Molecular epigenetic targets for liver diseases: current challenges and future prospects

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Updated: Feb 25, 2026

Cell Type-specific Gene Expression Profiling in the Mouse Liver
10:06

Cell Type-specific Gene Expression Profiling in the Mouse Liver

Published on: September 17, 2019

8.3K

Robert Zeidler1, Bruno Leonardo de Freitas Soares1, Augustinus Bader1

  • 1Centre for Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Department of Cell Techniques and Applied Stem Cell Biology, Medical Faculty of University of Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany.

Drug Discovery Today
|July 30, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Epigenetic modifications, like histone changes, offer new liver cancer treatments. Understanding noncoding RNAs and novel compounds can improve therapies for liver disorders.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Epigenetics
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Advanced chemotherapy shows limited efficacy in treating liver cancer.
  • Recent advancements in understanding epigenetic modifications are yielding promising clinical outcomes.
  • Epigenetic alterations involve changes in the epigenome, such as histone modifications, without altering the DNA sequence.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the role of epigenetic modifications in liver cancer.
  • To explore the impact of small RNA molecules (noncoding RNA and microRNA) on chromatin architecture.
  • To discuss novel compounds and current strategies for improving liver disorder treatments.

Main Methods:

  • Review of current literature on epigenetic modifications in liver cancer.
  • Analysis of studies on noncoding RNA and microRNA in modulating chromatin.
  • Examination of preclinical and clinical evidence for novel therapeutic compounds.

Main Results:

  • Epigenetic mechanisms, including histone methylation, acetylation, phosphorylation, and sumoylation, influence genomic architecture.
  • Small RNA molecules play a significant role in modulating chromatin structure.
  • Novel compounds show potential in preclinical and clinical settings for liver-related disorders.

Conclusions:

  • Epigenetic modifications represent a promising therapeutic avenue for liver cancer.
  • Further investigation into small RNAs and novel compounds is crucial for advancing liver disorder treatments.
  • Current strategies and future research scopes aim to enhance existing treatment methodologies for liver diseases.

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