Nutri-epigenetics and synthetic analogs in cancer chemoprevention

Nutri-epigenetics has lately emerged as a new field in cancer epigenetic research. Cancer represents a multistage and heterogeneous disease that is driven by progressive genetic and epigenetic abnormalities. Epigenetic activity is influenced by several exogenous and endogenous factors including, nutrition, environment, disease, ethnicity, life style, medication, toxins, physical activity, age, gender and family genetics. Epigenetic therapy including mainly natural phenolics is a new area for drug development in cancer prevention. The current generation of epigenetic synthetic analogs are primarily target to inhibit the activity and expression of methyltransferases and histone deacetylases. Epigenetic mechanisms underlying nutrition seem very important tools nowadays in further understanding human health in general. New targeted natural and synthetic agents, along with the application of modern genomic methods, could substantially offer more specific armamentarium towards the prevention and therapy of cancer. The present short review demonstrates a selection of natural and recent synthetic chemopreventing compounds, in relation to their epigenetic mechanisms and current/future uses/limitations in therapeutics.