Common non-epigenetic drugs as epigenetic modulators.
Epigenetic effects are exerted by a variety of factors and evidence increases that common drugs such as opioids, cannabinoids, valproic acid, or cytostatics may induce alterations in DNA methylation patterns or histone conformations. These effects occur via chemical structural interactions with epigenetic enzymes, through interactions with DNA repair mechanisms. Computational predictions indicate that one-twentieth of all drugs might potentially interact with human histone deacetylase, which was prospectively experimentally verified for the compound with the highest predicted interaction probability. These epigenetic effects add to wanted and unwanted drug effects, contributing to mechanisms of drug resistance or disease-related and unrelated phenotypes. Because epigenetic changes might be transmitted to offspring, the need for reliable and cost-effective epigenetic screening tools becomes acute.
Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Goethe University, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, D-60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Fraunhofer Institute of Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology - Project Group Translational Medicine and Pharmacology (IME-TMP), Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, D-60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Electronic address: j.loetsch@em.uni-frankfurt.de.
Jörn
J
Lötsch
Gisbert
G
Schneider
Daniel
D
Reker
Michael J
MJ
Parnham
Petra
P
Schneider
Gerd
G
Geisslinger
Alexandra
A
Doehring
D000818:Animals; D019175:DNA Methylation; D004260:DNA Repair; D004358:Drug Therapy; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D057890:Epigenomics / Q000379:methods*; D006655:Histone Deacetylases / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000737:chemistry*
D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D006655:Histone Deacetylases