Host: The Japanese Society of Toxicology
Maintenance of appropriate levels of epigenomic modifications is critical for cellular function. Epigenomic alterations are involved in cancer, and are likely to be involved in allergy, autoimmune disorders, and type 2 diabetes. Nevertheless, as inducers of epigenomic alterations, aging and chronic inflammation are almost all the known factors, and little knowledge is available for the influence of chemicals. At the same time, many inhibitors of enzymes that regulate epigenomes have been developed, including those derived from natural compounds. These inhibitors can show teratogenicity, and induce toxicities in bone marrow, the heart, gastrointestinal tract, and testes. Toxicities due to natural and industrial compounds are expected to be much weaker than the inhibitors. However, cumulative effects are known for aberrant DNA methylation, and may be present for other epigenomic alterations. It is important to accelerate our research on how we detect epigenomic toxicity and with what sensitivity.
