Abstract
Accumulating knowledge has been achieved on DNA methylation participating in numerous cellular processes and multiple human diseases; however, few studies have addressed the pleiotropic role of DNA methylation in Chinese herbal medicine (CHM). CHM has been used worldwide for the prevention and treatment of multiple diseases. Newly developed epigenetic techniques have brought great opportunities for the development of CHM. In this review, we summarize the DNA methylation studies and portray the pleiotropic role of DNA methylation in CHM. DNA methylation serves as a mediator participating in plant responses to environmental factors, and thus affecting CHM medicinal plants growth and bioactive compound biosynthesis which are vital for therapeutic effects. Furthermore, DNA methylation helps to uncover the pharmaceutical mechanisms of CHM formulae, herbs, and herbal-derived compounds. It also provides scientific validation for constitution theory and other essential issues of CHM. This newly developed field of DNA methylation is up-and-coming to address many complicated scientific questions of CHM; it thus not only promotes disease treatment but also facilitates health maintenance.
Highlights
Chinese herbal medicine (CHM), originated in ancient China, has been used worldwide to prevent and treat different medical conditions (Ang-Lee et al, 2001; Pang et al, 2017)
The results showed that compared to the natural light group, shading induced 32.51% of the gene DNA methylation and 16.25% demethylation, which revealed that DNA methylation variations might participate in the mechanism of increased production of P. ternata under shading conditions (Shi et al, 2020)
DNA methylation participates in the mechanism of domestication process of northern and southern cultivated ginseng subtypes DNA methylation is involved in medicinal plant development and bioactive compound biosynthesis, affects the secondary metabolism and stress response in S. miltiorrhiza Planted with shading induced 32.51% of the gene DNA methylation and 16.25% demethylation, and effectively promoted the yield DNA methylation plays an important role in the rapid adjustment of plant populations to dynamic environmental conditions DNA methylation may influence phenotypes and ecological processes in wild plant populations Excess exposure to copper can affect the expressions of methyltransferases, copper-induced reactive oxygen species may cause the DNA damage and result in DNA methylation in H. verticillata
Summary
Chinese herbal medicine (CHM), originated in ancient China, has been used worldwide to prevent and treat different medical conditions (Ang-Lee et al, 2001; Pang et al, 2017).
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