Toxicoepigenetics and Environmental Health: Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

The rapidly growing field of toxicoepigenetics seeks to understand how toxicant exposures interact with the epigenome to influence disease risk. Toxicoepigenetics is a promising field of environmental health research, as integrating epigenetics into the field of toxicology will enable a more thorough evaluation of toxicant-induced disease mechanisms as well as the elucidation of the role of the epigenome as a biomarker of exposure and disease and possible mediator of exposure effects. Likewise, toxicoepigenetics will enhance our knowledge of how environmental exposures, lifestyle factors, and diet interact to influence health. Ultimately, an understanding of how the environment impacts the epigenome to cause disease may inform risk assessment, permit noninvasive biomonitoring, and provide potential opportunities for therapeutic intervention. However, the translation of research from this exciting field into benefits for human and animal health presents several challenges and opportunities. Here, we describe four significant areas in which we see opportunity to transform the field and improve human health by reducing the disease burden caused by environmental exposures. These include (1) research into the mechanistic role for epigenetic change in environment-induced disease, (2) understanding key factors influencing vulnerability to the adverse effects of environmental exposures, (3) identifying appropriate biomarkers of environmental exposures and their associated diseases, and (4) determining whether the adverse effects of environment on the epigenome and human health are reversible through pharmacologic, dietary, or behavioral interventions. We then highlight several initiatives currently underway to address these challenges.

Developmental origins of Parkinson’s disease risk: perinatal exposure to the organochlorine pesticide dieldrin leads to sex-specific DNA modifications in critical neurodevelopmental pathways in the mouse midbrain

“…The epigenome is recognized as a potential mediator of this relationship due to its unique sensitivity to the environment, establishment during cellular differentiation, and potential to regulate gene expression throughout the lifespan (Bianco-Miotto et al ., 2017,Faulk and Dolinoy, 2011,Allis and Jenuwein, 2016). Given these characteristics, it is hypothesized that developmental exposures induce fixed changes in the epigenome, creating a poised epigenetic state in which exposure programs a modified response to later-life challenges resulting in altered disease risk (Svoboda et al ., 2022a). A growing body of work suggests that the epigenetic mechanisms serve as a mediator of environmental risk factors in PD (Schaffner and Kobor, 2022,Tsalenchuk et al ., 2023,Gionco and Bernstein, 2024).…”

Prenatal exposure to pesticide mixture in Argentina: A pilot study in puerperal women from Santa Fe province

“…Interactions between the human genome and the environment, and the potential risks to human health, are some of the most pressing challenges in environmental public health (Svoboda et al, 2022). Human biomonitoring is efficient and cost‐effective for measuring human exposure to hazardous substances (Zare Jeddi et al, 2022).…”

Biological Rhythms, Chrono-Nutrition, and Gut Microbiota: Epigenomics Insights for Precision Nutrition and Metabolic Health

“…The technological advancement and generation of high-resolution genetic sequencing allowed the identification of numerous molecules and reactions associated with epigenetic interactions [7]. A critical gap remains concerning the interactions between environmental, physiological, and biological factors impacting chromatin dynamics across the lifespan, making epigenomics a compelling subject for ongoing scientific research [8][9][10].…”