Abstract
The emergent interest in cancer epigenetics stems from the fact that epigenetic modifications are implicated in virtually every step of tumorigenesis. More interestingly, epigenetic changes are reversible heritable changes that are not due to the alteration in DNA sequence but have potential to alter gene expression. Dietary agents consist of many bioactive ingredients which actively regulate various molecular targets involved in tumorigenesis. We present evidence that numerous bioactive dietary components can interfere with various epigenetic targets in cancer prevention and therapy. These agents include curcumin (turmeric), genistein (soybean), tea polyphenols (green tea), resveratrol (grapes), and sulforaphane (cruciferous vegetables). These bioactive components alter the DNA methylation and histone modifications required for gene activation or silencing in cancer prevention and therapy. Bioactive components mediate epigenetic modifications associated with the induction of tumor suppressor genes such as p21WAF1/CIP1 and inhibition of tumor promoting genes such as the human telomerase reverse transcriptase during tumorigenesis processes. Here, we present considerable evidence that bioactive components and their epigenetic targets are associated with cancer prevention and therapy which should facilitate novel drug discovery and development. In addition, remarkable advances in our understanding of basic epigenetic mechanisms as well as the rapid progress that is being made in developing powerful new technologies, such as those for sensitive and quantitative detection of epigenetic and epigenomic changes in cancer biology, hold great promise for novel epigenetic approaches to cancer prevention and therapy.
Highlights
Natural dietary agents including fruits, vegetables, and spices have been showing great potential in preventing and treating a wide variety of diseases including cancers
Extensive results have shown that bioactive dietary components have great potential in altering DNA methylation by modifying DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) levels in cancer prevention and therapy (Li and Tollefsbol 2010)
Several dietary agents or nutrients regulate different molecular targets in various cancers, here we summarize the role of some common bioactive dietary agents and their epigenetic targets on various cancers
Summary
Natural dietary agents including fruits, vegetables, and spices have been showing great potential in preventing and treating a wide variety of diseases including cancers. Growing evidence suggests that bioactive dietary components impact epigenetic processes often involved with reactivation of tumor suppressor genes, activation of cell survival proteins, and induction of cellular apoptosis in many types of cancer (Landis-Piwowar et al 2008; Li et al 2010; Paluszczak et al 2010; Majid et al 2008).
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