title: Epigenetic mechanisms of importance for drug treatment.
abstract: There are pronounced interindividual variations in drug metabolism, drug responses, and the incidence of adverse drug reactions. To a certain extent such variability can be explained by genetic factors, but epigenetic modifications, which are relatively scarcely described so far, also contribute. It is known that a novel class of drugs termed epidrugs intervene in the epigenetic control of gene expression, and many of these are now in clinical trials for disease treatment. In addition, disease prognosis and drug treatment success can be monitored using epigenetic biomarkers. Here we review these novel aspects in pharmacology and address intriguing future opportunities for gene-specific epigenetic editing.
authors.affiliation: Pharmacogenetics Section, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Maxim
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ivanov
authors.affiliation: Pharmacogenetics Section, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Barragan
authors.affiliation: Pharmacogenetics Section, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. Electronic address: magnus.ingelman-sundberg@ki.se.
authors.forename: Magnus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ingelman-Sundberg
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004358:Drug Therapy; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D010597:Pharmacogenetics
keywords: 5-hydroxymethylcytosine; DNA methylation; epidrugs; epigenetic editing; histone modifications; pharmacoepigenetics