An epigenetic effect mainly refers to a heritable modulation in gene expression in the
short term but does not involve alterations in the DNA itself. Epigenetic molecular mechanisms
include DNA methylation, histone modification, and untranslated RNA regulation. Antiepileptic
drugs have drawn attention to biological and translational medicine because their impact on epigenetic
mechanisms will lead to the identification of novel biomarkers and possible therapeutic strategies
for the prevention and treatment of various diseases ranging from neuropsychological disorders
to cancers and other chronic conditions. However, these transcriptional and posttranscriptional alterations
can also result in adverse reactions and toxicity in vitro and in vivo. Hence, in this review,
we focus on recent findings showing epigenetic processes mediated by antiepileptic drugs to elucidate
their application in medical experiments and shed light on epigenetic research for medicinal
purposes.
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