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. 2022:1357:195-223.
doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-88071-2_9.

Epigenetic Mechanisms in Understanding Nanomaterial-Induced Toxicity

Manosij Ghosh  1 , Lode Godderis  2 , Peter Hoet  2
Affiliations

Epigenetic Mechanisms in Understanding Nanomaterial-Induced Toxicity

Manosij Ghosh et al. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2022.

Abstract

The toxic effects of different forms of nanomaterials comprise a series of biological effects such as oxidative stress; DNA damage; inflammatory response; activation of nuclear transcription factors. Some of these are key characteristics of human carcinogens and have been considered for hazard identification of nanomaterials. In addition, epigenetic changes also play a key role in the multi-step sequential process of carcinogenesis. Epigenetic modifications may constitute changes in DNA methylation, histone modifications (methylation, acetylation etc), and changes in non-coding RNA, leading to an altered gene expression profile. In this chapter, we describe the state-of-the-art of epigenetic modifications induced by different nanomaterials, from a limited number of in vitro- in vivo and human studies, a majority of which is primarily focused on DNA methylation. We also highlight the potential challenges and future directions in the field of epigenetics research in nanomaterial toxicology.

Keywords: DNA methylation; Epigenetics; Histone modification; Nanotoxicology.

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