENT IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF CHRONIC DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY IN HUMANS WILL DEPEND ON REFINEMENT OF EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT TOOLS AND SYSTEMS BIOLOGY APPROACHES TO INTERPRETATION. IN THIS REVIEW, WE PRESENT RECENT PROGRESS IN EPIGENETICS OF HUMAN OBESITY AND DIABETES, EXISTING CHALLENGES, AND THE POTENTIAL FOR NEW APPROACHES TO UNRAVEL THE COMPLEX BIOLOGY OF METABOLIC DYSREGULATION. 2012 18 4315 27 MICRORNAS AS NEW TARGETS OF DIETARY POLYPHENOLS. IN THE LASTS YEARS IT HAS BECOME EVIDENT THAT POLYPHENOLS MODIFY CELL FUNCTIONALITY THROUGH EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS, SUCH AS MODULATING MICRORNA (MIRNA) LEVELS. MIRNAS ARE SMALL NON-CODING RNAS OF ABOUT 22 NUCLEOTIDES IN LENGTH, THAT MODULATE GENE EXPRESSION AT THE POST-TRANSCRIPTIONAL LEVEL. MIRNAS ARE INVOLVED IN ALMOST ALL BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES, AFFECT MOST METABOLIC PATHWAYS AND RECENT EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THEIR DYSREGULATION IN A NUMBER OF METABOLIC DISORDERS AND DISEASES. IN THIS SENSE, MIRNAS ARE EMERGING AS POTENTIAL BIOMARKERS OF NUMEROUS PATHOLOGIES AND THEREFORE AS NEW THERAPEUTIC TARGETS. POLYPHENOLIC MODULATION OF MIRNAS IS VERY ATTRACTIVE AS A STRATEGY TO TARGET NUMEROUS CELL PROCESSES AND POTENTIALLY REDUCE THE RISK OF CHRONIC DISEASES. 2014 19 6333 43 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 3110 43 GENOTYPE- OR PHENOTYPE-TARGETING ANTICANCER THERAPIES? LESSONS FROM TUMOR EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY. DESPITE THE EFFICACY OF MOST CANCER THERAPIES, DRUG RESISTANCE REMAINS A MAJOR PROBLEM IN THE CLINIC. THE ERADICATION OF THE ENTIRE TUMOR AND THE CURE OF THE PATIENT BY CHEMOTHERAPY ALONE ARE RARE, IN PARTICULAR FOR ADVANCED DISEASE. FROM AN EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVE, THE SELECTIVE PRESSURE EXERTED BY CHEMOTHERAPY LEADS TO THE EMERGENCE OF RESISTANT CLONES WHERE RESISTANCE CAN BE ASSOCIATED WITH MANY DIFFERENT FUNCTIONAL MECHANISMS AT THE SINGLE CELL LEVEL OR CAN INVOLVE CHANGES IN THE TUMOR MICRO-ENVIRONMENT. IN THE LAST DECADE, TUMOR GENOMICS HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE IMPROVEMENT OF OUR UNDERSTANDING OF TUMORIGENESIS AND HAS LED TO THE IDENTIFICATION OF NUMEROUS CELLULAR TARGETS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL THERAPIES. HOWEVER, SINCE TUMORS ARE BY NATURE EXTREMELY HETEROGENEOUS, THE DRUG EFFICACY AND ECONOMICAL SUSTAINABILITY OF THIS APPROACH IS NOW DEBATABLE. IMPORTANTLY, TUMOR CELL HETEROGENEITY DEPENDS NOT ONLY ON GENETIC MODIFICATIONS BUT ALSO ON NON-GENETIC PROCESSES INVOLVING EITHER STOCHASTIC EVENTS OR EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS MAKING GENETIC BIOMARKERS OF UNCERTAIN UTILITY. IN THIS REVIEW, WE WISH TO HIGHLIGHT HOW EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY CAN IMPACT OUR UNDERSTANDING OF CARCINOGENESIS AND RESISTANCE TO THERAPIES. WE WILL DISCUSS NEW APPROACHES BASED ON APPLIED ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION DYNAMICS THAT CAN BE USED TO CONVERT THE CANCER INTO A CHRONIC DISEASE WHERE THE DRUGS WOULD CONTROL TUMOR GROWTH. FINALLY, WE WILL DISCUSS THE WAY METABOLIC DYSFUNCTION OR PHENOTYPIC CHANGES CAN HELP DEVELOPING NEW DELIVERY SYSTEMS OR PHENOTYPETARGETED DRUGS AND HOW EXPLORING NEW SOURCES OF ACTIVE COMPOUNDS CAN CONDUCT TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF DRUGS WITH ORIGINAL MECHANISMS OF ACTION. 2016