Nutritional Epigenetic Regulators in the Field of Cancer

Anticancer potential of naturally occurring immunoepigenetic modulators: A promising avenue?

“…It is worth noting that DNMT and HMT activities, and thus the regulation of chromatin structure and gene expression, by controlling the methylation status of DNA and histones, are tightly dependent on 1‐carbon metabolism and nutrient availability, such as folate, to generate SAM, which is the universal methyl donor for methylation reactions (Fig. ) …”

“…Although it is not very potent, butyrate is a well established HDACi (classes I, IIa, and IV), causing rapid histone hyperacetylation and thus playing an important role in the regulation of gene expression and acting as a differentiation‐inducing agent in various models. Accordingly, butyrate has been extensively reported for its in vitro and in vivo anticancer activities, including cell‐cycle arrest; the inhibition of proliferation, inflammation, and oxidative stress; the modulation of detoxification potential; and the induction of differentiation and apoptotic cell death in various cancer cells, at the same time displaying very low toxicity toward normal cells . Notably, butyrate also has other epigenetic effects.…”

“…Curcumin is among the most widely studied dietary polyphenols and has been recognized for its broad spectrum of therapeutic properties, including antimicrobial, antidiabetic, antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, antiangiogenic, and anticancer activities. Numerous studies have demonstrated that the anticancer and chemopreventive properties of curcumin rely on the modulation of various cell mechanisms and signaling cascades, interfering with inflammation, proliferation, and cell death in several types of cancer, and partly because of its effects on the epigenetic machinery . Recent evidence suggests that some of the anticancer properties of curcumin are partly mediated through the regulation of epigenetic mechanisms.…”

“…Curcumin also reportedly reduced expression of the HMT enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) and, consequently, the level of its target repressive histone mark (ie, H3K27 me3). In addition to modifying DNA methylation and histone modifications, curcumin is a well documented modulator of miRNA expression profiles, including the suppression of miRs, such as miR‐21, miR‐136, miR‐186, and miR‐200, and the overexpression of miR‐15a, miR‐16, and miR‐22.5656 …”

“…This dietary flavanol of the catechin group displays pleiotropic biologic activities that accounts for its in vitro and in vivo anticancer activity as well as chemopreventive activity. Accumulating evidence suggests that some properties of this phytochemical might result from its modulatory role on epigenetic machinery . Although it is controversial, EGCG reportedly has the potency to induce DNA demethylation and restore the expression of genes that are silenced by promoter hypermethylation through the inhibition of DNMT1 activity .…”