Moradi Sarabi M, Mohammadrezaei Khorramabadi R, Zare Z, Eftekhar E. Polyunsaturated fatty acids and DNA methylation in colorectal cancer. World J Clin Cases 2019; 7(24): 4172-4185 [PMID: 31911898 DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v7.i24.4172]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Ebrahim Eftekhar, PhD, Associate Professor, Molecular Medicine Research Center, Hormozgan Health Institute, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Jomhori Street, Bandar Abbas 7919915519, Iran. eftekhar19@gmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Article-Type of This Article
Review
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Mostafa Moradi Sarabi, Reza Mohammadrezaei Khorramabadi, Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, School of Medicine, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad 381251698, Iran
Zohre Zare, Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad 381251698, Iran
Ebrahim Eftekhar, Molecular Medicine Research Center, Hormozgan Health Institute, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas 7919915519, Iran
Author contributions: Eftekhar E and Moradi Sarabi M supervised the work and wrote the manuscript; Mohammadrezaei Khorramabadi R and Zare Z collected the data, revised the literature, drew the figures and contributed to conception and design of the study; All authors contributed to critical revision, editing and final approval of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Authors declare no conflict of interest related to this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Ebrahim Eftekhar, PhD, Associate Professor, Molecular Medicine Research Center, Hormozgan Health Institute, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Jomhori Street, Bandar Abbas 7919915519, Iran. eftekhar19@gmail.com
Received: September 18, 2019 Peer-review started: September 18, 2019 First decision: October 14, 2019 Revised: November 27, 2019 Accepted: December 13, 2019 Article in press: December 13, 2019 Published online: December 26, 2019
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) has been designated a major global problem, especially due to its high prevalence in developed countries. CRC mostly occurs sporadically (75%-80%), and only 20%-25% of patients have a family history. Several processes are involved in the development of CRC such as a combination of genetic and epigenetic alterations. Epigenetic changes, including DNA methylation play a vital role in the progression of CRC. Complex interactions between susceptibility genes and environmental factors, such as a diet and sedentary lifestyle, lead to the development of CRC. Clinical and experimental studies have confirmed the beneficial effects of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in preventing CRC. From a mechanistic viewpoint, it has been suggested that PUFAs are pleiotropic agents that alter chromatin remodeling, membrane structure and downstream cell signaling. Moreover, PUFAs can alter the epigenome via modulation of DNA methylation. In this review, we summarize recent investigations linking PUFAs and DNA methylation-associated CRC risk.
Core tip: Polyunsaturated fatty acids, including ω-3 (eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid) may have a potential preventive role in colorectal cancer (CRC) by changing DNA methylation. In this review after summarizing the latest knowledge regarding changes in the DNA methylation pattern and its association with CRC, we aim to highlight the link between polyunsaturated fatty acids and DNA methylation in CRC, which is currently an interesting field of research.
