Abstract

Cancer initiation and progression is an accumulation of genetic and epigenetic modifications. DNA methylation is a common epigenetic modification that regulates gene expression, and aberrant DNA methylation patterns are considered a hallmark of cancer. The human diet is a source of micronutrients, bioactive molecules, and mycotoxins that have the ability to alter DNA methylation patterns and are thus a contributing factor for both the prevention and onset of cancer. Micronutrients such as betaine, choline, folate, and methionine serve as cofactors or methyl donors for one-carbon metabolism and other DNA methylation reactions. Dietary bioactive compounds such as curcumin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, genistein, quercetin, resveratrol, and sulforaphane reactivate essential tumor suppressor genes by reversing aberrant DNA methylation patterns, and therefore, they have shown potential against various cancers. In contrast, fungi-contaminated agricultural foods are a source of potent mycotoxins that induce carcinogenesis. In this review, we summarize the existing literature on dietary micronutrients, bioactive compounds, and food-borne mycotoxins that affect DNA methylation patterns and identify their potential in the onset and treatment of cancer.

Highlights

  • Cancer is a public health concern and a major cause of mortality worldwide

  • This study found that higher folate intake was associated with higher levels of CpG loci methylation, especially in the interleukin 17 receptor B (IL17RB) CpG locus, which is a gene that is commonly associated with the signaling cascade that promotes cancer cell survival, proliferation, and migration [63,64]

  • Micronutrients and bioactive dietary compounds have shown the potential to inhibit and prevent cancer, the main disadvantage is that the majority of these studies are conducted in vitro

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Summary

Introduction

Cancer is a public health concern and a major cause of mortality worldwide. According to the. It was reported that 25–80% of cancer patients used dietary compounds and/or micronutrient supplementation as a therapeutic agent to replenish the body’s nutritional needs after surgery and/or chemotherapy, inhibit tumor growth, and prevent tumor recurrence. Emerging evidence suggests that dietary micronutrients and bioactive molecules exhibit anti-cancer properties by reversing abnormal gene activation and inhibition through epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation [13,14,15,16,17,18], and these changes in DNA methylation may provide insight into future therapeutic interventions. We summarize existing literature on natural dietary micronutrients, bioactive compounds, and food-borne mycotoxins that affect DNA methylation patterns and identify its potential in the onset and treatment of cancer

Cancer and DNA Methylation
Micronutrients as Methyl Donors
Folate
Other B Vitamins
Betaine and Choline
Methionine
Curcumin
Quercetin
Resveratrol
Sulforaphane
3.10. Genistein
3.11. Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate
3.12. Combinational Effects of Dietary Compounds on DNA Methylation in Cancer
Mycotoxins
Fusaric Acid
Fumonisin B1
Ochratoxin A
Aflatoxin B1
Zearalenone
Deoxynivalenol
T-2 Toxin
Findings
Conclusions

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