表观遗传学机制与空气污染的健康效应

空气污染是一个全球性的问题,并且具有深远的环境影响。暴露于空气污染会对人体健康产生许多不同的影响,理解空气污染的健康效应又是一个复杂命题,既要考虑不同类型的污染物同时也要考虑相关疾病的复杂性。然而越来越多的研究表明,表观遗传学在空气污染相关疾病的发生、发展中发挥着重要的作用。空气污染物可引起DNA甲基化、组蛋白修饰和miRNA表达等表观遗传学改变,这种改变往往发生在疾病产生的早期,因此相关研究不仅可以了解疾病的发病机制,而且还为疾病早期诊断和预防筛选可能的标志物。本文综述了表观遗传学的几种修饰方式和空气污染物造成不良健康损伤机制的一些研究进展。

Epigenetic Mechanism and It's role in the Negative Health Effect of Air Pollution

Air pollution is a global problem with far-reaching environmental impacts. Exposure to air pollution has been linked to a series of adverse health effects. Understanding the healthy impact of ambient air pollution is a complicated given because of the diversity of the pollutants involved as well as the complexity of diseases associated. However, a growing number of studies show that epigenetics mechanism plays an important role in the occurrence and development of air pollution related diseases. Air pollutants caused epigenetic changes often occur in the early stages of the diseases, including DNA methylation, histone modification and miRNA expression. Study of the epigenetic changes can help not only to understand the pathogenesis of a disease, but also to screen potential biomarkers for disease early diagnosis and prevention. This review aims to provide a brief overview on epigenetic modifications and summarize the underlining mechanisms of adverse health effects caused by ambient air pollution.