Highlights
- •Diabetes epidemic is an epidemic of its complications.
- •Epigenetic modifications can modulate the interplay between genes and environment.
- •Epigenetic modifications are implicated in diabetes and its complications.
- •Epigenetic changes are reprogrammable, and can be targeted with therapeutics.
Abstract
Diabetes is now considered as a ‘silent epidemic’ that claims over four million lives
every year, and the disease knows no socioeconomic boundaries. Despite extensive efforts
by the National and International organizations, and cutting-edge research, about
11% world's population is expected to suffer from diabetes (and its complications)
by year 2045. This life-long disease damages both the microvasculature and the macrovasculature
of the body, and affects many metabolic and molecular pathways, altering the expression
of many genes. Recent research has shown that external factors, such as environmental
factors, lifestyle and pollutants can also regulate gene expression, and contribute
in the disease development and progression. Many epigenetic modifications are implicated
in the development of micro- and macro- vascular complications including DNA methylation
and histone modifications of several genes implicated in their development. Furthermore,
several noncoding RNAs, such as micro RNAs and long noncoding RNAs, are also altered,
affecting many biochemical pathways. Epigenetic modifications, however, have the advantage
that they could be passed to the next generation, or can be erased. They are now being
explored as therapeutical target(s) in the cancer field, which opens up the possibility
to use them for treating diabetes and preventing/slowing down its complications.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: October 26, 2021
Accepted:
October 21,
2021
Received in revised form:
October 18,
2021
Received:
June 29,
2021
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
